"It's Obvious If Someone Has Talent!":Coaches' Subjective Talent Criteria in Top-Level Soccer

Although talent selection decisions in professional soccer are based on coaches' subjective judgements, little is known to date about their subjective talent criteria. Drawing on a constructivist approach (Kelly, 1991), we studied six Swiss top-level youth soccer coaches using a semistructured interview and repertory grid technique (Fromm, 2004). The results show that the method can be used to define coaches' subjective talent criteria. The multidimensionality and differentiation displayed by the coaches' talent models are demonstrated by their inclusion of aspects from the field of personality characteristics, cognitive perceptual skills, physical abilities, technique, social environment, and physical constitution. The results indicate that the repertory grid technique can be used for systematic talent evaluations based on coaches' subjective talent criteria.