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The aim of this study was to contribute to the research field of children’s rights in sports by synthesizing the scientific approaches applied and topics addressed in previous social science research focused on children’s rights per se. A scoping literature review was conducted via database searches (Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus). The search strategy yielded 44 articles eligible for inclusion. The analysis showed that the articles covered 17 identified topics in total, most frequently abuse. Fewer than half had a direct focus on children’s rights in sports. The research was mostly descriptive, non-theoretical and encompassed few countries, sports and ages. The sample of empirical studies generally encompassed child participants or international policy and regulations. In conclusion, studies with more explanatory and theoretical designs and a clearer, direct focus on children’s rights would be beneficial for enhancing general and theoretical understanding of children’s rights and explaining associated problems.

One common practice in talent development environments during the investment years (age 16+) and elite sport, in general, is the use of physiological testing of the athletes’ physical determinants of performance. In this article, the regime of controlling and monitoring athletes’ bodies for elite sport production through physiological testing will be examined. To this end, we explored athletes’ experiences of what has been done and why physiological tests are carried out the way they are to understand the practice of physiological testing in relation to athlete development. The material in this study is based on interviews with adult elite sport athletes (four group interviews with eight individual athletes in three different sports, four male and four female, and individual interviews with twelve female and five male football players). Schatzki's and Reckwitz's theorizing on social practices, together with Dewey's theorizing on learning from experience, are used to explore and illuminate the practice of physiological testing and what learning is enabled and constrained within that practice. The findings show that the meaning and significance of physiological testing for athletic development relates to how the tests are followed up and talked through with the athletes. The analysis shows that there exists a form of sport-wide commonality where the same understandings, rules or ends—irrespective of which sport is concerned—govern coaches’ and athletes’ behavior regarding physiological tests. The physiological testing practice articulates action intelligibility through rules and structures which emphasizes tests as isolated quantified indicators of physical status. The use of physiological tests as a part of learning or as a means for athlete development can therefore be questioned.

Talent identification is a topic that has captured a lot of research interest. The knowledge on player competencies used in selection processes has predominately focused upon on coaches’ identification practice, and their views on the physical, physiological, technical, and mental qualities of talented of young soccer players. However, few studies have put attention on the role family background factors, such as parents’ sport habits, level of education and finances, type of residence, etc. have for being selected as a youth talent. Thus, in this paper the aim is to explore background patterns of females and males that at the age of 15 were selected to a district/regional team in one of the 24 football districts in Sweden. The study uses retrospective questionnaire data from 1026 football players (396 males and 630 females) who were selected for district teams at the age of 15. The findings show that, besides growing up in families with a strong sport capital, especially the father, a majority grew up in a house, rated the family's finances as good and about 50% had parents with university education. Very few of the females and males have a foreign background. The findings suggests that for being selected as a talented football player not only physical, physiological, technical, and mental qualities, but also a particular type of background seems to be favorable. In conclusion, the talented players characteristics raise questions about the diversity that the Swedish Football Association strives for within Swedish football at all levels.

Using questionnaire data collected from one gym in 1995, 2005, and 2015 this study examines 861 women’s and 1827 men’s training patterns and their motives for weight training. Between 1995 and 2015, the gym increased its membership, equipment, and machines. The analysis shows that the participants increased the time they trained in gyms and changed the muscle groups they prioritized. The motives to become stronger, healthier, and more fit remained stable over time, but both the men’s and women’s training de-emphasized building muscles and firmer shapes and emphasized fun, attractiveness, and endurance. The analysis suggests that how the socially constructed body should be shaped and the goal with the shaping has changed. In conclusion, the 20-year perspective captures changes that have not been reported previously and contributes to knowledge about the intersection of gyms and gender, shedding light on how gym culture has changed and the reasons for these changes.

Introduktion: Att nå elitnivå inom idrott, och fotboll som behandlas i denna presentation, är en dröm för många barn och ungdomar. Olika typer av ”talangutvecklingsmiljöer”, exempelvis nationella fotbollsgymnasier, men även elitförberedande klubbmiljöer (akademier) har växt fram för att drömmen om elitnivå ska uppfyllas. Dessa miljöer kan betraktas som systematiska strukturer där betydande ekonomiska och mänskliga resurser används för att identifiera och utveckla unga pojkar och flickor. Frågan vad fotbollsgymnasier, ett program för 16-åringar i syfte att nå internationell toppnivå inom idrotten (Lund, 2014), men även vad fotbollsakademier betyder behandlas i presentationen. En annan idrottspecialisering, och sannolikt en följd av drömmen om att nå elitnivå, är tidig specialisering inom en idrott. Tidig specialisering är ett omdebatterat ämne (Côté et al., 2007; Waldron, DeFreese, Register-Mihalik et al., 2020). Huruvida tidig specialisering i fotboll före 12 års ålder har någon betydelse för att nå elitnivå är också en fråga som behandlas i föredraget.

Syfte och metod: Utifrån enkätdata från nuvarande och före detta fotbollsspelare (N = 1026) och intervjudata (N=25) som valts ut till ett nationellt fotbollstalangprogram vid 15 års ålder fokuserar presentationen på konsekvenserna av kvinnor och mäns idrottsspecialiseringar för elitfotboll i tidig vuxen ålder (21 år).

Resultat och slutsatser: Resultaten visade att kvinnor i lägre utsträckning hade tillgång till elitfotbollsträning i klubb- och skolmiljöer. Spelare som tillhörde elitförberedande miljöer (akademier) under tonåren hade dubbelt så stor sannolikhet att spela elitfotboll vid 21 års ålder. Resultaten visade också att tidig specialisering före 12 år och fotbollsgymnasieträning inte ökade sannolikheten att spela elitfotboll vid 21 års ålder. Analysen av intervjudata visade att fotbollsgymnasiers betydelse för att utvecklas som fotbollsspelare hänger samman med spelarens bakgrund, nuvarande nivå och skolverksamheten. Sammanfattningsvis ger resultaten insikter om fotbollsspecialisering och talangutvecklingsmiljöer inom svensk fotboll.

Elite level achievement in football can, besides the training in the club, be advanced through elite sport schools at the upper secondary school. This systematic talent development environments are of central interest in this study. Previous research in the area have been extensive, and with a particular focus on football academies and environmental success factors (e.g., Cooper, 2021; Larsen et al, 2013). To date, research undertaken has not in any greater extent taken into consideration non-club environments such as the upper secondary school specialization in Sweden (2-3 trainings/week during school hours). A dual career program for 16-year-old ones in order to achieve international top-level in sport (Lund, 2014). Drawing on questionnaire and interview data from men and women that at the age of 15 were selected to a national talent program this study focuses on the consequences of upper secondary school specialization for elite football in adulthood. Findings from the questionnaire data showed that football specialization schools did not increase the likelihood for playing elite football at the age of 21. The analysis of players experiences of upper secondary football schools showed that the understandings of school specialization for developing as a football player can be found in the players background, present level as well as the school activities. In conclusion the findings provide insights about sport specialization within the context of football.

Drawing on data from the present and former football players (N = 1026) selected to a national football talent programme at the age of 15, this study explores a model of sport specialisation. We examined three specific aspects of sport specialisation including early football specialisation, participation in youth elite football training environments (i.e. academies) and enrolment in upper secondary football specialisation schools. Antecedents of these sport specialisation factors included gender (i.e. sociocultural), grit (i.e. personality) and perceptions of family finances (i.e. social). Outcomes focused on adult football participation at the age of 21 including elite skill acquisition (i.e. playing elite football) and personal development (i.e. participation in non-elite football). Findings revealed that females were less likely to gain access to elite football training or school specialisation environments. There was also a positive association between grit and participation in elite training environments. In terms of outcomes, players, who got trained in elite training environments during adolescence, were twice as likely to play elite football at the age of 21, while those who attended football specialisation schools were more likely to participate in non-elite football at the age of 21. Early specialisation was not associated with either adult participation outcome. This is one of the few studies to date addressing diverse antecedents and outcomes of sport specialisation factors. Understanding how sport specialisation practices relate to future skill acquisition and personal development can provide guidance for maximising the benefits of youth sport programming.

This study investigates players who have been selected to a district team in the Swedish Football Association U15 talent programme. Using register data on all selected 15-year-old boy and girl district team players (3943 boys and 4056 girls born between 1986 and 1996) from Sweden’s 24 football districts, we analysed the relationships between club affiliation at age 15, the player population of the district, date of birth, and continuation with football and competitive level as young adults. The results show that a higher percentage of boys than girls continued playing football into young adulthood and that continuation is related to district size. Belonging to an elite club at age 15 reduces the likelihood of girls playing football at age 21, but it has no effect on the likelihood of boys playing football at age 21. In addition, 15-year-old boys and girls from larger districts who played on an elite club at age 15 were more likely to play elite football at age 21. In sum, the study shows that football district size and club affiliation at age 15 affect whether boys and girls continue to play football and whether they play at an elite level as young adults.

Studies on talent identification "the process of recognizing current participants with the potential to become elite players" (Williams & Reilly, 2000, p.658), has predominately focused upon on coaches identification practice (e.g., Cushion & Jones, 2006) or on finding out what qualities that can predict talent (e.g., Vaeyens et al., 2008), and especially with a focus on boys. To date, research undertaken in the field has also neglected elite football player's perspectives on ways of seeing and defining talent. Thus, in this paper the aim is to explore female and male elite football players' perception of what to look for when selecting a talented 14-year-old football player. The material in this study is based on interviews with football players (12 women and 13 men) that at the age of 15 were selected to a district squad and made it all the way to elite football in adulthood. The results show that the dominant view among the women is that attitude and curiosity, the willingness to learn and get better would be decisive in their identification process. However, although a majority of the men also emphasize those factors, the dominant view among men when selecting a talented 14-year old football player is game understanding i.e., how to perceive and understand the game and how to move and act in relation to "what's going on" on the pitch. In conclusion, the question can be asked whether the gender differences shown in the study reflect the different conditions that surround women's and men's football.

This article examines how a virtual case that prepares students for practical scenario training affects police students' performance in a practical scenario training. This study included 69 Swedish police students at the Basic Training Programme for Police Officers – 35 assigned to a virtual police case (VCASE) and 34 assigned to a conventional teacher-led (CON) lesson. A questionnaire captured how students experience training conditions and a blind assessment by police officers evaluated the students' performance in the practical scenario training. The results show that both the VCASE and CON participants thought that the training they received before the practical training was meaningful and motivating. However, to a significantly higher degree than the CON students, the VCASE students thought that their preparation helped them during the practical training. The expert assessment of one practical scenario (stopping a suspected stolen car) showed that the VCASE participants performed better than the CON participants in three out of five criteria. In conclusion, the VCASE and the CON training had different effects on the students' performance in the practical scenario: compared to the CON training, the VCASE training seemed to more effectively help the police students solve the situations presented in the practical scenario training.