This is a topic that has concerned leaders in sport, business and the military for many years.
How do those responsible for selection in any field know what they are looking for? Do they look at current capability? How do they assess potential? What are the ‘hidden’ predictors of success?
Professional Sporting Academies begin their search for talent by looking at youngsters long before they reach maturity, a most difficult task. Professional football clubs have been engaged in this exercise longer than most. How successful are they?
Fulham FC is recognised as having one of the best academies in the game. Its’ purpose is not only to develop players who might be good enough to play for the club but also to contribute to the club’s financial model, by developing players who may be sold on at a big profit.
The workshop delved into the Fulham programme, seeking to uncover its’ strengths and weaknesses, and to unravel why is has been one of the most successful, even in comparison with many larger and wealthier clubs. Huw Jennings (Academy Director) and Mike Cave (Academy Manager) delivered a comprehensive account of the structure and management of the Academy.
At Loughborough University in London, innovative research has been conducted into the whole field of talent identification and scouting for sport. The academics and technical experts who have developed the AiScout Talent Identification Platform presented their innovative and exciting ideas.
As always at FLS workshops, we ended the day with a panel discussion involving experts from sort, business and the military.
The presentations and discussions can be seen in the members secure section of this FLS site.