6B030E - Talent Identification, Recruitment and Development: Elite Football 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 6B030E
Module Title: Talent Identification, Recruitment and Development: Elite Football
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Sport
Faculty Sub Group: Football Coaching
Module Leader: Liviu Cristea
Module Team: Ioan Paval, Jayne Ludlow, Jonathan Jones
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 6
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100095 - sports coaching
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are: 

  • Critically evaluate how players are recruited, profiled, and transitioned into senior football environments. 

  • Apply professional scouting and assessment tools to analyse player readiness and potential. 

  • Develop the ability to synthesise data, observation, and psychological indicators into evidence-based recruitment and transition strategies. 

Content Summary

This module takes you into the advanced world of talent identification, recruitment, and transition, the final stage of the player pathway as athletes move from academy football into the senior game. Building on everything you learned at Levels 4 and 5, you’ll master an understanding of the performance, psychological, and contextual demands of elite football and what clubs really look for when selecting and promoting players. 

You’ll explore cutting-edge scouting methodologies, learn how to profile players for specific playing styles and systems, and understand what makes a successful transition into first-team environments. Using a blend of video analysis, live scouting observations, physical and psychological performance metrics, and character insights, you will create balanced, evidence-informed player profiles. 

Through applied tasks and challenge-based learning, you’ll refine your ability to judge readiness, assess potential, and evaluate risk within elite recruitment systems. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the tools and insight needed to operate confidently in academy recruitment, talent ID, and transition support roles at the highest levels of the game. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminars 30
Groupwork 30
Guided Study 110
Problem/Challenge based learning 38
Practical Classes and Workshops 18
Formative Assessment 24
Summative Assessment 50
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically evaluate the principles, structures, and ethical considerations underpinning player recruitment and transition into elite football.
LO2 Analyse contextual, psychological, and performance factors influencing a player’s transition to senior football.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Report 1 Students experience the assessment as an iterative and developmental process, using feedback and reflection to refine their decisions. The portfolio integrates coaching observation, analysis, and contextual data to demonstrate professional judgement and ethical awareness when recruiting players. The accompanying report replicates the communication demands of recruitment work, requiring concise evidence-based argumentation 0 5000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Report 1

Reading List

Essential: 

Long, Ashley M, Mario Graf, and Merim Bilalic. “Never Too Much—More Talent in Football (Always) Leads to More Success.” PloS one 19.2 (2024): e0290147.  

 

Williams, A. M., Paul Ford, and Barry Drust, eds. Science and Soccer?: Developing Elite Performers. Fourth edition. London: Routledge, 2023.  

 

Gómez-Rubio, Virgilio, Jesús Lagos, and Francisco Palmí-Perales. “Spatial Similarity Index for Scouting in Football.” arXiv.org (2024). 

 

Scouting and Player Assessment - https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/environment/research-brief/high-performance/find/bergkamp---how-scouts-assess-players.php

 

Achieving Scouts Agreement - https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/environment/research-brief/high-performance/find/luedin-agreement-between-scouts.php

 

Supplementary: 

Siersma, G. “Effectiveness of Coaching and Scouting in Football.” Journal of sports science & medicine 6 (2007).  

 

Baker, Edward et al. “Scouting in English Male Professional Football Academies: Practices and Perceptions between Full-Time, Part-Time, and Volunteer Scouts.” International journal of sports science & coaching (2025). 

 

Entire FIFA Learning Ecosystem - https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/ . Key Words: Talent ID and Development; Scouting; Elite Player Performance.