Talent development is integral to the policy and organizational practice of competitive sport, but has also been associated with excessive amounts of training and competition, and athlete injuries and illnesses. The lack of available prospective data on the training and match activities of youth athletes and their health problems is therefore of concern. The aim of this study was two-fold: (a) to examine the amount and frequency of training load, match activities, injury and illness incidence, and prevalence among Norwegian youth elite handball players over the course of the 2018–2019 competitive season; and (b) to explore whether the injury rates are related to the sex or competition level of players, or their membership of the youth international team. We recruited 205 handball players (64% female, 36% male), aged 15–18 years (17.2 years ± 0.9) from five different sport school programs in southeast Norway. Data were collected daily from September 2018 to May 2019, during the competitive handball season. The variables included types of athlete activities, the number of activities, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and the duration of training and matches. Injury and illness data were collected weekly using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) questionnaire. The mean number of matches per week per player was 0.9 ± 1.29; the number of weekly training events was 6.1 ± 4.4; and the mean weekly session RPE was 986 ± 1 412 arbitrary units. The players reported a total of 472 injuries, and the mean number of injuries per player was 2.3 ± 2.9. The results demonstrated a 53% weekly injury prevalence, of which 38% were categorized as substantial injuries. Male players and players who participated at the highest level of senior competition and/or the youth international team reported significantly lower weekly incidences of health problems, compared to other players. Our findings showed that players enrolled in sport school programs are exposed to high training and competition loads, and that both general and substantial health problems are common. The potential implications for talent development and future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether coach-team perceptual distance regarding the coach-created motivational climate related to achievement goal orientations and affective responses. To this end, we used polynomial regression analysis with response surface methodology. The sample consisted of 1359 youth soccer players (57.8% male; M = 11.81 years, SD = 1.18), belonging to 87 different teams (M = 16.47), and 87 coaches (94.6% male, M = 42 years, SD = 5.67). Results showed that team perceptions of a coach-created mastery climate were positively related to team-rated task goal orientation and enjoyment, whereas team perceptions of a coach-created performance climate were positively related to team-rated ego goal orientation and anxiety, and negatively related to team-rated enjoyment. When the coach and the team were in perceptual agreement, the outcomes increased as both coach and team perceptions of the climate increased. In situations of perceptual disagreement, the most negative effects were seen when the coach held a more favorable perception of the motivational climate compared to the team. The findings highlight the importance of perceptual agreement between the coach and his/her team, contributing to the literature focusing on the effects of the coach-created motivational climate.

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This study investigated the relationships between perceptions of coach autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction and the frequency at which youth soccer players engage in additional soccer activity outside of team sessions. We employed structural equation modelling to test a two-wave (T1 and T2) half-longitudinal study to see if basic psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between coach autonomy support and additional soccer activity across a competitive season. The sample consisted of 527 youth soccer players, aged 10-15 years. Results revealed moderate to strong temporal stability for autonomy, competence, relatedness and frequency of additional soccer activity. Furthermore, no support is offered for mediation as T1 coach autonomy support was not related to any of the three basic needs at T2 when accounting for their T1 levels. However, a positive relationship between T1 autonomy and T2 additional soccer activity emerged. This suggests that those who experience high levels of autonomy in the team setting at the start of the season report an increased frequency of additional activity at the end of the season. Results are discussed in light of the Self-Determination Theory and the Trans-Contextual Model.

This study builds on previous research combining achievement goal orientation from Achievement Goal Theory and motivational regulation from Self-Determination Theory. The aim was to assess the combination of the “what” and “why” of youth sport activity, and how it relates to the need for competence and self-esteem. Achievement goal orientation, specifically task and ego, was employed to represent the “what”, whilst intrinsic and external regulation reflected the “why”. Based on a sample of 496 youth sports participants, structural equation modeling with a bootstrapping procedure was used to examine whether the indirect relationship between achievement goal orientation and self-esteem was conditional to motivational regulation. The results show partial support for the conditional process models. Specifically, task orientation was indirectly linked with self-esteem through competence need, and the relationship was stronger with higher levels of intrinsic regulation for sport. Furthermore, ego orientation was negatively associated with self-esteem through a positive relationship with competence frustration. However, this relationship emerged only for those higher in intrinsic regulation. External regulation did not emerge as a moderator, but presented a positive relationship with competence frustration. Findings are discussed in light of both Achievement Goal Theory and Self-Determination Theory, and underline the importance of considering both the “what” and “why” when attempting to understand motivation in youth sport.

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This study investigated the relationship between perceived reduction in performance due to injury or illness (RPII) and basic psychological need satisfaction in youth elite handball. Participants were 174 elite youth handball players between 15 to 18 years of age, from five different sport schools. It was a quantitative study, with two time points (one week apart), resulting in a crossed-lagged structural equation model. Competence and relatedness satisfaction were found invariant across the two time points, autonomy was not. The structural model showed good fit ((S- B χ²) = [df = 130, N= 174] = 182.327, p < .0017; CFI = .96; RMSEA = .05 [.03-.06], and SRMR = .08). Competence (β= .64, 95%CI: .51, .76), relatedness (β= .77, 95%CI: .66, .88) and RPII (β= .51, 95%CI: .37, .66) showed moderate temporal stability. When accounting for previous levels of the basic psychological needs, RPII negatively predicted competence (β= -.20, 95%CI: -.35, .83) and relatedness (β= -.16, 95%CI: -.30, -.01). Taken together, these findings suggest that experiencing RPII can have implications for basic psychological need satisfaction in youth elite handball, showing that factors other than psychosocial ones may play a role therein.