Developing game-speed in youth football players: Looking beyond “fast”

Speed is one of the most scrutinised physical qualities in football. Questions about a player’s speed frequently arise in multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions or conversations with parents: How fast is a player? Are they quick enough to compete at the highest level? Can we improve their speed? Although there is growing recognition that physical qualities alone should not dictate retention or release decisions, they can still heavily influence how key stakeholders perceive players and make decisions. Game-speed is not a singular quality. Game-speed is a combination of multiple movement attr...