Elevating the game: Pathway structures and the operationalisation of talent identification and development systems across world netball.

Abstract

Sporting pathways and talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are commonly used worldwide to identify and develop future elite athletes. However, limited research explores the structure of sporting pathways and the operationalisation of TIDS as part of them globally, especially in women's sports, including netball. Therefore, representatives from 10 global netball governing bodies participated in semi-structured interviews to help describe the structure of their netball pathway and operationalisation of their TIDS. Utilising reflexive thematic analysis three themes were generated: 'Netball pathways are multilayered but not always consistently connected', 'Traditional and forward-thinking talent identification and development practices', and 'Limited resources make talent identification and development challenging'. These findings provide organisations with an understanding of the structure of sporting pathways, and the operationalisation of TIDS in netball and the challenges of optimising them. To address these challenges, prioritising coach and practitioner education across the pathway to deliver inclusive, ethical, and appropriate practices to maximise player retention and player development is needed. Organisations are encouraged to consider how they can collaborate to maximise the use of resources within the sport.