Study on the concentration of attention in children playing football

Abstract

The game of football is generally characterised by the joy of playing, creativity, spontaneity and consumption of physical and mental energy, involving the total commitment of athletes. The profile of the future footballer requires a high level of development of intellectual skills and mental qualities such as creativity, anticipation and concentration. We are witnessing impressive progress in technology, which can also be seen more and more in football, from performance measuring instruments to training devices that enhance the player’s skills. Thus, in the near future, due to the very fast flow of data, the difference will be largely made by the individual’s ability to focus attention and be creative. For this reason, the present study aims to identify the ability to focus attention in children aged 8-10 years, members of two football teams, by highlighting two indicators, namely their speed of information processing and the accuracy of their responses. To this end, we used the Piéron test, which measures the development level of focused attention. The investigated sample consists of 40 children playing football. The research took place in two private children’s football clubs in Romania. The training programme proposed by us for the development of on-field attention can be implemented in the training of athletes of different age groups.