Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41441424›Full record

ReviewSports (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Barriers and Facilitators in the Junior-to-Senior Transition in Male Football-A Scoping Review.

João Tomás, Duarte Araújo, Diogo Martinho, João Ribeiro, Honorato Sousa, Adam Field, Hugo Sarmento

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

João TomásUniversidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0009-0001-2192-2464
Duarte AraújoCIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-7932-3192
Diogo MartinhoUniversidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-0825-4032
João RibeiroResearch Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Universidade da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7658-4837
Honorato SousaDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-7434-643X
Adam FieldDepartment of Sport and Exercise Science, Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BX, UK.
Hugo SarmentoUniversidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-8681-0642

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite many young players showing strong potential, only a small fraction succeeds in the critical transition from youth to elite senior football. This scoping review synthesizes research on the junior-to-senior transition in men's football, identifying main topics related with barriers and facilitators in the transition.

methodsSearches were performed in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA, 2020) guidelines, using the following keywords: "football*" OR football AND talent* OR "talent identification" OR "talent development" OR expert* OR gift* AND "junior-to-senior" OR "transition career" or "athlete career transition" OR "transition phase". Original articles in English focused on the junior-to-senior process in male footballers were included.

resultsFrom 5307 titles, 35 studies met eligibility criteria. The most examined themes were psychosocial factors, including social support, stressors, and resilience. The reviewed studies identified organizational structure and effective club communication as facilitators and emphasized the importance of physical attributes to meet senior-level demands.

conclusionsOverall, the junior-to-senior transition is multifaceted, shaped by psychosocial, organizational, and physical factors. Despite robust research, gaps remain; future longitudinal and interdisciplinary studies should inform evidence-based strategies for optimizing player development and retention.

Indexed as

expertisefootballfootball playerperformancetraining

Identifiers

PMID41441424
PMCPMC12736883

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.