Elite youth footballers are at risk of burnout before they leave school because of the perfectionist standards some feel coaches, parents and 
team members demand of them. Dr Hill Dr Andrew Hill, lecturer in sports and exercise science in the University of Leeds’ School of Biomedical Sciences said some youngsters in professional football academies are showing signs of of chronic stress, exhaustion, and disillusion with their sport at a young age.
“We need sport to be a positive experience for all participants. Sport can be used as a vehicle to develop life skills, a sense of self-esteem and quality relationships with others, but we know it can lead to disaffection, poor moral decision making and make people feel miserable about themselves. There is nothing necessarily positive about sport. It is about the environment that is created.”
Researchers studied the relationship between different types of perfectionism and burnout among 167 junior male footballers in eight academies and centres of excellence attached to English professional clubs.
Read the article here (see also here), or find the research paper here, or read on.
They found that up to a quarter of the boys reported sometimes experiencing symptoms of burnout, while about one percent experienced certain symptoms frequently.
Players who reported perceived pressures from others, a fear of making mistakes, and other external pressures were at the most risk from burnout. Non-perfectionists and players who displayed perfectionism driven by their own high standards were significantly less vulnerable.
“What we see among the athletes showing symptoms of burnout is emotional and physical exhaustion, a sense that they are not achieving and a sense of devaluation of the sport. Even though they might originally enjoy their sport and be emotionally invested in it, they eventually become disaffected. Participation can be very stressful,” Dr Hill said.
Many professional football clubs’ youth structures recruit children as young as eight years old and cut unwanted players annually until they reach 12. Youngsters then sign two-year registrations and must survive “culls” at the age of 14 and 16 before getting a three-year contract.
“It can be harsh. At its worst, we are talking about an environment that can develop, foster and maintain a mindset where athletes are wholly invested into the idea of being the next David Beckham. In fact, of the estimated 10,000 athletes involved in youth football at any one time, less than one per cent is thought to make it as a professional footballer.
“Perfectionism can be a potent energising force but can also carry significant costs for athletes when things don’t go well. Reports of psychological difficulties and interpersonal problems, for example, are not uncommon among athletes who describe themselves as perfectionists. Victoria Pendleton, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Jonnie Wilkinson are all high-profile examples,” he added.
“Perfectionists are stuck in a self-defeating cycle. They are overly dependent on personal accomplishment as a means of establishing a sense of self-esteem but are always dissatisfied with their efforts. Even success can be problematic because they simply become more demanding until they inevitably experience failure.”
Gert-Jan Pepping is an Associate Professor in Human Movement at the School of Behavioural and Health Sciences of AUstralian Catholic University, Brisbane, Australia.
Perception, Action, and Emotions in Performance 
It’s bound to catch up with them at some point. There’s only so many times you can put your body through those types of drills and games before it starts to hit back no matter how well you look after yourself.
I feel sorry for some of these young lads who sign up for big clubs who offer them the world only to be thrown on the scrap heap with nothing to fall back on a few years later.
Steve – Senior Editor (RedforDissent.com)