Marco Bettoni · Nicola Lovecchio · Matteo Giuriato · Contribution published in Il Nuovo Calcio.

How can a young footballer learn to read a situation, change a decision in a fraction of a second and choose an effective solution while everything around him is moving? The article links youth football with executive functions.

Football as an open-skill environment

In football, the context changes continuously. Teammates, opponents, ball trajectories, open spaces and available time force the player to process many pieces of information quickly. Performance therefore depends not only on technique, but also on observing, inhibiting a response, changing a plan and making a new decision.

Working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, selective attention, planning and problem solving are all part of the executive-function framework.

Training thinking through play

The authors argue that these abilities should already be considered in youth football, without separating technique from game reading. The goal is not to turn training into a cognitive test, but to design situations in which children have to move, observe, decide and adapt.

Robin Hood as a practical example

One of the activities uses the story of Robin Hood. Footballs become “money”; some children are rich, others poor, and one or more players take the role of Robin Hood. From this narrative structure, coaches can develop variations involving dribbling, passing, receiving, spatial awareness, attention to teammates and inhibitory control.

The central principle is progression: each new variation should be introduced when the children are ready, keeping the task challenging without undermining confidence.