The Loughborough Soccer Passing Test has impractical criterion validity in elite youth football. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Serpiello, F. R.; Cox, A.; Oppici, L.; Hopkins, W. G.; Varley, M. C.
• Is Part Of: Science and medicine in football. Volume 1:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 60
• Page End: 64
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Football -- skills -- passing -- LSPT -- validity; Soccer injuries -- Periodicals; Soccer -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Soccer -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 617.102763
• DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1254810
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2473-3938

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Passing ability is of great importance in the development of young football players. The Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) was developed to assess short-distance passing ability under time pressure, in a controlled environment. While the test has strong discriminant validity and acceptable test–retest reliability, no information exists on its ability to predict passing performance during a game. The aim of the present study was to assess the criterion validity of the LSPT in elite youth football players. Twenty-four outfield male players from an U18 state-representative team performed the LSPT. Criterion measures of passing performance overall and in high-difficulty scenarios were provided by video analysis of the first eight subsequent games of a competitive season. Validity was quantified as Pearson's correlations between the LSPT score (total and time-only) and the two criterion measures, adjusted for reliability of the criterion measures. The adjusted correlations ranged from 0.30 (90% confidence limits −0.17, 0.74) to 0.47 (−0.02, 0.97), representing impractical to very poor validity. No variable from the game video analysis in isolation (e.g., pass direction, pass location etc.) had a meaningful correlation with the LSPT scores. In conclusion, our results do not support the use of the LSPT as a valid test of in-game passing performance in this cohort of youth players.