Uni studies say 'football vision' as important as ball skills

The sports science experts believe that the ability to be able to scan the pitch and have awareness of the field of play is equally as important as developing a players technical ball skills.  

Lead researcher, Craig Pulling, said: '˜Coaches who knew the benefits of scanning the pitch and believed in the importance of teaching it at a young age believed that it should taught alongside technical skills not after it.'

The research indicates that more experienced and highly qualified coaches were likely to put greater emphasis on the importance of awareness.

Dr Matt Dicks from the University of Portsmouth said: '˜Higher coaching qualifications in tandem with greater experience leads to coaches developing a positive attitude to the importance of training scanning.'