Finnish football club’s early talent division risks killing children’s love of the game, researchers warn

A Finnish football club’s practice of dividing seven- and eight-year-old children into skill-based teams may deepen inequalities and drive young players away from the sport, experts have warned, according to a report by national broadcaster Yle.

The reigning Finnish champion, Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS), has begun separating boys aged 7–8 into competitive and developmental teams in its youth programme, despite the practice contradicting recommendations from the Football Association of Finland. The club maintains the division is not permanent.

Researchers argue that early categorisation risks creating a cycle where children who develop sooner gain cumulative advantages—such as more praise, better coaching, and challenging matches—while late bloomers fall further behind. Pekka Mertala, an associate professor at the University of Jyväskylä leading a study on ethical dilemmas in youth talent identification, warns that assessments at this age are highly unreliable.

“A child born in January or February can have up to 12 times greater odds of being selected for a competitive team than one born later in the same year,” Mertala said. He noted that children born early in the calendar year are often physically and cognitively more mature than their peers, a difference that is mistakenly interpreted as innate talent. Biological age can also diverge significantly from chronological age, with some children lagging up to two or three years behind their same-age peers in development.

Tytti Soini, a doctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä who studies children’s perspectives in sports, emphasised that young players prioritise fun, camaraderie, and supportive coaches over competition. Her research found that 11-year-old footballers valued playing itself, friends, and encouraging coaches who “don’t shout but praise a lot.”

“Adults often seek to instil a competitive fire in children, but passion can’t be forced—it must come from the child,” Soini said. She questioned how long 7–8-year-olds would remain engaged if the joy of play is replaced by a focus on winning. Finnish studies show that physical activity declines as early as age nine, often because children specialise too soon in a sport that later loses its appeal.

Both researchers urged clubs to avoid rigid divisions and instead adopt flexible groupings that prioritise children’s well-being alongside skill development. “The question adults should ask is: am I coaching for future trophies, or because I enjoy being with these children?” Soini said. Mertala added that fluid, non-permanent teams allow children to move between groups based on their evolving needs—both athletic and emotional.

KuPS’s youth programme coordinator, Samuel Bird, has not responded to requests for further comment on the club’s selection criteria or long-term plans for the division.