Effects of a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking on Football-Specific Decision-Making in Under-9 Academy Players

NCT07479368 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: TPCT-Football-U9
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 13
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study evaluates whether embedding a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT) within routine academy football training improves football-specific decision-making and execution speed in under-9 male players. Participants will complete either TPCT-integrated training or standard academy training, and performance will be assessed before and after the intervention using the Stroop Task Football Test (STFT).

Conditions

Football Players; Decision Making

Keywords

Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking; Stroop Task Football Test; Critical Thinking; Execution Time

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Stroop Task Football Test Total Index (TI)

  The STFT Total Index is a football-specific cognitive-motor performance measure derived from successful responses divided by execution time. Higher values indicate better integrated decision-making and execution performance.

  Baseline (before the first intervention session) and 48 to 72 hours after the participant's final intervention session (approximately 3 weeks after baseline).

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Stroop Task Football Test Execution Time (ET)

  Baseline (before the first intervention session) and 48 to 72 hours after the participant's final intervention session (approximately 3 weeks after baseline).

• Stroop Task Football Test Decision-Making: Direction of Movement (DMA-DM)

  Baseline (before the first intervention session) and 48 to 72 hours after the participant's final intervention session (approximately 3 weeks after baseline).

Study Arms (2)

TPCT + Matched Academy Football Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants complete routine academy football training with the same weekly frequency, session duration, and tactical content as the comparison group. In addition, they receive a Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT) embedded within training sessions, including a brief opening dialogue, constrained small-sided games, structured reflection cycles guided by five questions, and extended free play.

Behavioral: Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT)

Standard Academy Football Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants complete routine academy football training with the same planned tactical themes, training dose, session duration, and overall schedule as the experimental group. Training follows the academy's standard repetition-based approach and does not include structured collaborative reflection, the TPCT questioning scaffold, or planned reflection breaks between game-based repetitions.

Behavioral: Matched Academy Football Training

Interventions

Tactical Programme for Critical Thinking (TPCT) BEHAVIORAL

A socio-constructivist, game-based pedagogical intervention embedded within routine under-9 academy football training. TPCT is delivered over 12 on-pitch sessions and includes: (1) a brief opening collective dialogue (\~10 minutes) focused on the tactical principle of the day; (2) constrained small-sided games designed to amplify targeted information-action couplings; (3) brief structured reflection episodes (3-5 minutes) guided by five critical-thinking questions addressing tactical objective, helpful and hindering actions, alternatives, performance evaluation, and collective adjustment; and (4) extended free play representing approximately 50% of session time to promote transfer.

TPCT + Matched Academy Football Training

Matched Academy Football Training BEHAVIORAL

Routine academy football training delivered under normal practice conditions, matched across groups for weekly frequency, session duration, and tactical content. Sessions target offensive and defensive tactical principles through regular coaching activities. In the control condition, training emphasizes repetition-based technical drills and customary game play without structured reflective questioning.

Standard Academy Football Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Male academy football players registered in the under-9 category.
• Regular participation in academy football training.
• Free from injury at baseline and able to fully participate in training and testing.
• Written informed consent provided by a parent or legal guardian.
• Age-appropriate assent provided by the child participant.

You may not qualify if:

• Any injury or medical condition limiting full participation at baseline.
• Injury sustained during the study that prevents continued full participation.
• Absence from more than 25% of intervention sessions.
• Inability to complete baseline assessment.
• Inability to complete post-intervention assessment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Federal University of Vicosa: lead

Related Publications (3)

• Gaviria Alzate SJ, Valencia-Sánchez WG, Espinal FE, Bustamante JL, Arias-Arias EA. Tactical critical thinking program on the tactical efficiency index, declarative and procedural knowledge in male soccer players: A case study. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. 2024;6:1469347.

  BACKGROUND

• Gaviria-Alzate S, Higuita DA, Jaramillo AF, Machado JA. Impact of a Tactical Critical Thinking Program (TPCT) on ball control and passing accuracy in U-8 football players: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. 2025.

  BACKGROUND

• Calle-Jaramillo GA, Gonzalez-Palacio EV, Perez-Mendez LA, Rojas-Jaramillo A, Gonzalez-Jurado JA. Design and Validation of a Test to Evaluate the Execution Time and Decision-Making in Technical-Tactical Football Actions (Passing and Driving). Behavioral Sciences. 2023;13(2):101.

  BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• SAMUEL JOSE GAVIRIA ALZATE, PhD

  Tecnologico de Antioquia

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

SAMUEL JOSE GAVIRIA ALZATE, PhD

CONTACT

+573192772912; samuel.gaviria@tdea.edu.co

Catalina Gonzalez, PhD

CONTACT

00573193735380; catagq@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: None (Open Label)
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants are allocated to one of two parallel training conditions within the same academy structure: TPCT-integrated football training or standard training. Both groups complete matched training exposure, and the only planned between-group difference is the systematic inclusion of structured critical-thinking-based reflection.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 12, 2026
• First Posted: March 18, 2026
• Study Start: April 14, 2026
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2026
• Study Completion: June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Beginning 6 months after publication of the main study report and ending 5 years after publication.
• Access Criteria: Data will be available to qualified researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal. Access will require approval by the study team and, because the study involves minors, a signed data use agreement ensuring confidentiality and no attempt at re-identification.