Edinburgh Napier University

  Introduction: Examining the influence of the talent development environment on athletes is crucial for understanding sport participation and the identifying the characteristics of effective talent development.Purpose:The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the talent development environment and youth athletes' goals, life aspirations, commitment, and confidence. Methods: One hundred and twenty-six development Greek athletes aged 12-17 completed a combination of five questionnaires (Talent Development Environment Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs Scale, Achievement Goal in Sport Questionnaire, Life Aspiration Inventory, and Mental Toughness Questionnaire) that measured the key environmental and personal characteristics in question. The data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation, internal consistency, and hierarchical regressions. Results: Long-term development focus was a positive predictor of intrinsic goals (p = .04) and was associated, positively and negatively respectively, with relatedness and mastery-avoidance goals (p < 0.01) but was negatively related with mastery-approach goals (p < .05). Long-term fundamentals predicted commitment (p < .05) and communication was positively associated with relatedness, but negatively related to extrinsic goals (p = .02) and mastery avoidance goals (p < .05). A mastery–approach promoted intrinsic goals (p < .04) and performance-avoidance orientation predicted extrinsic goals (p < .01). However, interestingly the environment did not predict confidence. Conclusions: Implications regarding the types of environments to facilitate successful development of young athletes were presented to provide coaches, teachers, and parents with the knowledge for effective talent development.