September 2011 For immediate release New book delves into science of sports stardom Who will be the

next Wayne Rooney, Jessica Ennis or Andy Murray? A new book co-edited by a Leeds Metropolitan University lecturer examines the factors that may help predict professional sport prowess. Talent Identification and Development in Sport is published by Routledge and is co-edited by Dr Steve Cobley, Senior Lecturer in Skill Acquisition and Sport Psychology at Leeds Metropolitan and Jrg Schorer, research associate at the Institute of Sport Science at the Westflische Wilhelms-University Mnster, Germany. Dr Cobley commented: The book outlines and explains the 'current state of knowledge' (based on research) for how we can identify and develop sporting athletes. The book also provides an overview and insight of the factors that can help or hinder this process. The information, presented in a readerfriendly manner, has direct relevance and application to anyone involved in sport identification and development, for example coaches, national governing body employees, sport scientists, physical education teachers,

parents, athletes, and students. The research outlined in the book will certainly have impact on those working/associated in the area, and will change the way people consider and think about talent identification and development. At an organisational level, we think it will certainly change the applied practices in the field, and the way sport development systems are structured to support emerging athletes.

The book is written by contributors from a diverse background including sport psychology, motor learning and skill acquisition, exercise physiology, and coaching. Topics include genetics and secondary factors such as birth date, cultural context and population size, perceptual motor skill acquisition and sports development policy. international success stories. Were hoping this book helps inform a better system for spotting talent early on and making the most of it, adds Joseph Baker, a Professor from York University in Canada and visiting research fellow at Leeds Metropolitan, who is one of the lead authors: Weve tried to answer questions that have thus far been elusive, such as: how do elite athletes develop? When is the most appropriate time for talent identification and development interventions? Also included are case studies examining

Ends For further details please contact Carrie Braithwaite in the News and Media team at Leeds Met on 0113 812 3022 or email c.braithwaite@leedsmet.ac.uk Notes for editors: Leeds Metropolitan University has 30,000 students and 3, 000 staff. The University has achieved its best ever Research Assessment Exercise results. Sports-Related Studies is in the top 6 institutions in the country with research rated at the highest levels of 4* and 3*. Leeds Met has been rated the top university in the UK for its language support, accommodation quality and learning spaces in the 2010 Autumn Wave of the International Student Barometer and sixth in the world for the quality of its lectures. The Universitys award-winning learning environments include

Broadcasting Place, voted the best tall building in the world in 2010 by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and also winner of the 2010 Leeds Architecture Awards New

Building category, the iconic Rose Bowl building, awarded Best Commercial Property Development in the 2009 Yorkshire Property Awards and the pioneering Carnegie Village student accommodation. Leeds Metropolitan is one of only a handful of UK universities to have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard.