Bit of a long one but I felt I needed to explain.... Screen time has become an increasingly important and yet overlooked by many in youth sport development. Excessive use can affect physical performance, cognitive development, sleep, recovery, and mental wellbeing. While technology has many benefits for learning and performance analysis, unmanaged recreational screen time can negatively influence the development of young footballers. Ill explain the effects this can have below, but before reading on try to (honestly) think about your approach to screen time as a play, parent or coach of youth footballers. Sleep Quality and Recovery (Greatest Impact) Sleep is one of the most important factors in youth athletic development. Excessive screen use, particularly within 1–2 hours before bedtime can: - Delay the release of melatonin due to blue light exposure. - Increase the time it takes to fall asleep. - Reduce total sleep duration. - Lower deep sleep quality. For youth footballers, poor sleep results can lead to… - Slower reaction times. - Reduced concentration. - Poor decision-making. - Increased fatigue. - Reduced muscle recovery. - Lower growth hormone release, which is essential during adolescence. Cognitive Performance Excessive recreational screen time, particularly rapid-paced social media or gaming, may contribute to: - Reduced attention span. - Increased distractibility. - Difficulty maintaining concentration. - Mental fatigue before training or matches. Conversely, appropriate use of technology such as video analysis or cognitive training apps can improve tactical understanding and perceptual skills. Physical Activity Displacement Time spent on screens often replaces: - Outdoor play - Free movement - Football practice - Physical literacy development Consequences can include: - Lower aerobic fitness. - Reduced coordination. - Poorer balance. - Less movement variability. - Increased sedentary behaviour.

Training started back up this week at Crewe and last night Lennox had his 1st gk session in 5 weeks. A good hour of work with the gk coach, the u10 and u9 keeper. As the oldest he led by example and looked very sharp 💪🏻🧤⚽️🥅😀