Psykologisk och personlighetsrelaterad scouting inom senior elitfotboll

Sammanfattning

This study examines how personality and psychological characteristics are evaluated, understood and interpreted by professionals working within men’s senior football scouting and recruitment. While player evaluation in senior scouting is usually based on physical, tactical, technical and psychological dimensions, the psychological characteristics remain more difficult to measure, standardize and observe than the other performance-related attributes. For this reason, this study explores how scouts and professionals within football identify behaviour cues and what challenges they experience when assessing and scouting personality traits, and how these factors can possibly influence recruitment decisions. The study is based on qualitative research design and uses semi-structured interviews with seven participants who are working within men's senior football scouting and recruitment. Among these seven participants, one football agent is included. Person-Environment Fit and Sensemaking Theory were used as the theoretical frameworks to thematically analyze the results. Person-Environment Fit enabled an understanding of how psychological characteristics are evaluated in relation to team dynamics, football environment and club culture, while Sensemaking Theory helped to clarify how scouts interpret context-dependent and limited behavioural cues under uncertainty. The findings indicate that psychological characteristics are regarded as important within men’s senior football recruitment, particularly traits like motivation, leadership, emotional control, resilience, communication, adaptability and work ethic. Yet, the evaluation of these traits is highly subjective and depends on repeated observations, experience, organizational context and the scout’s own interpretations. Participants pointed out that single match observations are not sufficient, as behaviour is highly affected by match context, tactical demands and personal circumstances. Keywords: Psychological Characteristics; Football Scouting; Senior Football Recruitment; Personality Assessment; Personality Trait; Football Scouts; Sensemaking Theory; Person-Environment Fit; Behavioral Cues