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To further investigate athletes’ goal orientations in relation to their use of psychological skills, the present study examined the following objectives: 1) the goal orientations of young Swedish soccer players, (2) their use of psychological skills in both practice and competition and (3) the relationship between their goal orientations and use of psychological skills. Participants were 171 young soccer players from five Swedish high schools. The Perceptions of Success Questionnaire and the Test of Performance Strategies were administered to meet the objectives. Results showed no significant difference between athletes’ task (3.40 ± 1.32; M ± SD) and ego (3.32 ± 1.18) goal orientations. Results further revealed that athletes used more psychological skills in association with competition (3.21 ± .67) than in practice (2.74 ± .63). Moreover, results showed that athletes low in ego orientation used more psychological skills (3.83 ± .67) in practice than athletes high in ego (2.68 ± .60). A recommendation for coaches is to emphasize the importance of using PST in relation to practice in order to maximize athletes’ performances. Results have been discussed in relation to previous research of achievement motivation and athletes’ use of psychological skills.

Previous research indicates that appropriate emotional responses might be beneficial in termsof improving physical ability, improving the quality of team interaction, reducing the risk oflosing self-control, reducing the risk of injury and improving interpersonal and organizationaldynamics. Furthermore, it is proposed that the effectiveness of emotion regulation (ER)strategies is a bearing factor regarding sport performance. The purpose of present study wasto examine whether differences exist between national and regional players in terms of howfrequent they regulate emotion and how effective they perceive themselves as. Youth national(n = 45) and regional (n = 76) footballers completed a questionnaire pack measuring their useof ER strategies and their perceived effectiveness. Results indicated differences between thetwo groups within their ER frequency and perceived effectiveness. Results were discussed inrelation to previous research. Practical implications and direction for future research weregiven.

Idrottande ungdomar gör inte alltid hälsosamma matval och rätt näring är en förutsättning för att orka de fysiska kraven som ställs på fotbollsspelare. Syftet med studien var att kartlägga kostvanor hos ungdomar på fotbollsgymnasium och jämföra resultaten med Svenska Olympiska Kommitténs kostrekommendationer. Studien var kvantitativ och en webbenkät användes som datainsamlingsmetod. Enkäten omfattade kostvanor, livsmedelsval samt kost i samband med prestation och besvarades av 132 deltagare varav 100 svar analyserades. Data analyserades med deskriptiv statistik. Studiens resultat visade att majoriteten av ungdomarna har en regelbunden måltidsordning avseende frukost, lunch, middag och mellanmål, däremot har de mindre kännedom om måltidsplanering och vad som bör intas efter träning. Resultatet visar också att mättat fett är det dominerande intaget av fettkälla hos deltagarna och en stor önskan om minskat intag av mättat fett, sötsaker och snabbmat finns. Resultatet av denna studie utgör ett underlag av råd och riktlinjer kring kost för unga fotbollsspelare och kan vara ett användbart verktyg och stöd för hälsovägledare, lärare, tränare och föräldrar. / Athletes do not always make healthy food choices meanwhile the right nutrition is prerequisite to meet the physiological commands of a soccer player. The purpose of the study was to investigate dietary habits of young people at soccer gymnasiums and compare the results with the Swedish Olympic Committee's dietary recommendations. The study was quantitative and a web survey was used as a data collection method. The questionnaire was made to collect information regarding the respondents' dietary habits, food choices, and diet in connection with performance and was answered by 132 participants, of whom 100 responses could be analyzed. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics. The results of the study show that the majority of young people have a regular meal arrangement for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. However, they have less control over timing and what should be taken after training. In addition, the study also showed that saturated fat is popular among the participants and that they have a great desire for reduced intake of saturated fat, sweets and fast food. In conclusion, the result of this study is a basis for advice and guidelines on diet for soccer youths and can be a useful tool and support for health counselors, teachers, trainers, and parents.