Evaluating the Impact of VR Training on Perceptual-Cognitive Skills in Elite Youth Football: Insights into Transfer and Performance

Players’ perceptual-cognitive skills and exploratory activity are essential components of soccer performance. This preliminary study explored the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) training on perceptual-cognitive skills and its potential transferability to game performance in elite youth football players. Sixteen players (Age = 13, SD = 0.3) from an elite youth soccer academy participated: control group = 8 and intervention group = 8. The effectiveness of a short VR training program delivered over four weekly sessions of 20 minutes on scanning and passing skills during a small-sided game was assessed. No significant difference was observed between groups for the pre- vs post assessment of the frequency of scanning movements (F = 2.56, p = 0.132, \(\:{\eta\:}^{2}\)=0.155) although a 49% improvement occurred in the intervention group following the virtual reality training (controls=-2% decrease). Passing accuracy was unchanged (p = 0.882) across evaluations in the VR-trained group versus the control group following the VR intervention. While no statistically significant difference was observed following the intervention, the frequency of scanning actions approximately doubled, coupled with a large effect size. This may suggest a positive trend towards the transfer of perceptual-cognitive skills to real-world game performance and that VR training has potential to enhance these crucial skills in young footballers although additional research is merited.