This study examines how disciplinary and pastoral power operate within a youth football talent pathway, drawing on Michel Foucault`s theorisation of power, discipline, and subjectification. Using documentary material about the Norwegian Football Association`s Talent Pathway, the analysis examines how institutional routines, coaching practices, and normative expectations shape young players. The findings show how players are subjected to surveillance, normalisation, and emotional governance, often under the guise of care and development. Although coaches present their guidance as supportive, this care is located within a broader moral economy that is oriented towards competition, selection, and performance. By highlighting how power is enacted through both discipline and care, the study contributes to critical sport scholarship and raises important questions about the ethics and consequences of dominant approaches to youth talent development.
© Copyright 2026 Sports Coaching Review. Taylor & Francis. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.