Effects of Developmental Activities and Interventions on Decision-Making Skills in Soccer Players: A Scoping Review

Decision-making is a key determinant of performance in soccer, yet evidence regarding how it develops across the sport pathway and how it can be effectively trained remains fragmented. This scoping review examined: (i) the effects of developmental activities and (ii) the effects of field-based and laboratory-based interventions on perceptual-cognitive and perceptual-motor decision-making skills in youth and adult male and female soccer players. Following PRISMA and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, six databases were systematically searched. Soccer players constituted the population, and outcomes included perceptual-cognitive and perceptual-motor decision-making skills. Of 5,527 records identified, 36 studies met the inclusion criteria, with 50% published between 2020 and 2024. Seven studies addressed developmental activities, whereas 29 examined interventions. Evidence from developmental studies indicates that sustained engagement in soccer-specific activities, particularly deliberate play and deliberate practice during childhood and early adolescence, is associated with higher decision-making performance. Intervention studies showed that field-based approaches, such as game-based pedagogies, small-sided games (SSG), and non-linear training designs, can improve selected aspects of decision-making across school, academy, and university contexts, although effects varied according to task design, assessment instruments, and intervention duration. In contrast, findings from laboratory-based interventions were limited and inconsistent, with unclear transfer to on-field decision-making. Overall, the findings suggest that decision-making development in soccer is influenced by both long-term engagement in soccer-specific activities and appropriately designed field-based interventions. Key limitations include the predominance of male samples, heterogeneous methodologies, limited effect-size reporting, and scarce research on decision-making speed and female players. Directions for future research are outlined.