A structured six-part technical benchmarking system that makes player development measurable, visible, and easier to communicate.
Used by academies, coaches, and players to assess core technical actions against clear reference points and track progress over time.
The Academy Retention System and Soccer Skills Challenge are already being used by coaches, scouts, and academies seeking clearer development visibility and stronger long-term pathways.
Ian Bishop
West Ham United
James Meara
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Jon Willis
UK Football Scouting
Russ Horsley
Phang Nga United FC
Glen Little
Ex-Premier League Player
Brian Lee
Blackpool FC
The Soccer Skills Challenge is a structured six-part assessment used to benchmark core technical actions such as running with the ball, sprinting, dribbling, speed and agility, turning, and shooting.
Inside the Academy Retention System, it operates as the benchmarking engine that gives coaches, players, and families a clearer reference point for development over time.
Measure how effectively a player can move at speed while maintaining control and efficiency on the ball.
Assess acceleration and straight-line speed as a core athletic component of match performance.
Benchmark close control, ball manipulation, and the ability to maintain possession through technical movement.
Measure how quickly a player can change direction, reset body position, and move efficiently under control.
Assess technical turning ability, balance, and the efficiency of directional change with the ball.
Benchmark striking technique, execution, and finishing consistency under a structured test format.
The Soccer Skills Challenge is more than a list of technical actions. It creates structure, shared reference points, and visible progress that support better development conversations.
Coaches, players, and families can work from the same measurable standards rather than relying only on opinion or match-day impressions.
Progress can be seen and tracked even when team selection, match minutes, or results do not tell the full story of individual growth.
When development is benchmarked clearly, conversations become easier to explain, easier to defend, and less likely to become emotional.
Players do not just receive a score. They gain a clearer understanding of strengths, priorities, and what to improve next.
Each challenge is designed to be repeatable, coach-friendly, and easy to benchmark over time.
The Soccer Skills Challenge does more than generate scores. It gives players a clearer focus, gives coaches objective reference points, and gives families a more visible understanding of progress.
When improvement is benchmarked and revisited over time, motivation becomes more durable and development becomes easier to communicate.
The Soccer Skills Challenge is suitable for players across a wide range of ages and levels, and is especially effective inside structured academy, coaching, and school environments.
It gives coaches, teachers, and directors a practical way to assess technical development consistently and revisit progress over time.
The value of the Soccer Skills Challenge is not only in assessment. It is in the clarity that assessment creates for players, coaches, and families.
Benchmarking turns feedback into visible focus areas, helping players understand both current strengths and next development priorities.
Shared standards help staff assess technical development more consistently and explain decisions more clearly across the season.
Visible benchmarking reduces reliance on match-day interpretation alone and supports calmer, more evidence-based development conversations.
The Soccer Skills Challenge gives players, coaches, and academies a structured way to assess technical performance, track progress, and create clearer development conversations.
Get StartedTrusted voices describing the value of measurable development visibility.
This changes more than scouting. When development is measurable and visible, families no longer rely on guesswork or reputation. Structured benchmarking gives players clarity, coaches confidence, and academies a stronger foundation built on evidence rather than emotion.
This shifts the dynamic from hoping to be noticed to showing real, measurable progress. When players and families can clearly see development over time, decisions become calmer, more informed, and more aligned with long-term growth.
When development is structured and transparent, it changes the environment completely. Players can demonstrate their progress, parents understand the pathway, and academies build trust through evidence rather than perception.
I’ve seen this platform evolve into a structured development visibility system. It gives academies measurable insight into player progression, helping coaches demonstrate real improvement and giving families confidence in the pathway.
The Skills Assessment provides structured, measurable insight into a player’s technical and physical development. By making progress visible before match-day pressure, it gives coaches clarity and families confidence in the pathway.
Having worked in football for over 30 years, I’ve rarely seen a system that brings this level of structure and clarity to player development. By making progression measurable and visible, it strengthens trust between coaches, players, and families.
iSportScouting changes the dynamic inside academies by making development measurable and transparent. It gives coaches clarity, players direction, and families confidence in the pathway.
Feedback from families and players using the challenge to support clearer development and confidence.
We have finished reading through the report and thank you so much for taking the time to put all the lads through. We have fed parts of it back to Arthur so he knows what he could do if he wants to improve. The level of detail means that he is under no illusion as to what he could do to build his skills. I think he dad has enjoyed it too because it has given him an indication of what they could play in the garden to help Arthur improve as well as little things like getting out on the bikes more or running. Thanks again for indulging his love of football and coaching in a way that not only makes them better players so they can enjoy playing more competitively but makes them better sportsmen.
We are really impressed with the standards of professionalism shown by yourself Brian, we find it speaks volumes in regards to your committment and relationship you are building with Charlie and the team. You don’t only highlight his best qualities on the pitch you also state what he has to work towards and how there is room for improvement meaning his training sessions will always have a purpose and and the end goal to always achieve better which I find gives charlie motivation and determination to be the best he can be. Football is more than a hobby to Charlie, it is his whole life, his complete passion and dream and with this kind of training, guidance and understanding I hope one day he will achieve his goals. We are looking forward to the next one to see how he has grown and we trust the process completely
Troy was over the moon when he found out that he had scored too marks in the shooting challenge. This has really helped with confidence and we have seen a positive impact on both training and in matches as he now knows what he needs to work on and is very keen to do so.
The Soccer Skills Assessment was really fun! I got to practice my dribbling, passing, and shooting, and it made me feel like a real football star. It's definitely helped me become a better player, and I can't wait for more challenges!
The iSportScouting report is really cool! It shows all the things I can do well in football and the stuff I need to get better at. The skills challenge was fun, and I liked seeing what I’m good at and what I can practice more. The report helps my parents know how they can help me get better, and that’s awesome! I can’t wait to see my next report to see how much I’ve improved. Thanks, iSport and Brian!
