Relative age and maturation selection biases in academy football

Hill, Megan; Scott, Sam; Malina, Robert M.; McGee, Darragh; Cumming, Sean P.

doi:10.1080/02640414.2019.1649524

Cited by 74 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…On the other hand, there was a large number of Q1 players that dropout from this academy, suggesting that many of these are erroneously recruited at a young age due to the relative age selection bias, which is robust within English youth football. 15,40–42 Moreover, given that the prevalence of the RAE throughout this particular academy is strong, 41 it seems that the Q1 dropouts are typically being replaced by relatively older players (i.e. high turnover of Q1 players), which supports the findings of Bidaurrazaga-Letona et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…This suggests that the small number of relatively younger players selected into this academy are considered to be highly talented, thereby facilitating their progression along the developmental pathway. On the other hand, there was a large number of Q1 players that dropout from this academy suggesting that many of these are erroneously recruited at a young age due to the relative age selection bias, which is robust within English youth football 15,[40][41][42] . Moreover, given that the prevalence of the RAE throughout this particular academy is strong 41 , it seems that the Q1 dropouts are typically being replaced by relatively older players (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of birth quartile, maturation, anthropometry and physical performances on player retention: Observations from an elite football academy

Patel

Nevill

Smith

et al. 2020

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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Understanding the factors that influence player retention within elite youth football can be used to enhance current practices. This study investigated an English Category 1 academy to determine if birth quartile, somatic maturity, anthropometric and physical performance characteristics are associated with player retention across the developmental pathway. Birth dates of 355 elite players from U11 to U21 groups were categorised into birth quartiles and logistic regression (odds ratio) analysis was used to determine differences in retention. Multilevel modelling compared somatic maturity, anthropometry, countermovement jump, sprint time (10 and 30 m), agility T-test, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 or 2 performance between retained and dropout players. Logistic regression (odds ratio) analysis revealed no significant differences between birth quartiles for the likelihood of being retained across age groups. Multilevel modelling revealed that retained players were typically older, advanced in maturity, and superior in body size and physical performances compared to dropouts, with small to medium effect sizes typically observed. This study indicates that within a highly selective cohort of young football players, somatic maturity, anthropometric and physical performance characteristics, but not birth quartile, distinguish individuals that are subsequently retained or dropout in an age group dependent manner. Youth football organisations should seek to implement multidisciplinary and dynamic talent selection and retention strategies in order to prevent the inappropriate discrimination and loss of talented young players.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of birth quartile, maturation, anthropometry and physical performances on player retention: Observations from an elite football academy

Patel

Nevill

Smith

et al. 2020

International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching

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“…is hypothesises that younger and/or later maturing players must display these superior attributes [8,15,16]. While these skills may serve as an advantage in the long term, research suggests that very few of these individuals are retained within the academy system [10,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Main and Interactive Effects of Biological Maturity and Relative Age on Physical Performance in Elite Youth Soccer Players

Parr

Winwood

Hodson-Tole

et al. 2020

Journal of Sports Medicine

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The main and interactive effect of biological maturity and relative age upon physical performance in adolescent male soccer players was considered. Consistent with previous research, it was hypothesised that participants of greater maturity or born earlier in the selection year would perform better in terms of physical performance tests. This cross-sectional study consisted of 84 male participants aged between 11.3 and 16.2 years from a professional soccer academy in the English Premier League. Date of birth, height, weight, and parental height were collected. Sprint, change of direction, countermovement jump, and reactive strength index were considered for physical performance. Relative age was based on the birth quarter for the selection year. Maturity status was based upon the percentage of predicted adult height attained. Linear regression models highlighted that maturation was associated with performance on all but one of the physical performance tests, the reactive strength index. In contrast, relative age only served as a significant predictor of performance on the countermovement jump. This study indicated that physical performance (in the tests studied) seems to be related to the biological maturity status of a player but not their relative age. This finding is important because it suggests that early-maturing players perform better in the majority of physical performance tests, and the commonly held belief that relative age effect influences performance may be overstated.

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“…The RAE has been studied from a variety of approaches and with different purposes: to examine its presence in collective and individual sports contexts (Papadopoulou et al, 2019 ; Steidl-Müller et al, 2019 ; Mon-López et al, 2020 ), evaluate their influence on a fixed competition (Saavedra-García et al, 2019 ), check the degree of impact of gender and/or of age/competition categories in clubs or federal organizations (Bjørndal et al, 2018b ; Romann et al, 2018 ), or even through intervention proposals the intention of which was to reduce the possible consequences (Mann and van Ginneken, 2017 ; Hill et al, 2019 ). Currently, it seems that the objective of the research is focused on studies whose aim is to analyze the relationship between the RAE and competition performance in order to know in-depth how the latter can be influenced by this phenomenon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Relative Age Effect Influence Short-Term Performance and Sport Career in Team Sports? A Qualitative Systematic Review

2020

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Background: The impact on athletes based on grouping methods according to the date of birth within the constituent year, known as the relative effect of age (RAE), is a factor that can influence the achievement of sports success. Many studies have examined the magnitude of this phenomenon in sport; however, the relationship between the RAE and performance in team sports competition has not been accurately evaluated so far. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review on the influence of the RAE on competition performance in team sports through analysis of published peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2019. Methods: According to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis systematic search guidelines, 19 studies were identified of the 2,093 that were found in the systematic searching process carried out in four databases: Sport Discus, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Scopus. The sample of the study was composed by 77,329 players, of which 92.08% were male and 7.92% were female, whereas the recorded performance measurements were 87,556. The relation between relative age effects and competition performance was registered according to constraints-based theoretical model: individual constraints (sample characteristics) and task constraints (sport context). Moreover, study quality analysis, Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology, was carried out. Results: The short-term individual (10.20%) and collective (18.09%) performance was influenced by the RAE, whereas the long-term individual performance (49.71%) was affected by the RAE reverse. However, in 16.99% of the measurements, no relationship was found between the RAE and competition performance. In the analysis by subcategory, the influence of the RAE was higher in men, in adulthood (senior category), in invasion games, and in national contexts. Discussion: The findings clearly demonstrated that the RAE has a great influence on the performance in team sport. Possible implications for policy and practice should be discussed in order to prevent unequal practice based on biased models that prioritize the athlete's current performance and therefore obviate their maturational development. The heterogeneity and variability of the identified results require a relativization of the findings of this study.

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Relative age and maturation selection biases in academy football

Cited by 74 publications

References 49 publications

The influence of birth quartile, maturation, anthropometry and physical performances on player retention: Observations from an elite football academy

The influence of birth quartile, maturation, anthropometry and physical performances on player retention: Observations from an elite football academy

The Main and Interactive Effects of Biological Maturity and Relative Age on Physical Performance in Elite Youth Soccer Players

Does the Relative Age Effect Influence Short-Term Performance and Sport Career in Team Sports? A Qualitative Systematic Review

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