scholarly journals The Relative Age Effect in Poland's Elite Youth Soccer Players

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystian Rubajczyk ◽  
Andrzej Rokita
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Youth Athletes ◽  
National Team ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Biological Development

Abstract The relative age effect (RAE) is related to discrimination against youth athletes born in the last quarter of the calendar year. The current study presents research on the RAE in elite youth soccer players in Poland. Players in the Central Junior League (CLJ) finals represent 0.59% of the 25,756 players under 20 years old (U20). This study analyzed the post-game protocols of the CLJ knockout stage from the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons as well as the U17-U21 teams during 2015, including only players who played on the field for at least one minute (n = 395). The results revealed the existence of RAE in the examined groups ( CLJ 2013/2014, χ23 = 15.441, p < 0.01, CLJ 2014/2015, χ23 = 20.891, p < 0.001 U17-U21, χ23 = 25.110, p < 0.001). In addition, the results differed by monthly birth distribution in the Polish population (PP) between 1995 and 1999. This study is the first to examine the RAE in youth soccer in Poland. The occurrence of the RAE with regard to the most promising youth and national team players suggests that a similar effect exists among younger age categories. To reduce the RAE related to identifying soccer talent, tools should be implemented to optimize the player-selection process, such as those that consider the biological development of a player.

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect in UEFA Championship Soccer Players

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sixto González-Víllora ◽  
Juan C. Pastor-Vicedo ◽  
David Cordente
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
National Team ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
The Past ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Kolmogorov Smirnov ◽  
Levene Test ◽  
Smirnov Test

AbstractRelative Age Effect (RAE) is the breakdown by both age grouping and dates of birth of athletes. In the past 20 years the existence of this effect has been shown with higher or smaller impact in multiple sports, including soccer. The purpose of this study was to identify the existence of RAE in European soccer players. The sample included 841 elite soccer players who were participants in the UEFA European Soccer Championship in different categories. The professional category (n = 368), U-19 (n = 144) and U-17 (n = 145) were in 2012, and U-21 was in 2011 (n = 184). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the Levene test recommended the use of nonparametric statistics. The results obtained by the square test (the Kruskal-Wallis test and Cohen’s effect sizes revealed the existence of RAE (χ2 = 17.829, p < 0.001; d = 0.30), with the size of their different effects depending on their category or qualifying round achieved by the national team and the existence of significance in the observed differences by category. Therefore, we could continue examining RAE which is present in elite soccer, and could be considered a factor that influences performance of the national teams tested. RAE was not evident in the professional teams analysed, however it was present in the three lower categories analysed (youth categories), with its influence being greater on younger age categories (U-17).

scholarly journals Relative age effect, skeletal maturation and aerobic running performance in youth soccer players

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anderson Santiago Teixeira ◽  
Juliano Fernandes da Silva ◽  
Priscila Cristina dos Santos ◽  
Paulo Cesar do Nascimento Salvador ◽  
Fernando de Souza Campos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Skeletal Maturation ◽  
Running Performance ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect and Long-Term Success in the Spanish Soccer and Basketball National Teams

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina López de Subijana ◽  
Jorge Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Basketball Players ◽  
National Team ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Professional Soccer ◽  
Premier League ◽  
Talent Selection

AbstractThe aims of this study were: i) to analyze whether relative age effect occurs in the athletes of the junior national teams and professional athletes in Spain in general and in soccer and basketball, and ii) to compare the long-term success of the players selected for the junior national team between these sports. The samples for this study were Spanish professional soccer (n = 461) and basketball (n = 250) players in the 2013-2014 premier league and players from the junior Spanish soccer (i.e., n = 273; U-17: n = 107; U-19: n = 166) and basketball (i.e., n = 240; U-18: n = 120, U-16: n = 120) teams that classified to play in the European Championships (from 2004 to 2013). Junior players (42.3%) were more frequently born in the 1st quarter of the year than the professional players (30.7%) (χ2(3) = 30.07; p = .001; Vc = .157). This was found in both basketball (χ2(3) = 12.2.; p = .007; Vc = .158) and soccer (χ2(3) = 20.13; p < .001; Vc = .166). Long-term success is more frequent in soccer, where 59.9% of the juniors selected for the national team played later in the premier league, while in basketball that percentage was 39.6% (χ2(1) = 14.64; p < .001; Vc = .201). On the other hand, 79.4% and 39.8% of the professional soccer and basketball players had been previously selected for junior national teams (χ2(1) = 60.2; p < .001; Vc = .386), respectively. The talent selection process should be reviewed as players born in the second half of the year have fewer opportunities to stand out.

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect in the Sport Environment. Role of Physical Fitness and Cognitive Function in Youth Soccer Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 2837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florentino Huertas ◽  
Rafael Ballester ◽  
Honorato José Gines ◽  
Abdel Karim Hamidi ◽  
Consuelo Moratal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Attentional Functioning ◽  
Age Related

The need to achieve short-term competitive outcomes in sports may influence the emergence of talent selection strategies, which could bias individuals’ opportunities. The present study aimed to further explore the relative age effect (RAE), a phenomenon that strongly influences youth sport development. The RAE refers to a disproportionately high percentage in sport teams of athletes born early in the selection year. Our primary focus was to explore whether the RAE is supported by behavioral evidence in favor of better fitness—and especially cognitive-attentional functioning—of early as compared to late-born players. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 105 young athletes (u10, n = 52; 9.8 ± 0.3 years old, and u12, n = 53; 11.8 ± 0.2 years old) attending two youth elite soccer academies. Attentional functioning, anthropometrics, physical fitness, and game intelligence were compared across two Age Groups (u10 vs. u12) and four Birth Quarters (BQ1–BQ4). The RAE was statistically significant (p < 0.001), showing that about 50% of participants were born in the first quarter and 75% were born in the first half of the year. More importantly, U12 players outperformed u10 players in measures that were related to sustained attention (with faster and less variable responses; p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively), and in all anthropometric measures (p < 0.001), physical-fitness capacities (p < 0.05). Crucially, neither the attentional measures, game intelligence, anthropometrics, nor physical fitness were affected by BQ (all ps > 0.1 and BF10 between 0.08 and 0.6, showing strong evidence for the null hypothesis). The present findings suggest that the early selection process that occurs during scouting in youth soccer academies offsets the age-related differences that could be anticipated in cognitive skills, anthropometrics, and physical abilities, due to growth and maturation. These birth asymmetries could lead teams to disregard later maturation athletes and athletes born later in the year inducing a larger dropout of those players with the consequent reduction in the talent pool.

Relative age effect: Characteristics of youth soccer players by birth quarter and subsequent playing status

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 677-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
António J. Figueiredo ◽  
Manuel J. Coelho-e-Silva ◽  
Sean P. Cumming ◽  
Robert M. Malina
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect in Anthropometrical Characteristics and Physical Fitness Among Youth Soccer Players of Amateur Clubs

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yiannis Michailidis ◽  
Charalambos Zelenitsas ◽  
Dimitrios Mikikis ◽  
Kosmas Christoulas ◽  
Thomas Metaxas
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect

scholarly journals Are Soccer and Futsal Affected by the Relative Age Effect? The Portuguese Football Association Case

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Figueiredo ◽  
André Seabra ◽  
Marta Brito ◽  
Marta Galvão ◽  
João Brito
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Training Institution ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Male Youth ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect

A better understanding of the relative age effect (RAE) in youth will increase the awareness of the need for reducing the bias of (de)selection. Thus, we investigated the RAE in youth female and male soccer and futsal players in Portugal, using nationwide data. Birthdates of 5,306 female and 126,285 male soccer players, and 2,437 female and 23,988 male futsal players (U7–U19), registered in Portugal during the season 2019–2020, and Portuguese National teams (from U15 to AA soccer teams and from U17 to AA futsal teams) were analyzed. Data were categorized into age groups and certification levels [no certification, basic football training center, football school, and training institution] of the respective clubs/academies. Birthdates were stratified from the start of the selection year using quartiles (Q) and semesters (S). Differences between the observed and expected birthdate distributions were analyzed using chi-square statistics, and RAEs were calculated using odds ratios (OR). In both soccer and futsal, female players, in the age category U9, RAEs were found (Q1 vs. Q4, OR: 1.49 and 1.84, respectively). In male soccer, differences in the birthdate distribution were observed in all age categories (U7–U19) with significant OR between all comparisons (Q and S). In contrast, an over-representation of young male futsal players (Q1 vs. Q4) was observed only in the age categories U7 and U9 (OR: 1.54 and 1.34, respectively). The stratification by certification level showed a significant RAE for all certification levels in male soccer players. In contrast, in male futsal players, the RAE was significant only in clubs and academies with the highest level. For National teams, the RAE was more pronounced in male soccer, particularly in the U16 and U17 (OR: 9.84 and 12.36, respectively). Data showed a RAE in female and male youth soccer and futsal, particularly in male, younger age categories, and in clubs and academies having a higher certification level, which could be accompanied by a loss of valuable elite players during the youth phase of their careers. Thus, adjustments in the systems and structure of talent identification are recommended to prevent RAE-related discrimination in youth soccer and futsal.

scholarly journals The New Generation of Professional Soccer Talent Is Born under the Bias of the RAE: Relative Age Effect in International Male Youth Soccer Championships

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1117
Author(s):  
Benito Pérez-González ◽  
Jairo León-Quismondo ◽  
José Bonal ◽  
Pablo Burillo ◽  
Álvaro Fernández-Luna
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
South American ◽  
Male Youth ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Professional Soccer ◽  
Unequal Opportunities ◽  
New Generation

In 2019, numerous championships of youth categories soccer national teams were held. In the present study, we analyzed the existence of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) in four major male championships that, due to their importance and participating teams, most likely brought together the great bulk of the players who will dominate professional soccer in the next decade. Participants were professional and amateur youth male soccer players who participated in the last international championships: UEFA European Under-21 Championship (2017–2019); UEFA European Under-19 Championship (2019); South American Youth Football Championship (also known as Conmebol U-20) (2019); and FIFA U-20 World Cup (2019), with 823 players (20.25 ± 0.84 years). In the four championships analyzed, the existence of RAE was found for all players (p < 0.001). Analyzing the players when considering their position on the pitch and their championship, RAE was found, statistically significant, in 10 of the 16 classifications. New generations of elite soccer players arrive with a clear bias in the selection of talent; an unfair bias, based on unequal opportunities in early categories, which should be reviewed by sports authorities.

scholarly journals Relative age effect in U-16 Asian Championship Soccer Tournament

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pathmanathan K. Suppiah ◽  
Jeffrey Low Fook Lee ◽  
Abdul Muiz Nor Azmi ◽  
Hasnol Noordin ◽  
Rabiu Muazu Musa
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Month Of Birth ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Youth Soccer ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Birth Month ◽  
Older Athletes ◽  
Cognitive Knowledge

Athletes born at the beginning of the year may present the advantage of physical characteristics, motor ability or cognitive knowledge that could increase their chances for selection against their peers. This circumstance could lead to the over-representation of older athletes in an age-defined competition which is commonly referred to as relative age effect (RAE). Although, a number of studies have demonstrated that RAE is apparent in youth soccer, such studies barely investigates the performance advantage that may likely exists across the birth month of the athletes. The current study aims to determine the presence of RAE in the under 16 Asian Football Confederation Championship (AFC), investigate the effect of RAE on the team qualification success as well as ascertain the existence of RAE in the playing position amongst the soccer players. Data of the 2018 AFC under 16 qualifications matches were obtained from the AFC. A total of 719 players from 32 countries participated in the qualification competitions. Chi-square for goodness fit is used to determine the existence of the RAE across the players’ month of birth while logistic regression is applied to analyze the differences of the quartiles’ distribution with respect to the quartile, qualification status (qualifier or non-qualifier) as well as the playing position of the players. The results demonstrate the presence of RAE in the AFC under 16 soccer tournaments [χ2(4) = 21.53; p < 0.001] with the largest number of older players dominating the qualified team. Likewise, a substantial difference is observed with regards to the quartile and various playing position of the players p < 0.05.

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