Relative age effect in youth soccer: analysis of the FIFA U17 World Cup competition

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.

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

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.1515/hukin-2017-0200 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 265-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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.

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

Journal of Sports Sciences ◽

10.1080/02640414.2018.1522703 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 37 (6) ◽

pp. 677-684 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

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

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

International Journal of Sport and Health Science ◽

10.5432/ijshs.201917 ◽

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

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The Relative Age Effect in Soccer: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Systematic Discrimination against Children Born Late in the Competition Year

Sociology of Sport Journal ◽

10.1123/ssj.16.1.54 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 54-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Jochen Musch ◽

Roy Hay

Keyword(s):

Age Effect ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Birth Date ◽

Cultural Comparison ◽

Youth Soccer ◽

Relative Age ◽

Cross Cultural Comparison ◽

Relative Age Effect ◽

Professional Soccer

Previous findings of skewed birth date distributions among sports professionals have been interpreted as evidence for a systematic discrimination against children born shortly before the cut-off date for each age grouping. Alternative explanations for these findings exist, however. This research therefore attempted to replicate the effect in a cross-cultural comparison. A strong relative age effect in professional soccer was found in Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Australia, showing that the effect is independent of different cut-off dates and a variety of climatic and sociocultural factors. A shifted peak in the birth date distribution of Australian soccer professionals paralleling a corresponding change in the cut-off date in Australian soccer in 1989 was also established. This pattern of results provides strong evidence for the cut-off date in youth soccer as the main cause for the relative age effect in professional soccer.

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The relative age effect in FIFA U-17 World Cup: The role of the playing position and the continent

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity ◽

10.29359/bjhpa.12.2.02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 12-18

Author(s):

ALI IŞIN ◽

TUBA MELEKOĞLU

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Age Effect ◽

Group Differences ◽

Football Players ◽

World Cup ◽

Chi Square ◽

Relative Age ◽

Relative Age Effect

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the relative age effect of the countries which attended the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and to research the relative age effect in terms of continents and the players’ position. Material and methods: 504 male football players from 24 countries which participated in the U-17 World Cup in India in 2017 were included in the study. Football players’ dates of birth were grouped into periods of three months in quarter years (Q): Q1 – January-March, Q2 – April-June, Q3 – July-September, Q4 – October-December. To study the sub-group differences of the relative age effect, meaningful chi-square (χ²) values were followed by calculating the odds ratio and %95 confidence intervals. To determine the effect size, Cramer’s V was used. Results: The relative age effect was based on quarter years’ distributions. Significant differences were found among age quartiles for all teams in FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, when the variables analysed were according to the continents, the relative age effect disappeared in Africa, Asia and Oceania. Conclusions: In the comparison of the players’ continents, a relative age effect was observed in Europe, North America, and South America. When the players’ positions are compared, a relative age effect was found in defenders, midfielders and forward players.

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

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.679476 ◽

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.

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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 ◽

10.3390/children8121117 ◽

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.

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