scholarly journals Are the Player Selection Process and Performance Influenced by Relative Age Effect in Elite Women’s Handball?

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-237
Author(s):  
Alfonso de la Rubia ◽  
Jorge Lorenzo-Calvo ◽  
Jesús Rivilla-García ◽  
Moisés Marquina
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Statistical Test ◽  
Final Position ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Collective Performance ◽  
And Performance

Abstract The relative age effect (RAE) is a phenomenon present in team sports, but it does not influence each gender to the same extent. This study aimed to examine the RAE and its relation to performance in international women's handball competitions (2017/18 World Championships). The sample was composed of 1,096 female players distributed into three categories: youth or under 18 (n = 369); junior or under 20 (n = 328) and senior (n = 399). The teams were divided into four groups based on their final position (medalist, quarter-finalist, eight-finalist and bottom-eight teams). The birthdate distribution (trimesters and semesters) was analysed according to the competition category and the playing position. Differences between the expected and observed birthdate distribution were checked using the chi-square statistical test followed by the calculation of the odds ratio. The results revealed, by trimester, the presence of the RAE in the youth (x2(7) = 87.22; p < 0.001) and junior (x2 (7) = 33.12; p < 0.001) categories, with no impact on senior (p > 0.05). The effect size was relatively strong in the youth category (Vc = 0.48). By semester, the prevalence of the RAE was also found in the senior category (p < 0.05). According to the playing position, the RAE was especially detected in ‘goalkeeper’ (p < 0.01) and ‘centre-back’ (p < 0.05) positions, both in U-18 and U-20 categories. Surprisingly, this effect also appeared in the ‘back’ players in the senior category (p < 0.05). A prevalence of the RAE was identified in teams with a higher final position, but interestingly had a greater impact in the quarter-finalist teams (p < 0.001) than in the medalist teams (p < 0.01). The findings demonstrated that the RAE tends to decrease as the chronological age of players increases, demonstrating a strong presence according to collective performance in international women’s handball.

scholarly journals Small Relative Age Effect Appears in Professional Female Italian Team Sports

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 385
Author(s):  
Paolo Riccardo Brustio ◽  
Gennaro Boccia ◽  
Paolo De Pasquale ◽  
Corrado Lupo ◽  
Alexandru Nicolae Ungureanu
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Female Athletes ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Goodness Of Fit Tests ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Female Sports ◽  
Italian Context

The relative age effect (RAE) concerns those (dis)advantages and outcomes resulting from an interaction between the dates of selection and birthdates. Although this phenomenon is well known in a male context, limited data are available in female sports. Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of the RAE in a female Italian context at the professional level in basketball, soccer, and volleyball. A total of 1535 birthdates of elite senior players were analyzed overall and separately between early and late career stages. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were applied to investigate the RAE in each sport. An asymmetry in birthdates was observed in all sports (Crammer’s V ranged = 0.10–0.12). Players born close to the beginning of the year were 1.62 and 1.61 times more likely to reach first and second Italian divisions of soccer and volleyball, respectively, than those born in the last part of the year. A small over-representation of female athletes born close to the beginning of the year is evident at the senior professional level in all Italian investigated team sports. In soccer, this trend was more evident in the first stage of a senior career.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF THE RELATIVE AGE EFFECT ON HEIGHT, MOTOR PERFORMANCE AND TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF OLYMPIC VOLLEYBALL ATHLETES

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-214
Author(s):  
Luiz José Frota Solon Junior ◽  
Luiz Vieira da Silva Neto
Keyword(s):  
Team Sports ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Significant Difference

ABSTRACT Introduction The Relative Age Effect (RAE) refers to the chronological age difference that occurs between athletes of the same age category, which can benefit individuals born in the first two quartiles of the year. This phenomenon is commonly studied in team sports, yet the results are still inconsistent, especially in volleyball. Objective This study analyzed the distribution of the number of births per quartile of Olympic volleyball athletes and whether this would influence anthropometric/motor variables and technical elements. Methods The sample consisted of 116 male athletes who scored during the Rio 2016 Olympics. For data analysis, we identified each athlete’s quartile as well as data on height, attack and defensive (or block) range, and respective scores during the games. The Chi-square test was then used to verify interquartile distribution. To assess the normality of the other variables, we conducted the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Once accepted, one-way ANOVA was performed with the Bonferroni post-hoc test to verify significance between quartiles. A significance level of p≤0.05 was adopted. Results There was no significant difference in the distribution of athletes between quartiles (p = 0.74). When comparing the other variables in terms of the athletes’ trimester of birth, we did not observe any significant difference between height (p = 0.79), attack (p=0.59) and defensive range (p=0.07), and in the scores for serving, attacking and blocking between quartiles either. Conclusion The Relative Age Effect was not observed in Olympic volleyball athletes, therefore this phenomenon is not related to the athletes’ performance. This shows that other possible variables may influence the development of these athletes, discarding the relative age phenomenon. Level of Evidence III; Retrospective and Comparative Study.

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect in Elite German Soccer: Influence of Gender and Competition Level

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Götze ◽  
Matthias W. Hoppe
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Large Effect Size ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Small Effect Size ◽  
Competition Level ◽  
German Adult

The relative age effect (RAE) is associated with (dis)advantages in competitive sports. While the RAE in elite male soccer reveals a skewed birthdate distribution in relation to a certain cut-off date, research of RAE in elite female soccer is affected by small number of samples and conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the RAE in elite adult German soccer regarding gender and competition level. The sample comprised 680 female and 1,083 male players of the two top German leagues during the 2019/20 season and German national teams (A-Team to Under 19). Differences between the observed and expected birthdate distributions were analyzed using chi-square statistics and effect sizes followed by calculating odds ratios. Results showed a statistically significant RAE with small effect size across all players included for both genders (female players: P &lt; 0.001, W = 0.16, male players: P &lt; 0.001, W = 0.23). The identified RAE was based on an over-representation of players born at the beginning of the year. According to gender and competition level, RAEs were more pronounced in German male soccer. While significant RAEs were found among males in the first two leagues (first league: P &lt; 0.001, W = 0.19, second league: P &lt; 0.001, W = 0.26), the RAE of females was more pronounced in the second league (first league: P = 0.080, W = 0.16, second league: P = 0.002, W = 0.20). The analysis of RAE regarding the national teams revealed a statistically significant RAE with large effect size for only the youngest investigated age group of male players (Under 19: P = 0.022, W = 0.52). Our data show an RAE in female and male German adult soccer, which could be accompanied by a loss of valuable elite players during the youth phase of the career. Consequently, the pool of talented players at the adult level would be limited.

Relative age effect and performance in elite male and female water polo players

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-177
Author(s):  
J. Barrenetxea-Garcia ◽  
J. Torres-Unda ◽  
I. Esain ◽  
A. Rodriguez-Larrad ◽  
S.M. Gil
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Water Polo ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
And Performance

Relative Age Effect: Beyond the Youth Phenomenon

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E Garrett ◽  
Patrick W Joyner ◽  
William J Mallon ◽  
Donald T Kirkendall
Keyword(s):  
Team Sports ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Ice Hockey ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
General Existence ◽  
Global Classification ◽  
Individual Sports

ABSTRACT The relative age effect (RAE) refers to the oversampling of youth born in the first quarter of the birth year when auditioning for selected age-restricted sports. This advantage conferred to the older athlete is the result of the older athlete being more physically and emotionally mature and, therefore, assumed to be a more advanced player. Chosen players will be exposed to better coaching, competition, teammates, and facilities in their respective sport. This RAE was first described in 1988 for ice hockey, and has since been described in numerous other sports, with a vast majority of the literature demonstrating an RAE in small cohorts, as well as in team sports and sports that incorporate a ball (i.e. soccer, basketball, hockey, etc). We extended the exploration of an RAE beyond specific sports by examining the birth quarter of over 44,000 Olympic athletes birth dates, born between 1964 and 1996. Our hypothesis is that not only did an RAE exist in Olympic athletes, but that it existed across selected categories of athletes (by gender), such as team vs individual sports, winter vs summer athletes, and sports using a ball vs those not using a ball. The fractions of births in the first vs the fourth quarter of the year were significantly different (p < 0.001) from each other for the summer and winter Olympians, ball and nonball sports, and team as well as individual sports. This significant difference was not gender specific. We found the general existence of an RAE in Olympic athletes regardless of global classification. Joyner PW, Mallon WJ, Kirkendall DT, Garrett WE Jr. Relative Age Effect: Beyond the Youth Phenomenon. The Duke Orthop J 2013;3(1):74-79.

Relationship between the relative age effect and anthropometry, maturity and performance in young soccer players

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 479-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Maria Gil ◽  
Aduna Badiola ◽  
Iraia Bidaurrazaga-Letona ◽  
Jon Zabala-Lili ◽  
Leyre Gravina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
And Performance

Relative age effect and performance in the U16, U18 and U20 European Basketball Championships

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (16) ◽  
pp. 1530-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haritz Arrieta ◽  
Jon Torres-Unda ◽  
Susana María Gil ◽  
Jon Irazusta
Keyword(s):  
Age Effect ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
And Performance

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 The relative age-related participation trends in European Badminton

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
MERT BILGIC ◽  
ERHAN DEVRILMEZ
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Equal Opportunities ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Goodness Of Fit Tests ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
Age Related ◽  
European Youth

Background: T he purpose of this study was to identify the relative age effect (RAE) in European youth badminton through examining participation trends. Material and methods: T he birthdate distributions of 1909 badminton players (males = 994, females = 915) participating in the last three consecutive European U15, U17 and Junior (U19) Badminton Championships were analysed. Chi-square (χ²) goodness-of-fit tests were used to determine inter-quartile differences, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated in order to compare quartiles with each other. Results: Statistically significant over-representation of players born shortly after the cut-off date was determined. Regarding gender, RAE was more notable in males compared to females, and the strongest results were determined in U15 compared to the other age categories. Moreover, striking trends were determined in Q1–Q4 comparisons, particularly as players in Q1 were more than twice for females and thrice for males as likely to participate in the European Badminton Championships. Conclusions: F indings of this study confirm the presence of RAE in European youth badminton though decreasing its intensity with age. Certain precautions or different approaches should be taken into consideration to organize the age categories, such as biological markers, variations, rotations or age quota for equal opportunities.

scholarly journals Relative Age Effect in Canadian Hockey: Prevalence, Perceived Competence and Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Lemoyne ◽  
Vincent Huard Pelletier ◽  
François Trudeau ◽  
Simon Grondin
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Competence ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Performance Outcomes ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Ice Hockey ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Relative Age ◽  
Relative Age Effect ◽  
And Performance

The term “relative age effect” (RAE) is used to describe a bias in which participation in sports (and other fields) is higher among people who were born at the beginning of the relevant selection period than would be expected from the distribution of births. In sports, RAEs may affect the psychological experience of players as well as their performance. This article presents 2 studies. Study 1 aims to verify the prevalence of RAEs in minor hockey and test its associations with players' physical self-concept and attitudes toward physical activities in general. Study 2 verifies the prevalence of the RAE and analyzes the performance of Canadian junior elite players as a function of their birth quartile. In study 1, the sample is drawn from 404 minor hockey players who have evolved from a recreational to an elite level. Physical self-concept and attitudes toward different kinds of physical activities were assessed via questionnaires. Results showed that the RAE is prevalent in minor hockey at all competition levels. Minor differences in favor of Q1-born players were observed regarding physical self-concept, but not attitudes. In study 2, data analyses were conducted from the 2018–2019 Canadian Hockey League database. Birth quartiles were compared on different components of performance by using quantile regression on each variable. Results revealed that RAEs are prevalent in the CHL, with Q1 players tending to outperform Q4 players in games played and power-play points. No other significant differences were observed regarding anthropometric measures and other performance outcomes. RAEs are still prevalent in Canadian hockey. Building up perceived competence and providing game-time exposure are examples of aspects that need to be addressed when trying to minimize RAEs in ice hockey.

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