Related Papers
PLOS ONE
Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness
2015 •
Ric Lovell
The relative age effect (RAE) and its relationships with maturation, anthropometry, and physical performance characteristics were examined across a representative sample of English youth soccer development programmes. Birth dates of 1,212 players, chronologically age-grouped (i.e., U9's-U18's), representing 17 professional clubs (i.e., playing in Leagues 1 & 2) were obtained and categorised into relative age quartiles from the start of the selection year (Q1 = Sep-Nov; Q2 = Dec-Feb; Q3 = Mar-May; Q4 = Jun-Aug). Players were measured for somatic maturation and performed a battery of physical tests to determine aerobic fitness (Multi-Stage Fitness Test [MSFT]), Maximal Vertical Jump (MVJ), sprint (10 & 20m), and agility (T-Test) performance capabilities. Odds ratio's (OR) revealed Q1 players were 5.3 times (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 4.08-6.83) more likely to be selected than Q4's, with a particularly strong RAE bias observed in U9 (OR: 5.56) and U13-U16 squads (OR: 5.45-6.13). Multivariate statistical models identified few between quartile differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics, and confirmed chronological age-group and estimated age at peak height velocity (APHV) as covariates. Assessment of practical significance using magnitude-based inferences demonstrated body size advantages in relatively older players (Q1 vs. Q4) that were very-likely small (Effect Size [ES]: 0.53-0.57), and likely to very-likely moderate (ES: 0.62-0.72) in U12 and U14 squads, respectively. Relatively older U12-U14 players also demonstrated small advantages in 10m (ES: 0.31-0.45) and 20m sprint performance (ES: 0.36-0.46). The data identify a strong RAE bias at the entry-point to English soccer developmental programmes. RAE was also stronger circa-PHV, and relatively older players demonstrated anaerobic performance advantages during the pubescent period. Talent selectors should consider motor function and maturation status assessments to avoid premature and unwarranted drop-out of soccer players within youth development programmes.
Anthropometrical, physical fitness and maturational characteristics in youth soccer : methodological issues and a longitudinal approach to talent identification and development
2015 •
Dieter Deprez
From the literature, it has been massively recommended that talent identification, development and selection processes in youth soccer should provide a longitudinal, holistic approach accounting for maturation and relative age. The sport of soccer systematically excludes those players who are later to mature and/or who are later born in the in the selection year, whilst these players might be as gifted as their earlier maturing and/or earlier born peers. There are often no or insufficient objective criteria that could support the evaluation process. The present thesis aimed to gain insight in young soccer players’ development of anthropometrical characteristics, physical fitness and motor coordination parameters with respect to maturation and relative age. Therefore, the conducted research was divided into four different chapters. The first chapter investigated (1) test-retest reliability and validity of the intermittent endurance performance, assessed by the Yo-Yo Intermittent Reco...
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Performance characteristics of selected/deselected under 11 players from a professional youth football academy
2020 •
Sebastiaan Platvoet
This study aimed to determine whether players selected for the under 11 team of a professional youth football academy outperform their deselected peers in physical, technical and gross motor coordination skills, or in psycho-social capacities. Of the young players active at different amateur clubs yearly 2% were scouted to participate at trainings and matches from an academy before the first objective baseline testing (season 1 n = 54 boys, season 2 n = 49, age: 9.25 ± 0.46). Most of the scouted players ( n = 103) were born in the first quarter of the year (47.6%) and started playing football at a young age (4.80 ± 0.84). Mann–Whitney U tests showed that the selected under 11 players ( n = 31) from the reduced pool outperformed their deselected peers ( n = 72) in the 30-m slalom sprint, dribble test and Loughborough soccer passing test, and on sport learning-, motor-, creative- and interpersonal capacity ( P
Biology of Sport
The selection advantages associated with advanced biological maturation vary according to playing position in national-level youth soccer
Dan Horan
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Identifying the physical fitness, anthropometric and athletic movement qualities discriminant of developmental level in elite junior Australian football
2016 •
Kenji Doma
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
Anthropometric, speed and endurance characteristics of English academy soccer players: Do they influence obtaining a professional contract at 18 years of age?
2016 •
Stacey Emmonds
This study evaluated the anthropometric, speed and endurance characteristics of English academy soccer players, comparing players who obtained a ‘professional’ contract at 18 years old with those that did not (‘academy’); 443 male academy soccer players from an English professional club undertook anthropometric (height and body mass), speed (10 and 20 m sprint) and endurance (Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 2 [Yo-Yo]) assessments between 2005 and 2012. Significant improvements with age were found for speed and endurance at each annual age group up until U18 age category. Significant differences were only observed between ‘professional’ and ‘academy’ players for 10 m ( p = 0.003, η2 = 0.01) and 20 m ( p = 0.001, η2 = 0.01) speed at U16 and U18 and Yo-Yo performance ( p = 0.001, η2 = 0.12) at U18 age category. Practitioners should use speed and endurance assessments for monitoring physical development of players rather than for talent identification purposes.
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
Considering maturation status and relative age in the longitudinal evaluation of junior rugby league players
2013 •
chris J chapman
This study longitudinally evaluated whether maturation and relative age interact with time during adolescence to differentially affect the development of anthropometric and fitness characteristics in junior rugby league players. Anthropometric and fitness characteristics of 81 junior players selected into the UK Rugby Football League's talent identification and development process were assessed over three consecutive occasions (i.e., under‐13s, ‐14s, ‐15s). Players were grouped and compared in relation to maturational status (i.e., early, average, late) and relative age quartile (i.e., quartile 1). Repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance identified significant (P < 0.001) overall main effects for maturation group, relative age quartile and importantly a maturation group by time interaction. Findings showed that the early‐maturing group had the greatest anthropometric characteristics and medicine ball throw across the three occasions. However, the late‐maturing gro...
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
Predicting playing status in junior Australian Football using physical and anthropometric parameters
2014 •
Carl Woods
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
A retrospective study on anthropometrical, physical fitness and motor coordination characteristics that influence drop out, contract status and first-team playing time in high-level soccer players, aged 8 to 18 years
2014 •
Job Fransen, Dieter Deprez, Roel Vaeyens, Renaat Philippaerts
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Development of Anthropometric and Physical Performance Profiles of Young Elite Male Soccer Players: A Longitudinal study
2010 •
Slobodan Jaric
