Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness

PLOS ONE, Dec 2019

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.

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Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness

September Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness Ric Lovell 0 1 Chris Towlson 0 1 Guy Parkin 0 1 Matt Portas 0 1 Roel Vaeyens 0 1 Stephen Cobley 0 1 0 1 School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney , Penrith , Australia , 2 Department of Sport, Health and Exercise Science, The University of Hull , Hull , United Kingdom , 3 Pro-football Support, Huddersfield , United Kingdom , 4 Sport and Exercise Department, Teesside University , Middlesbrough , United Kingdom , 5 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University , Gent , Belgium , 6 Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney , Sydney , Australia 1 Editor: Alejandro Lucia, Universidad Europea de Madrid , SPAIN 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 agegroup 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 - Data Availability Statement: The authors confirm that, for approved reasons, some access restrictions apply to the data underlying the findings. Within the human ethics application approval we only specified that the means and standard deviations only would be disclosed and provided in journal submissions of the data collected, therefore we cannot make the data available in the manuscript or a public repository. The readers may directly contact Dr. Ric Lovell ( r. ) directly for data inquiries after which time Dr. Lovell will have to receive approval from the Ethics Committee for data release. Funding: Pro-football Support provided support in the form of salaries for authors [RL, GP, MP]. GP is the director of the agency (Pro-Football Support) contracted by the clubs in this study to under take anthropometric, somatic maturation and fitness assessments of the players registered with each Football Club. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. Competing Interests: GP is the director of the agency (Pro-Football Support) contracted by the clubs in this study to undertake anthropometric, somatic maturation and fitness assessments of the players registered with each Football Club. RL and MP are consultants for Pro-Football Support. These competing interests do not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. CT, RV and SC declare that no competing interest exist. and maturation status assessments to avoid premature and unwarranted drop-out of soccer players within youth development programmes. The relative age effect (RAE) is a well-established phenomenon in team-sports such as Soccer [1–4]. RAEs are characterised by an over-representation of players born earlier in their selection year, and are evident across the range of Soccer participation standards, including junior, youth representative, and professional levels [2,5]. Consequently, relatively older recreational and semi-professional players are afforded more playing opportunities [4], and having a relatively older squad in U17 national competitions has been associated with a higher final league ranking [6]. The underlying causes of the RAE in a Soccer contex (...truncated)


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Ric Lovell, Chris Towlson, Guy Parkin, Matt Portas, Roel Vaeyens, Stephen Cobley. Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness, PLOS ONE, 2015, Volume 10, Issue 9, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137238