Relationship between relative age measured through decimal age, physical variables and anthropometry in elite youth soccer players

Abstract

Introduction: Age differences between athletes born in the same year, as well as an over-representation of older players, are known as the Relative Age Effect (RAE). Players born at the beginning of the selection year have a physical and anthropometric advantage over their younger peers. Experts keep looking for new prediction variables for talent identification.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to correlate anthropometric, strength and power variables with the relative age (RA) and the level of the teams in which players played in each age category.

Methods: All players (N = 366) from an elite soccer academy of a Spanish club volunteered to participate in the study (U23-U10).

Results: There was a significant correlation between the RA of the players and the level of the team in which they played in each age category but no correlation between trimester of birth and level of the team. We found significant correlations between the players' physical capacities, anthropometry, RA and the level of the team in which they played for the same age category, mainly from U16 to U10. U23 did not show any correlation between RA and physical or anthropometric variables.

Conclusion: Coaches should be cautious of choosing players based only on anthropometric or physical attributes.

Keywords: Academy; body composition; football; performance; strength; young.