Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the birth month distribution and anthropometric measurements of U-15 elite soccer players. The sample consisted of 400 athletes (15.4 ± 0.4 years, 171.0 ± 10.6 cm and 63.0 ± 8.8 kg) participants of the 11th edition of the Brazil U-15 Soccer Cup, who had their birth month information and height and body mass measures obtained from data available on the organization’s website. Athletes were separated according to the categorization of chronological age into four-month periods: 1st quarter (1st QDT), athletes born between January and April; 2nd quarter (2nd QDT), those born between May and August, and 3rd quarter (3rd QDT), those born between September and December. The non-parametric chi-square test (X2) was used to analyze the possible differences between observed and expected birth date distributions in the four-month periods. The significance level was P<0.05. The results show that the number of players born in 1st QDT was higher when compared to 2nd QDT and 3rd QDT (P<0.05), and higher when compared to 2nd QDT with 3rd QDT (P<0.05). For variables height and body mass, it was observed that players born in 1st QDT presented values significantly higher than those born in 2nd QDT and 3rd QDT (P<0.05). In the same way, players born in 2nd QDT presented higher values than those born in 3rd QDT (P<0.05).It could be concluded that the relative age effect exerts an influence on the selection of Brazilian U-15 soccer players because it is associated with differences in the anthropometric characteristics of these young players.
Highlights
In the sports context, many factors are relevant to determining the success of a soccer player and the requirement for practice at high competitive level is multifactorial, justifying the complexity in predicting the athletic performance of young athletes[1].In addition, many professionals responsible for the training of young athletes, unaware of the various body transformations that occur during puberty, submit young athletes to training loads incompatible with their ability to support them due to a possible delay in their biological development, which may compromise the athletic development of young athletes[2].In some situations of sports practice, there are young athletes at different maturational stages within the same training group or competitive category[3]
The first four months (1st QDT) was composed of athletes born between January and April; the second quarter (2nd QDT), those born between May and August, and the third quarter (3rd QDT), those born between September and December, with January 1st as the starting date of the sports season
The results show a greater number of players born in 1st QDT compared to 2nd QDT and 3rd QDT, as well as in 2nd QDT in relation to 3rd QDT
Summary
In some situations of sports practice, there are young athletes at different maturational stages within the same training group or competitive category[3]. Scientific evidence shows that, young people in advanced maturational stages compared to those with delayed maturation of the same training group present advantages in sports performance[6,7]. In this sense, many of these differences can be influenced by the relative age effect (RAE)[8], defined by a difference in chronological age among individuals of the same age group[2]. RAE has been observed in soccer, and in several other sports[9,10]
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