Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to analyze variations of selection for competition between late and early mature players and test the relationships between anthropometry, body composition, maturation, and selection for competition.MethodsSeventy-nine youth soccer players from under-11 to under-14 participated in this study, over 6 months. Body composition and maturity offset were estimated based on anthropometric data collected. Participants were also monitored for their number of matches as starters and time of play accrued in minutes.ResultsMinutes played had large correlation coefficients with maturity offset (r = 0.58), and leg length and sitting height interaction (r = 0.56). Multiple linear regression explained 35% of the variation in minutes played (p < 0.001, R2 = 0.41, R2adjusted = 0.35, RMSE = 334.8), but only 12% of the variation in matches as starter (p = 0.04, R2 = 0.21, R2adjusted = 0.12, RMSE = 5.47) between above and below the median of the maturity offset was accounted for, respectively.ConclusionsAlthough maturation may play a role in the minutes of play accrued and matches as starters in young, it is not necessarily determining. A significant amount of the variation in the minutes of play accrued of players can be accounted for when considering body composition and anthropometric data.
Highlights
Children at the same chronological age may vary meaningfully in maturation status, where some children can be more or less advanced in terms of maturation in comparison with their peers (Baxter-Jones et al, 2005)
In the case of youth team sports, this evidence is extremely important, mainly because in critical periods the inter-player variation of maturation status can be very high (Figueiredo et al, 2009b, 2020). Such variation should be considered by coaches, among others, to standardize the training process to the biological maturation status (Lloyd et al, 2014)
Assessment of maturation in youth athletes is regarded as a determinant, and has been conducted using different approaches such as, among others, skeletal age, pubertal status, estimated age at peak height velocity (PHV), age at menarche, or determination of maturity status using the secondary sex characteristics (Malina et al, 2012, 2015)
Summary
Children at the same chronological age may vary meaningfully in maturation status, where some children can be more or less advanced in terms of maturation in comparison with their peers (Baxter-Jones et al, 2005). In the case of youth team sports (e.g., soccer), this evidence is extremely important, mainly because in critical periods (between 10 and 15 years old) the inter-player variation of maturation status can be very high (Figueiredo et al, 2009b, 2020). Talent identification and selection should consider maturation status as a critical parameter to make reasonable decisions (Gonçalves et al, 2012) These considerations have a higher extent because it is about 14–15 years old that selection/rejection for the soccer system mainly occurs (Malina et al, 2015). Assessment of maturation in youth athletes is regarded as a determinant, and has been conducted using different approaches such as, among others, skeletal age, pubertal status, estimated age at peak height velocity (PHV), age at menarche, or determination of maturity status using the secondary sex characteristics (Malina et al, 2012, 2015)
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