Abstract
The relative age effect (RAE) is associated with (dis)advantages in competitive sports. While the RAE in elite male soccer reveals a skewed birthdate distribution in relation to a certain cut-off date, research of RAE in elite female soccer is affected by small number of samples and conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the RAE in elite adult German soccer regarding gender and competition level. The sample comprised 680 female and 1,083 male players of the two top German leagues during the 2019/20 season and German national teams (A-Team to Under 19). Differences between the observed and expected birthdate distributions were analyzed using chi-square statistics and effect sizes followed by calculating odds ratios. Results showed a statistically significant RAE with small effect size across all players included for both genders (female players: P < 0.001, W = 0.16, male players: P < 0.001, W = 0.23). The identified RAE was based on an over-representation of players born at the beginning of the year. According to gender and competition level, RAEs were more pronounced in German male soccer. While significant RAEs were found among males in the first two leagues (first league: P < 0.001, W = 0.19, second league: P < 0.001, W = 0.26), the RAE of females was more pronounced in the second league (first league: P = 0.080, W = 0.16, second league: P = 0.002, W = 0.20). The analysis of RAE regarding the national teams revealed a statistically significant RAE with large effect size for only the youngest investigated age group of male players (Under 19: P = 0.022, W = 0.52). Our data show an RAE in female and male German adult soccer, which could be accompanied by a loss of valuable elite players during the youth phase of the career. Consequently, the pool of talented players at the adult level would be limited.
Highlights
In sports, it has been shown that the relative age effect (RAE) favors relatively older athletes in terms of talent selection and development opportunities (Till et al, 2009)
Players born at the beginning of the year were overrepresented and the odds ratio (OR) declined for the comparisons later in the year with Q4 being inferior in each case
Our main findings were: (a) There was a statistically significant RAE with small effect sizes across all included players for both genders, (b) the RAE was more prominent among males, and (c) while significant RAEs were found among males in the first two leagues, the RAE of females was more pronounced in the second league
Summary
It has been shown that the relative age effect (RAE) favors relatively older athletes in terms of talent selection and development opportunities (Till et al, 2009). In an age-based system with January 1st as a cut-off date, Abbreviations: RAE, relative age effect; OR, odds ratio. Because the RAE can lead to selection bias due to physical, cognitive, psychological and social attributes, it may be considered as discrimination against athletes who are born later within an age cohort (Simmons and Paull, 2001; Dixon et al, 2011). In light of the fact that selection bias in children and youth sports could lead to non-selection and dropout of talents, the long-term consequences for professional sports are obvious (Baker et al, 2010)
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