Abstract
The relative age effect (RAE) concerns those (dis)advantages and outcomes resulting from an interaction between the dates of selection and birthdates. Although this phenomenon is well known in a male context, limited data are available in female sports. Thus, the aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of the RAE in a female Italian context at the professional level in basketball, soccer, and volleyball. A total of 1535 birthdates of elite senior players were analyzed overall and separately between early and late career stages. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were applied to investigate the RAE in each sport. An asymmetry in birthdates was observed in all sports (Crammer’s V ranged = 0.10–0.12). Players born close to the beginning of the year were 1.62 and 1.61 times more likely to reach first and second Italian divisions of soccer and volleyball, respectively, than those born in the last part of the year. A small over-representation of female athletes born close to the beginning of the year is evident at the senior professional level in all Italian investigated team sports. In soccer, this trend was more evident in the first stage of a senior career.
Highlights
Sport organizations usually group children and adolescents into homogeneous chronological age cohorts to create age bands and competitive tiers
The relative age effect (RAE) concerns thoseadvantages and outcomes resulting from an interaction between the dates of selection and birthdates [3]
24.8 ± 4.9 years; n = 173 in first division), 668 elite players were analyzed in basketball, volleyball, and soccer, respectively
Summary
Sport organizations usually group children and adolescents into homogeneous chronological age cohorts (generally of one or two years) to create age bands and competitive tiers. The purpose of this choice is to guarantee fair learning opportunities and competitive experiences by limiting massive intragroup physical and cognitive differences, especially in invasion team sports. The influence of social agents, like parents and coaches, should be considered. These agents may focus their attention on the relatively older athletes due to misguided interpretations of talents based on size/age and may create and exacerbate RAE [4,5]
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