Download PDF
Int J Sports Med 2015; 36(01): 16-21
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1384548
Training & Testing
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Effect of Birth Month on Physical Fitness of Soccer Players (Under-15) According to Biological Maturity

I. Fragoso
1   Faculty of Human Kinetics, Technical University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal
,
L. M. Massuca
2   Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
,
J. Ferreira
1   Faculty of Human Kinetics, Technical University of Lisbon, Cruz-Quebrada, Portugal
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History



accepted after revision 30 May 2014

Publication Date:
21 August 2014 (online)

Also available at
    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the relationship between the birth quarters, biological maturity and physical fitness (PF) in Under-15 youth soccer players. Each participant (n=133) was an Under-15 player from a top-elite soccer academy. The data collection period lasted 8 years (from Under-15 2002/2003 to 2009/2010 season). The athletes’ birth dates were recorded and organized by birth quarters (Q1, first; Q2, second; Q3, third; Q4, fourth) and by semesters (S1, first; S2, second). Additionally recorded were each athlete’s biological maturity (skeletal age, SA), anthropometric profile (stature; body mass; thigh, calf and upper arm girths), and fitness profile (10-m and 30-m sprint times; SJ; CMJ; shuttles in YYIR Test). Significant differences were found for (1) decimal age and SA by quarters (Q4-Q1, Q2) and semesters; and (2) stature (Q3-Q1, Q2, Q4; S1-S2), body mass (Q1-Q3; S1-S2), thigh girth (S1-S2), SJ (Q1-Q2) and sprint time (Q4-Q1, Q2; S1-S2). When maturity was considered as covariate all PF variables, with exception of SJ (Q1-Q2) and 10-m sprint time (S1-S2), were very similar among the studied groups. These findings suggest that (1) seasonal birth effect may result from the observed biological maturation differences, and (2) athletes may have been chosen due to their PF attributes.

Key words

anthropometry - fitness - relative age effect - skeletal age - talent identification
 

  • References

  • 1 Baker J, Horton S, Robertson-Wilson J, Wall M. Nurturing sport expertise: factors influencing the development of elite athlete. J Sport Sci Med 2003; 2: 19
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Bangsbo J. Fitness training in football: a scientific approach. Bagsvaerd: H. O. and Storm; 1994
    Google Scholar
  • 3 Barnsley RH, Thompson AH. Birthdate and success in minor hockey. Can J Behav Sci 1988; 20: 167-176
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Barnsley RH, Thomson AH, Legault P. Family planning: football style. The relative age effect in football. Int Rev Soc Sports 1992; 27: 77-86
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Bloomfield J, Polman R, Butterfly R, O’donoghue P. Analysis of age, stature, body mass, BMI and quality of elite soccer players from 4 European Leagues. J Sports Med Phys Fit 2005; 45: 58-67
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Bosco C, Luhtanen P, Koni PA. A simple method for measurement of mechanical power in jumping. Eur J Appl Physiol 1983; 50: 273-282
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Buchheit M, Mendez-Villanueva A, Simpson BM, Bourdon PC. Match running performance and fitness in youth soccer. Int J Sports Med 2010; 31: 818-825
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Carling C, Le Gall F, Dupont G. Analysis of repeated high-intensity running performance in professional soccer. J Sports Sci 2012; 30: 325-336
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Carling C, Le Gall F, Reilly T, Williams AM. Do anthropometric and fitness characteristics vary according to birth date distribution in elite youth academy soccer players?. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2009; 19: 3-9
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Cobley S, Baker J, Wattie N, McKenna J. Annual age-grouping and athlete development: a meta-analytical review of relative age effects in sport. Sport Med 2009; 39: 235-256
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Coelho e Silva MJ, Figueiredo AJ, Simoes F, Seabra A, Natal A, Vaeyens R, Philippaerts R, Cumming SP, Malina RM. Discrimination of u-14 soccer players by level and position. Intel J Sports Med 2010; 31: 790-796
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Delorme N, Boiché J, Raspaud M. Relative age and dropout in French male soccer. J Sports Sci 2010; 28: 717-722
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Delorme N, Raspaud M. The relative age effect in young French basketball players: A study on the whole population. Scan J Med Sci Sports 2009; 19: 235-242
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Delorme N, Boiché J, Raspaud M. Relative age effect in elite sports: Methodological bias or real discrimination?. Eur J Sports Sci 2010; 10: 91-96
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Di Salvo V, Baron R, Tschan H, Montero J, Bachl N, Pigozzi F. Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer. Int J Sports Med 2007; 28: 222-227
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Edgar S, O’Donoghue P. Season of birth distribution of elite tennis players. J Sports Sci 2005; 23: 1013-1020
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Figueiredo AJ, Goncalves CE, Coelho-e-Silva MJ, Malina RM. Youth soccer players, 11-14 years: maturity, size, function, skill and goal orientation. Ann Hum Biol 2009; 36: 60-73
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Folgado HA, Caixinha PF, Sampaio J, Maçãas V. Relative age effects among youth soccer players according to playing positions. Rev Port Cien Desp 2006; 6: 349-355
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Gil SM, Gil J, Ruiz F, Irazusta A, Irazusta J. Anthropometrical characteristics and somatotype of young soccer players and their comparison with the general population. Biol Sport 2010; 27: 17-24
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Gil SM, Ruiz F, Irazusta A, Gil J, Irazusta J. Selection of young players in terms of anthropometric and physiological factors. J Sports Med Phys Fit 2007; 47: 25-32
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Harriss DJ, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sports and exercise science research: 2014 update. Int J Sports Med 2013; 34: 1025-1028
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Helsen WF, Hodges NJ, Van Winckel J, Starkes JL. The roles of talent, physical precocity and practice in the development of soccer expertise. J Sports Sci 2000; 18: 727-736
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Helsen WF, Van Winkel J, Williams AM. The relative age effect in youth soccer across Europe. J Sports Sci 2005; 23: 629-636
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Helsen WF, Starkes JL, Van Winckel J. The influence of relative age on success and dropout in male soccer players. Am J Hum Biol 1998; 10: 791-798
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Hirose N. Relationships among birth-month distribution, skeletal age and anthropometric characteristics in adolescent elite soccer players. J Sports Sci 2009; 27: 1159-1166
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Le Gall F, Carling C, Williams M, Reilly T. Anthropometric and fitness characteristics of international, professional and amateur male graduate soccer players from an elite youth academy. J Sci Med Sport 2010; 13: 90-95
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Malina RM, Eisenmann JC, Cumming SP, Ribeiro B, Aroso J. Maturity-associated variation in the growth and functional capacities of youth football (soccer) players 13–15 years. Eur J Appl Physiol 2004; 91: 555-562
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Malina RM, Pena Reyes ME, Eisenmann JC, Horta L, Rodrigues J, Miller R. Height, mass and skeletal maturity of elite Portuguese soccer players aged 11-16 years. J Sports Sci 2000; 18: 685-693
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Malina RM, Pena Reyes ME, Figueiredo AJ, Coelho-e-Silva MJ, Horta L, Miller R, Chamorro M, Serratosa L, Morate F. Skeletal age in youth soccer players: implication for age verification. Clin J Sport Med 2010; 20: 469-474
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Malina RM. Skeletal age and age verification in youth sport. Sports Med 2011; 41: 925-947
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Marfell-Jones M, Olds T, Stewart A, Cartel JEL. International standards for anthropometric assessment. Potchefstroom, South Africa: ISAK; 2006
    Google Scholar
  • 32 Martin RHC, Uezu R, Parra SA, Arena SS, Bojikian LP, Bohme MTS. Males self-assessment of sexual maturation using drawing and photos. Rev Paul Educ Fís 2001; 15: 212-222
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Matkovic BR, Durakovic MM, Matkovic B. Morphological differences of elite Croatian soccer players according to the team position. Coll Antropol 2003; 27: 167-174
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Mujika I, Spencer M, Santisteban J, Goiriena JJ, Bishop D. Age-related differences in repeated-sprint ability in highly trained youth football players. J Sports Sci 2009; 227: 1581-1590
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Musch J, Grondin S. Unequal competition as an impediment to personal development: A review of the relative age effect in sport. Dev Rev 2001; 21: 147-167
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Musch J, Hay R. The relative age effect in soccer: cross-cultural evidence for a systematic discrimination against children born late in the competition year. Sociol Sport J 1999; 16: 54-64
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Prez Jimenez I, Pain MTG. Relative age effect in spanish association football: Its extent and implications for wasted potential. J Sports Sci 2008; 26: 995-1003
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Philippaerts RM, Vaeyens R, Janssens M, Van Renterghem B, Matthys D, Craen R, Bourgois J, Vrijens J, Beunen G, Malina RM. The relationship between peak height velocity and physical performance in youth soccer players. J Sports Sci 2006; 224: 221-230
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 Reilly T, Bangsbo J, Franks A. Antropometric and physiological predispositions for elite soccer. J Sports Sci 2000; 18: 669-683
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 40 Reilly T, Williams AM, Nevill A, Franks A. A multidisciplinary approach to talent identification in soccer. J Sports Sci 2000; 18: 695-702
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 41 Tanner JM, Cameron N, Healy M, Goldenstain H. Assessment of skeletal maturity and prediction of adult height (TW3 Method). London, UK: W. B. Saunders; 2001
    Google Scholar
  • 42 Williams AM, Reilly T. Talent identification and development in soccer. J Sports Sci 2000; 18: 657-667
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar