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Gender differences in the relative age effect among US olympic development program youth soccer players
John Vincent1, Francis D Glamser
1Department of Kinesiology, College of Education, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 35487-0312, USA. jvincent@bamaed.ua.ed
Journal of Sports Sciences
|February 24, 2006
Summary
Elite female soccer players show a minimal relative age effect, unlike their male counterparts. This suggests gender differences in how birth timing impacts selection in youth soccer development programs.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Developmental Psychology
- Youth Sports
Background:
- Elite youth male soccer players disproportionately represent those born early in the selection year, a phenomenon known as the relative age effect.
- Despite the growth in women's soccer, research on the relative age effect in female youth soccer remains limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the relative age effect in elite female and male youth soccer players within the US Olympic Development Program (ODP).
- To investigate potential gender differences in the impact of birth timing on talent identification in soccer.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of birth dates for 1,344 elite female and male youth soccer players from the 2001 US ODP, all born in 1984.
- Utilized descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to assess birth date distributions across state, regional, and national team levels.
- Examined birth records from women's state and regional ODP, and national team rosters.
Main Results:
- A marginal relative age effect was observed for female ODP regional and national team players.
- No significant relative age effect was found for female ODP state team players.
- A strong relative age effect was evident across all levels (state, regional, national) for male ODP players.
Conclusions:
- Significant gender differences exist in the relative age effect among 17-year-old elite soccer players.
- These disparities may stem from an interplay between biological, maturational, and socialization factors influencing player development and selection.
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