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Biological Maturation and Physical Performance in Youth Football: Associations Across Professional and
Manuel Amore1, Maria Francesca Piacentini1, Vincenzo Sorgente2
1Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome 'Foro Italico', 00135 Rome, Italy.
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Biological maturation impacts youth football performance differently based on training environment. Non-professional players show stronger links between maturation and physical skills like agility, unlike those in professional academies.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Youth Development
- Talent Identification
Background:
- Biological maturation significantly influences physical performance in young athletes.
- Training context may alter the relationship between maturation and performance in youth football.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for talent development pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between biological maturation and physical performance in youth football players.
- To compare these associations between professional academy and non-professional club settings.
- To examine the interaction between maturation, age, and training environment on performance.
Main Methods:
- 302 male youth football players (U10-U14) from professional (n=122) and non-professional (n=180) settings.
- Biological maturation assessed via maturity offset and age at peak height velocity (aPHV).
- Physical performance measured by standing broad jump, T-test agility, and sit-and-reach tests; analyzed using GLMs and correlation analyses.
Main Results:
- Professional players generally outperformed non-professional peers in power, agility, and flexibility.
- Maturation-performance links were stronger in non-professional settings (agility, power) than professional.
- Significant interactions found between training environment, age, and maturation for all performance measures, especially agility.
Conclusions:
- The relationship between biological maturation and physical performance in youth football varies by training environment.
- Weaker maturation-performance associations in professional academies may reflect selection processes and training exposure.
- Causal interpretations are limited due to the cross-sectional design and potential confounding factors.
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