Children, Football-Specific Performance
Conditions
Keywords
Relative age effect, youth football, passing performance, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test
Brief summary
This completed cross-sectional observational study examined whether relative age within an annual selection cycle was associated with passing performance in pre-adolescent football players. Participants were classified by birth month, birth quarter and birth semester. Passing performance was assessed using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test, in which players completed 16 passes to colour-coded targets as quickly and accurately as possible. Total performance time combined movement time, time penalties for errors and time bonuses for accurate passes. The study evaluated the distribution of players across the selection year and the association between relative age and passing-test performance while accounting for the two chronological birth cohorts represented in the sample.
Detailed description
Annual age grouping in youth football can create a relative age effect, characterised by the over-representation of players born earlier in the selection year. This pattern is often attributed to temporary developmental advantages, but it is unclear whether earlier-born pre-adolescent players also demonstrate superior technical performance. The study used a cross-sectional observational design in a youth football development programme in Bello, Colombia. The source cohort contained 61 participant records. Birth month was used to classify players into four relative-age quarters: Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September) and Q4 (October-December), and into two semesters: H1 (January-June) and H2 (July-December). Passing performance was measured with the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test. Players were scheduled to complete two trials separated by five minutes. Each trial comprised 16 externally cued passes to four colour-coded target areas. Movement time was adjusted by adding penalties for inaccurate execution or protocol violations and subtracting bonuses for striking the central target strip. Lower total performance time indicated better performance. The primary technical outcome was the mean total performance time across available trials. Sensitivity outcomes included Trial 1 and the best trial. The primary analysis estimated the association between birth month and LSPT total performance time after adjustment for birth cohort. Additional analyses examined representation by quarter and semester and agreement between the two LSPT trials. Data collection was completed in 2017. The study is being registered retrospectively in 2026 to improve transparency and support public sharing of the anonymised dataset and analysis materials.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Federal University of Vicosa
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
8 Years to 9 Years
Inclusion criteria
* Registered or actively participating in the selected youth football development programme in Bello, Colombia during the assessment period. * Date of birth available in the programme roster. * Able to undertake the football passing assessment. * Written parent or legal guardian consent and child assent.
Exclusion criteria
* Acute injury, illness or medical restriction preventing safe completion of the LSPT \[retain only if this was an actual criterion\]. * Unable to complete the required familiarisation or test procedure. * Missing date-of-birth information. * No valid LSPT trial available for inclusion in the primary analytical sample.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean LSPT total performance time | Day 1 | Mean of all available LSPT trial total performance times, expressed in seconds. For each trial, total performance time was calculated as movement time plus penalty time minus bonus time. Lower values indicate better performance. |
| Number of participants in each relative-age quarter | Baseline | Count of participants classified as Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September) or Q4 (October-December), based on the date of birth recorded in the programme roster. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LSPT Trial 1 total performance time | Day 1 | Trial 1 movement time plus penalty time minus bonus time, expressed in seconds. |
| Best LSPT total performance time | Day 1 | Lowest total performance time recorded across the participant's available LSPT trials, expressed in seconds. Two trials were scheduled five minutes apart. |
| Number of participants in each relative-age semester | Baseline | Count of participants classified as H1 (January-June) or H2 (July-December), based on the date of birth recorded in the programme roster. |
| Difference between Trial 2 and Trial 1 total performance time | Day 1 | Trial 2 total performance time minus Trial 1 total performance time, expressed in seconds, among participants who completed both trials. The two trials were scheduled five minutes apart. |
Countries
Colombia
Outcome results
None listed