The Relative Age Effect Across an International Soccer Programme in Male and Female Players Aged 12 Years Old to Seniors

The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of the Relative Age Effect (RAE) across an international soccer programme in male and female players aged 12 years old to seniors. One hundred forty-five male (age: 18.8 ± 4.6 years; body mass: 68.1 ± 10.2 kg; body height: 177.3 ± 10.5 cm) and 218 female (age: 15.9 ± 4.6 years; body mass: 66.2 ± 10.5 kg; body height: 170.6 ± 8.3 cm) players from a National Association were assessed. All participants were divided into four quartiles: January to March (BQ1), April to June (BQ2), July to September (BQ3), and October to December (BQ4). The results showed that the distributions for all male squads were significantly skewed, with more players than expected from BQ1 in the U-21, U-19, and U-17 and less players than expected from BQ4 in the U-19 squad. The distributions for all female squads showed significantly more players than expected from BQ1 in the U-16 and less players than expected from BQ4 in the U-14 squad. The distributions across the different positions for the male squads combined were significantly skewed with more forward players than expected from BQ1 and less forward and midfielder players than expected from BQ4. For the female squads, there were significantly more BQ1 defenders from the U-16 squad than expected. In conclusion, this study unveils significant disparities in quartile distributions among male and female squads. Moreover, the data emphasize the potential impact of heightened physical demands in certain positions on the RAE.