Relative Age Effect on Some Motorical Properties of Young Football Players

Abstract

The U14, U15 and U16 infrastructure, which competes in the development leagues of a professional football team, was carried out with a total of 60 volunteer footballers with the participation of team players. 21 athletes from the U14, 19 from the U15 and 20 from the U16 age category participated in the study. In the study, height, body weight, vertical jump, 10m and 30m sprint and agility measurements of volunteer participants were made. Football players who born in the first half of the year and the second half of the year were compared, there was no significant difference between parameters. In the study, it was determined that the athletes born in the first months of the year show early physical development and have advantages in some performance parameters. Coaches should form the team by considering their biological maturation during the selection of their athletes for the team. The disadvantages of the relative age effect among athletes should be groups based on the birth months of the athletes and should try to prepare appropriate training programs for the groups.