ArticleFrontiers in sports and active living2025
The relative age effect and the relationship between biological maturity and athletic performance in Austrian elite youth soccer players.
Article in Frontiers in sports and active living, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Do Biological Maturity and Motor Performance Influence Perceived Player Quality? Evidence from U-15 Soccer Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Skeletal Age Evaluation with BAUSportJournal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Beyond chronological age: maturity offset is positively associated with performance in throwing-related tests in youth track and field throwing athletes.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Growth Prediction in Orthodontics: ASystematic Review of Past Methods up to Artificial Intelligence.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Purpose: Publications from recent years suggest that the biological developmental stage of underage athletes has a significant impact on their athletic performance. This scientific study is the first quantitative attempt in Austria to investigate the impact of the relative age effect and biological maturity on the physical performance of young elite soccer players. Methods: Birth data from a total of 98 male players in the U13 to U18 age groups of a first-division Austrian soccer club were collected. By measuring height, sitting height and body mass, the individual biological age was calculated using the Mirwald equation. The athletes underwent a standardized battery of tests, which included assessments of speed, strength and endurance. Results: The results indicate a significant effect of the relative age effect on player selection in the U14 and U15 teams ( Conclusion: Biological maturity and the associated anthropometric adaptations are decisive for athletic performance. The study supports the notion that biologically more mature players achieve better athletic performance than less mature players, especially before the onset of puberty.
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