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Hernández-Simal L, Calleja-González J, Calvo AL, Aurrekoetxea-Casaus M. Birthplace Effect in Soccer: A Systematic Review. J Hum Kinet 2024; 94:227-242. [PMID: 39563766 PMCID: PMC11571467 DOI: 10.5114/jhk/186935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 11/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Birthplace is a contextual variable that influences the talent development process of soccer players. The main objective of this systematic review was to compile the scientific literature on the effect of birthplace in soccer. This is the first systematic review to investigate how this contextual factor relates to talent development in soccer. Using the PRISMA methodology, the analysis of the 14 articles that were part of the final review concluded with three main discursive themes: the place of birth and population size, composition of the birthplace and socio-demographic characteristics of the population, and the place of birth and the location of high performance sport centres. This review shows that there are several underlying elements for understanding the effect of the place of birth on the development of talent in soccer. The combination of population density and the level of facilities in the place where the player was born are key in the development of a soccer player. It is not only about the place as a space, but also about what that space means for the development of the player's soccer skills. The findings not only highlight the characteristics of the areas, in terms of density and equipment supply, identified as talent hotspots, but also provide an opportunity to critically reflect on current practices of talent identification and development in soccer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julio Calleja-González
- Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria, Spain
- Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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Hernández-Simal L, Calleja-González J, Larruskain J, Lorenzo Calvo A, Aurrekoetxea-Casaus M. Place Matters: A Study on the Influence of Birthplace and the Place of Development on Soccer Academy Players' Careers. Sports (Basel) 2024; 12:99. [PMID: 38668567 PMCID: PMC11054205 DOI: 10.3390/sports12040099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The effect of birthplace (the place where a player is born and grows up) is one of the key variables associated with soccer player development and achievement. However, recent studies have questioned the influence of contextual variables on selection and promotion processes related to birthplace. The main purposes of this study were: (1) establish whether there is a difference between the birthplace and sporting growth according to the stages of entry into the academy, (2) to evaluate the influence of geographical and contextual variables on sporting development, and (3) assess the chances of making a professional team debut. Applied logistic regression was used in order to analyse the birthplace and growth of 1411 male soccer players, of which 40.1% are incorporated in the U-12 category from a Spanish First division club, and the results showed a statistically significant association between a change from one's birthplace to the place of sporting growth and later success (79%). Key contextual variables such as number of inhabitants, population density, proximity to sports facilities, average household income and presence of sports clubs have been considered. The analysis of the contextual variables revealed that there was a positive relationship between certain variables, like a higher population, and being selected for the academy (p < 0.01; r = 0.28). Finally, the findings showed that players who experienced a geographical transition were 38% more likely to make a professional debut. The importance of considering the place of sporting growth when analysing the "birthplace effect" has therefore been demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julio Calleja-González
- Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 01007 Vitoria, Spain;
- Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Alberto Lorenzo Calvo
- Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences-INEF, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
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3
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Anderson DNJ, Gottwald VM, Lawrence GP. Capturing the holistic profile of high performance Olympic weightlifting development. Front Sports Act Living 2022; 4:986134. [PMID: 36249321 PMCID: PMC9561401 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.986134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent expertise development studies have used retrospective recall methods to explore developmental biographies and/or practice histories of current or past athletes. This methodological approach limits the generalizability and trustworthiness of findings. As such, a gap exists for research exploring key multidisciplinary features in athlete development using prospective longitudinal research designs. The present research aimed to holistically model the development of talent in Olympic Weightlifting using such a design. We observed the holistic profiles of 29 junior weightlifting athletes longitudinally over a 10-month period, and subsequently classified six of the 23 athletes as high performing based on their performances in competitions up to 12 months following the study. This holistic profile was based on a framework of expertise development themes: (1) demographics and family sport participation, (2) anthropometrics and physiological factors, (3) psychosocial profiling, (4) sport participation history, and (5) weightlifting specific practice activities. A summary model was produced which selected a critical set of nine features that classified group membership with 91% average accuracy. Odds ratio calculations uncovered discriminating features in the holistic profiles of performance groups, from which empirically derived logical statements could inform the description of high-performance attainment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victoria Mary Gottwald
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Peter Lawrence
- Talent Pathway iD Limited, Gaerwen, United Kingdom
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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4
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Does Relative Age Influence Organized Sport and Unorganized Physical Activity Participation in a Cohort of Adolescents? Sports (Basel) 2022; 10:sports10070097. [PMID: 35878108 PMCID: PMC9320348 DOI: 10.3390/sports10070097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite their prevalence, the longitudinal impacts of relative age effects (RAEs) on sport and other forms of physical activity (PA) are understudied. This study examined longitudinal participation patterns in organized sport (team and individual), unorganized PA, and non-participation with respect to RAEs in a prospective cohort of adolescents. Data from the first 24 cycles of the MATCH study were used for analyses. Elementary students (n = 929) were recruited from 17 schools in Atlantic Canada. Respondents self-reported PA three times/year. Mixed multilevel logistic models compared the likelihood of participating in each context across birth quarter. Chronological age and gender were considered, along with the interaction between chronological and relative age. Individuals born in Quarter 1/Quarter 2 were more likely to report participation in organized team sport but not individual sports. Relatively older participants born in Quarter 2 were more likely to report participation in unorganized PA. Increasing chronological age was associated with decreased participation in organized sport (particularly team-based) and increased non-participation. Gender was not associated with organized sport participation, but girls were under-represented in unorganized PA and more likely to report non-participation. The interaction parameters suggested that RAEs were consistent throughout adolescence in each context. Longitudinal analyses suggest RAEs are context dependent.
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Maayan Z, Lidor R, Arnon M. The Birthplace Effect in 14–18-Year-Old Athletes Participating in Competitive Individual and Team Sports. Sports (Basel) 2022; 10:sports10040059. [PMID: 35447869 PMCID: PMC9031092 DOI: 10.3390/sports10040059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The birthplace (the place where an athlete was born) effect (BPE) has been found to be one of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport. The purpose of the current study is twofold: (1) to calculate the BPE in 14–18-year-old athletes who participated in individual and team sports and (2) examine how coaches perceived this effect. The participants were 1397 athletes (390 females and 1007 males) who competed in 5 individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and 5 team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports, as well as 147 coaches who provided their preliminary thoughts about the BPE. Data analyses revealed that although the BPE was not found to be associated with cities of a similar size, it was observed that growing up in cities of small and medium sizes was more beneficial than growing up in towns or cities of other sizes. Most of the coaches believed that certain characteristics of the place or city where the athlete grew up (e.g., proximity to sport facilities) could contribute positively to the athlete’s development. We discuss how the BPE data can aid policymakers in developing a sport policy associated with early phases of talent development.
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Loffing F, Schorer J. Handedness and Relative Age in International Elite Interactive Individual Sports Revisited. Front Sports Act Living 2021; 3:662203. [PMID: 33870189 PMCID: PMC8044324 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2021.662203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Relative age effects (RAE) describe the unintended side effect of annual age grouping such that athletes born close to a specific cutoff date are more likely to be associated with attaining higher performance status than athletes born later. One factor suggested to override the RAE is handedness. Given the left-handers' rarity and their proposed performance advantage in interactive sports, left-handedness may be associated with a lower likelihood of suffering from selection inequalities like RAE in those sports compared with right-handedness. Here, in a two-study approach, we tested that hypothesis by examining male and female athletes from various interactive individual sports sampled over a 10-year period from 2007 to 2016. Study 1 investigated distributions of birth and handedness of senior athletes listed in the top 200 of year-end world rankings in table tennis, tennis, squash, and fencing (épée, foil, and saber). Study 2 followed a similar design but focused on junior athletes in the fencing disciplines and tennis. Unlike the above prediction, in both studies, birth distribution was not found to be reliably associated with handedness in any of the sports or disciplines considered. Left-handers were consistently overrepresented in épée, foil, and table tennis, occasionally in saber and tennis, and not at all in squash. Birth frequencies decreased from quartile Q1 (January to March) to Q4 in almost any sporting domain at the junior level, whereas such trend was rarely found at the senior level. In conclusion, while providing novel insight on the role handedness may play at the junior level, our findings do not support the hypothesis that left-handedness helps override birth-related inequalities in high sporting achievement in elite interactive individual sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Loffing
- Research Group "Sport and Movement Science", Institute of Sport Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Schorer
- Research Group "Sport and Movement Science", Institute of Sport Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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7
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Lidor R, Maayan Z, Arnon M. Relative Age Effect in 14- to 18-Year-Old Athletes and Their Initial Approach to This Effect-Has Anything Changed Over the Past 10 Years? Front Sports Act Living 2021; 3:622120. [PMID: 33834164 PMCID: PMC8021908 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2021.622120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport is the relative age effect (RAE). The purpose of our study was threefold: (a) to calculate the RAE in young Israeli athletes (ages 14–18 years); (b) to examine how the athletes perceived this effect, if the effect indeed exists; and (c) to compare the RAE findings of this study with those of two previous studies on elite male (Lidor et al., 2010) and female (Lidor et al., 2014) Israeli ballplayers. Participants in the current study were 1,397 athletes (390 females and 1,007 males) who competed in five individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and five team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports. Data on the RAE, as well as on a number of aspects associated with this effect as perceived by the athletes, were collected via two closed questions. Data analyses showed that the RAE was found to be significant among the male athletes in four sports—swimming, basketball, soccer, and team handball; those who were born early in the year had a higher representation in these sport programs. However, this effect was not found to be significant in the female athletes. Most of the female and male athletes did not think that their birth date influenced their athletic success. However, a large portion of those who were born in the first quarter of the year (Q1) and the second quarter of the year (Q2) among the male athletes felt that they exhibited stronger abilities in the sports program compared to their peers who were born in the third and fourth quarters of the year (Q3 and Q4, respectively). The data of the current study provide additional support for the use of an “open door” approach to accepting children to sport programs by policymakers and coaches in Israel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Lidor
- The Academic College at Wingate, Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
| | - Zohar Maayan
- The Academic College at Wingate, Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
| | - Michal Arnon
- The Academic College at Wingate, Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
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8
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Leite N, Arede J, Shang X, Calleja-González J, Lorenzo A. The Influence of Contextual Aspects in Talent Development: Interaction Between Relative Age and Birthplace Effects in NBA-Drafted Players. Front Sports Act Living 2021; 3:642707. [PMID: 33829155 PMCID: PMC8019932 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2021.642707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aims of this study were two-fold: (1) to inspect separately for the relative age and birthplace effects for players selected in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft; (2) to explore the interaction among these factors and analyse this interaction in players' career performance. The database was obtained from the official records of the players (n = 1,738), who were selected during the annual editions of the NBA Draft from 1990 to 2019. The participants' date of birth was analyzed according to the month of birth and divided into four quartiles. The place of birth was compared to the distribution of the general population' places of birth based on different communities' sizes. Chi-square analysis were used to determine if the relative age and birthplace of the players drafted differed in any systematic way from official census population distributions. Cluster analysis and standardized residuals were calculated to analyse the interaction among the contextual factors and the players' career performance. The data revealed that early-born players (Q1 and Q2) were over-represented. Moreover, players born in smaller cities (<100,000) were over-represented. The interaction analysis revealed that the players born in the bigger communities relate mainly with relatively younger players, and clusters that correspond to players born in smaller communities integrated the relatively older players. No differences were found in the players' career performance. Researchers, coaches and practitioners should be aware of the interaction between contextual factors to help nurture the development of sport talent regardless of age-related issues or communities' size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Leite
- Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Vila Real, Portugal.,Department of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Jorge Arede
- Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Ximing Shang
- Department of Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Julio Calleja-González
- Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Alberto Lorenzo
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Ribeiro Junior DB, Werneck FZ, Oliveira HZ, Panza PS, Ibáñez SJ, Vianna JM. From Talent Identification to Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB): Multifactorial Analysis of the Career Progression in Youth Brazilian Elite Basketball. Front Psychol 2021; 12:617563. [PMID: 33796044 PMCID: PMC8007766 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.617563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined individual, task, and environmental constraints that influence the career progression of youth Brazilian elite basketball players and the probability of reaching Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) and to determine if the association of the relative age effect (RAE) is a key factor in the career progression. The sample consisted of 4,692 male players who were registered to participate in at least one U15, U17, or U22 youth Brazilian basketball championship between 2004 and 2018. Athletes who reached a high-performance level were coded like NBB players (9.6%). The birthdates, height, body mass, playing position, geographic region, club, competition category, and team performance were retrieved from the official data archive of the Brazilian Basketball Confederation and the National Basketball League. The maturity status was estimated using the predicted age at peak height velocity. A binary logistic regression examined the influence of each characteristic on the probability of a youth Brazilian basketball player to reach the NBB. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the associated area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the discriminant ability of the model. The taller and younger players not selected early into national teams, without specialization by playing position, who participated in U22 national championship, migrated to the southeast region, and remained in the formation process over time have a greater chance to reach the NBB. The ROC curve demonstrated an AUC of 93%. A combination of individual, task, and environmental characteristics influences the sport career of a young Brazilian basketball player in reaching the NBB. Further, early-maturing athletes have a greater chance to reach higher performances. RAE influences lower-level categories, but not a “NBB player's” career progression. The coaches, stakeholders, and practitioners should perform a holistic evaluation of sport talent in terms of a constraint-based theoretical model with the aim of avoiding bias produced by the maturational status and RAE in the youth Brazilian elite basketball.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilson B Ribeiro Junior
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | | | | | - Patrícia S Panza
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Sergio J Ibáñez
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Jeferson M Vianna
- Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
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10
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van Nieuwstadt MHH, Das M, Elferink-Gemser MT. Mechanisms explaining the birthplace effect for male elite football players. J Sports Sci 2020; 39:576-582. [PMID: 33086982 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1835237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Earlier research shows that wide regional variations exist in the success of athletes' talent development but is divided with respect to the role of urbanity: both low and high urbanity have been identified as settings that contribute to the presence of talent hotspots. In this article, we intend to provide more insight into the role of urbanity in talent development in Dutch football. We used public data on the regional background of male elite players (N = 825) and combined this with public data on municipal characteristics from Statistics Netherlands and other sources: urbanity, football participation, instructional resources and population composition effects (migration background and income of inhabitants). Linear regression analysis showed that football participation, the proportion of non-western migrants and median income predict "talent yield", i.e., the proportion of young people that reach an elite level in a municipality. Urbanity does not have an independent influence when the proportion of non-western migrants in the municipality is taken into account. The presence of instructional resources does not have an independent influence. The results suggest that characteristics of the built environment, such as indoor and outdoor play opportunities, may be less influential in talent development than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel H H van Nieuwstadt
- Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marjolijn Das
- Department of Socioeconomic and Spatial Statistics, Statistics Netherlands, The Hague, The Netherlands.,Centre for BOLD Cities, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marije T Elferink-Gemser
- Department for Human Movement Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Smith KL, Weir PL. Female Youth Soccer Participation and Continued Engagement: Associations With Community Size, Community Density, and Relative Age. Front Sports Act Living 2020; 2:552597. [PMID: 33345116 PMCID: PMC7739791 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2020.552597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental context can impact youth engagement in sport and athlete development. Previous work has examined the population size of the birthplace of elite athletes; commonly known as the birthplace or community size effect. Community density has also been recognized as an important variable. Exact estimates for the ideal community characteristics and a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms has been somewhat elusive. Existing studies are cross-sectional in nature and there is evidence to suggest that significant variation exists within imposed categories. An athlete's birthdate position in a similar-age cohort can also impact development and has been associated with (dis)advantages resulting from subtle age differences (i.e., the relative age effect); it remains unknown if this variable is associated with population density. The objective of this study was to establish longitudinal participation trends among female youth soccer players in Ontario Canada, with consideration of community size, community density, and relative age. Within-category variation and associations between the variables were assessed. Registration entries at age 10 years (n = 9,826) and 16 years (n = 2,305) were isolated for analysis. Odds ratio analyses were conducted within each community size and density category for all 10 year old registrants; 95% confidence intervals were obtained. This procedure was repeated for all registrants at 16 years of age using the expected distribution at age 10 years to examine continued engagement. Findings suggest medium-sized communities (i.e., 10,000-249,999 inhabitants) provide the best odds of participation and continued engagement. Less densely populated communities (i.e., 50-<400 population/km2) appeared to be ideal for facilitating participation at age 10 years, but not for engagement at age 16 years. However, within-category variation was evident when each community was inspected individually. Consistent with previous attempts to find an association between community size and the relative age effect, there did not appear to be an association between community density and birth quartile distribution. Observations from this study show that community size and community density are truly unique and separate variables. Future studies should consider the underlying contributions to both low and high participation and continued engagement, while being mindful of within-category variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy L. Smith
- Motor Behaviour and Lifespan Development, Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
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12
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Sustainable Sport Development: The Influence of Competitive-Grouping and Relative Age on the Performance of Young Triathletes. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12176792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Competitive-grouping by chronological age is a common organizational strategy in competition which may unintentionally promote relative age effects, for the benefit of older individuals within the same competitive-group, especially in young athletes. This work presents the aim of analyzing differences in young triathletes on their performance within each competitive group. A total of 1243 entries of both sexes, both children—13–14 years old—and cadets—15–17 years old—participated. Firstly, we identified the year in the competitive group and relative-age semester for all the triathletes who competed in a total of six seasons from 2013 to 2018. Secondly, the performance indicator was calculated in all the segments in a triathlon competition for all triathletes. The Kruskal-Wallis Test and U Mann Whitney Test was applied. It was observed that all cadet triathletes born in the first semester of the year (S1, born in January–June) were faster; for both boys and girls. Likewise, it was observed that older triathletes who competed within the same category were faster, but only in males and for both competitive groups: children (p < 0.0083), and cadet (p < 0.0033). In conclusion, families, coaches and sports political agencies need a greater knowledge and understanding of the effects of relative age and competitive grouping to understand the important role of age in the development of sports talent demonstrated in this study.
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13
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Bonal J, Jiménez SL, Lorenzo A. The Talent Development Pathway for Elite Basketball Players in China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E5110. [PMID: 32679841 PMCID: PMC7400287 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17145110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A large portion of previous sport talent development research has been conducted using Western countries study subjects such as Canadian, Swedish, Spanish, British, or American athletes. However, the factors that affect oriental culture athletes remain an unexplored field. The aims of this investigation were to consolidate the exploration of the pilot study that studied the key factors for Chinese elite basketball players' careers and understand what facts have helped them to achieve the highest sportive level through qualitative research. The pathway to excellence of 11 Chinese elite basketball players were analyzed through a semi-structured interview with different categories such as social context, sport context, tactical factors, or anthropometric factors. Results showed that cultural factors, family tradition, academic studies, coaches, mental strength, training structuration, and international competitions had a great effect and influence in the talent development of Chinese basketball players.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Bonal
- Sport Department, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Lorenzo Jiménez
- Sport Department, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Lorenzo
- Sport Department, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
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14
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Cupeiro R, Rojo-Tirado MA, Cadenas-Sanchez C, Artero EG, Peinado AB, Labayen I, Dorado C, Arias-Palencia NM, Moliner-Urdiales D, Vidal-Conti J, Conde-Caveda J, Mora-Gonzalez J, Vicente-Rodríguez G, Benito PJ. The relative age effect on physical fitness in preschool children. J Sports Sci 2020; 38:1506-1515. [PMID: 32308131 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1746559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the existence of a relative age effect (RAE) on physical fitness of preschoolers. Anthropometry and physical fitness were assessed in 3147 children (3-5 years old) using the PREFIT battery. Based on the birth year, participants were divided into 3year groups (3-, 4- and 5-years). Within each year group, 4quarter groups were created: quarter 1, preschoolers born from January to March; quarter 2, from April to June; quarter 3, from July to September; quarter 4, from October to December. The MANCOVA analysis revealed a main effect of year group (Wilks' λ = 0.383; F10,5996 = 369.64; p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.381) and of quarter (Wilks' λ = 0.874; F15,8276.6 = 27.67; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.044) over the whole battery of tests. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the existence of RAE at the preschool stage. In general, performance improved as the relative age increased (i.e., those born in quarter 1 performed better than those in the other quarters). Individualization strategies should be addressed within the same academic year not only in elementary or secondary years but also in preschoolers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Cupeiro
- LFE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel A Rojo-Tirado
- LFE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez
- PROFITH "Promoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity" Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (Imuds), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.,Institute for Innovation & Sustainable Development in Food Chain (IS-FOOD), Public University of Navarra , Pamplona, Spain
| | - Enrique G Artero
- Department of Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Almería , Almería, Spain.,SPORT Research Group (CTS-1024), CERNEP Research Center, University of Almería , Almería, Spain
| | - Ana B Peinado
- LFE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
| | - Idoia Labayen
- Institute for Innovation & Sustainable Development in Food Chain (IS-FOOD), Public University of Navarra , Pamplona, Spain
| | - Cecilia Dorado
- Department of Physical Education, University of Las Palmas De Gran Canaria , Canary Islands, Spain.,Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS) , University of Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Canary Island, Spain
| | - Natalia M Arias-Palencia
- Health and Social Research Center, Universidad De Castilla- La Mancha , Cuenca, Spain.,School of Education, Universidad De Castilla- La Mancha , Cuenca, Spain
| | - Diego Moliner-Urdiales
- LIFE Research Group, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University Jaume I , Castellón, Spain
| | - Josep Vidal-Conti
- Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Research Group, Universitat De Les Illes Balears , Palma, Spain
| | - Julio Conde-Caveda
- Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Cádiz , Puerto Real, Spain.,Biomedical Research and Innovation Institute of Cádiz (Inibica), Research Unit , Cádiz, Spain
| | - Jose Mora-Gonzalez
- PROFITH "Promoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity" Research Group, Sport and Health University Research Institute (Imuds), Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada , Granada, Spain.,College of Health and Human Services, University of North Carolina at Charlotte , Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Germán Vicente-Rodríguez
- GENUD (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development) Research Group, Instituto Agroalimentario De Aragón -IA2- (Cita-universidad De Zaragoza), Centro De Investigación Biomédica En Red De Fisiopatología De La Obesidad Y Nutrición (Ciberobn), Faculty of Health and Sport Science (FCSD, Huesca, Spain), Department of Physiatry and Nursing, University of Zaragoza , Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pedro J Benito
- LFE Research Group, Department of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , Madrid, Spain
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15
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Baker J, Schorer J, Lemez S, Wattie N. Understanding High Achievement: The Case for Eminence. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1927. [PMID: 31507489 PMCID: PMC6719566 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the field of sport expertise over the past 20 years has been remarkable, and our understanding of the varying factors affecting athlete development and motor skill acquisition has expanded considerably. Recently, there has been a push toward more sophisticated research designs to continue the advancement of our understanding of sport expertise. Even in a population of performers at the highest levels of performance and competition (e.g., participants in professional sports or those who compete at Olympic Games), there are those with obvious superiority compared to others in the cohort, such as those who win “most valuable player” awards or who are elected to the Hall of Fame. This paper builds a case that athletes who reach this level of achievement possess a more advanced level of skill than those at the elite or expert stage and we refer to this stage of development as “eminence.” This paper explores the notion of eminence and provides converging forms of evidence for the division between expertise and eminence. Moreover, it explores the implications of this division for the further examination of skill acquisition across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Baker
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jörg Schorer
- Institute for Sport Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Srdjan Lemez
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Pomona, CA, United States
| | - Nick Wattie
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada
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16
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Lobinger BH, Stoll O. Leistung beschreiben, erklären, vorhersagen und optimieren. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR SPORTPSYCHOLOGIE 2019. [DOI: 10.1026/1612-5010/a000260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird anlässlich des 50-jährigen Bestehens der asp der Beitrag der Sportpsychologie zum Verständnis von Leistung anhand von vier Leitfragen resümiert, die den Grundanliegen der Psychologie als Wissenschaftsdisziplin folgen: Wie zeigt sich Leistung im Sport und wie lässt sie sich aus psychologischer Perspektive beschreiben? Wie lässt sich das Zustandekommen von Leistung erklären? Was können wir über das Entstehen von Leistung vorhersagen? Wie können wir Leistung optimieren? Im Spannungsfeld von Sport und Leistung steht die menschliche Höchstleistung. Damit einher gehen die Betrachtung der Expertise der Sportlerinnen und Sportler und der Erwerb von Expertise im Sport. Die Talentförderung im Leistungssport wird folglich als inhaltlicher Schwerpunkt gewählt. Sie erlaubt es, die Verbindung zwischen Phänomenen des Leistungssports, Erkenntnisinteresse der Wissenschaft, Erklärungsansätzen, Forschungsergebnissen und Praxistransfer herzustellen. Der Praxistransfer wird anhand eines Überblicks über die praxisbezogenen Beiträge der Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie und ihrer Vorgänger_innen beleuchtet. Fazit und Ausblick fassen die Ausführungen zusammen und erörtern zukünftige Aufgaben.
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17
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Farah L, Schorer J, Baker J, Wattie N. Heterogeneity in Community Size Effects: Exploring Variations in the Production of National Hockey League Draftees Between Canadian Cities. Front Psychol 2019; 9:2746. [PMID: 30692954 PMCID: PMC6340070 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has explored ‘community size effects’ in a multitude of sporting and regional contexts and has shown that athletes are more likely to originate from small-medium population size categories, and less likely to originate from very small or large ones. However, it is not clear whether the production of athletes is homogenous within population size categories. Place of birth data were collected for all Canadian born hockey players drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2000–2014 from British Columbia (N = 192), Alberta (N = 218), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (N = 216), Ontario (N = 561), Quebec (N = 241), and the Atlantic Provinces (N = 74). To explore variations in the production of draftees within population size categories, proportions of productive cities, population mean (μ), population standard deviation (σ), as well as minimum/maximum values of the number of draftees were calculated for the different categories (<2,500; 2,500–4,999; 5,000–9,999; 10,000–29,999; 30,000–99,999; 100,000–249,999; 250,000–499,999; 500,000–999,999; >1,000,000). In addition, the number of draftees produced per 1,000 residents (i.e., yield) was calculated for each city within all categories. Results showed substantial intra-categorical variability in NHL talent development; moreover, heterogeneity in draftee production existed in various degrees across provincial regions of Canada. Intra-categorical variability suggests that a single homogenous community size effect may not exist for Canadian NHL draftees, and that future research may benefit from exploring other environmental constraints on athlete development such as income, population density, and proximity to local sport clubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou Farah
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jörg Schorer
- Institute of Sport Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Joseph Baker
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nick Wattie
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada
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18
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Farah L, Schorer J, Baker J, Wattie N. Population density and proximity to junior developmental teams affect the development of National Hockey League draftees. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2018; 28:2427-2435. [PMID: 29938850 DOI: 10.1111/sms.13247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Inconsistencies in community size effects found between and within countries (Baker et al Eur J Sport Sci. 2009;9:329-339; Bruner et al J Sports Sci. 2011;29:1337-1344; Wattie et al J Sports Sci. 2018;36:436-444) suggest population size may not be an accurate predictor of athlete development and that other proxies of early environmental characteristics are needed. Researchers have begun to explore the influence of population density and proximity to local sport clubs on athlete development in European countries; however, similar analysis remains to be conducted in Canadian ice hockey. The current study focused on National Hockey League (NHL) draftees and explored whether population density and proximity to Canadian Hockey League teams were associated with the number of draftees produced. Linear regression analyses showed a significant positive relationship between population density and the development of draftees in all provincial regions; however, a significant negative relationship between proximity to CHL teams and NHL draftee development was observed in four out of six provincial regions (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces). Moreover, population density appeared to be a better predictor of NHL talent development than proximity to CHL teams. Future research may benefit from exploring the effects of these two variables within population size categories, as well as between different regions within provinces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lou Farah
- School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jörg Schorer
- Institute of Sport Science, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Joseph Baker
- School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nick Wattie
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON, Canada
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19
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Lagestad P, Steen I, Dalen T. Inevitable Relative Age Effects in Different Stages of the Selection Process among Male and Female Youth Soccer Players. Sports (Basel) 2018; 6:sports6020029. [PMID: 29910333 PMCID: PMC6026793 DOI: 10.3390/sports6020029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative age effect (RAE) in the selection of young soccer players is a well-known phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to examine the relative age effect existing despite strategies that have been implemented to avoid its presence in the selection process. We also aimed to investigate the RAE during the three different selection stages for B13, B14 (boys), and G13, G14 (girls), and gender differences in the RAE. This was achieved by collecting data from everyone who played soccer in Troendelag, and data that would illuminate the RAE during the three stages of selection for the regional teams of the 2015/2016 season. Mann–Whitney U-tests and Chi-square tests were used as statistical methods. The main finding of this study is that, despite the intention to reduce RAE in the selection process according to the criterion that at least 40% of the players should be born in the second half of the year, both the early-born boys and girls are more likely to be selected. The results also show that the RAE occurs gradually, and the longer the players are in the selection process the more prominent it is. This study highlights the importance of being aware of the RAE when selecting young players.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pål Lagestad
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Nord University, 7600 Levanger, Norway.
| | - Ingebrigt Steen
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Nord University, 7600 Levanger, Norway.
| | - Terje Dalen
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Nord University, 7600 Levanger, Norway.
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20
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Rossing NN, Stentoft D, Flattum A, Côté J, Karbing DS. Influence of population size, density, and proximity to talent clubs on the likelihood of becoming elite youth athlete. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2017; 28:1304-1313. [PMID: 29117452 DOI: 10.1111/sms.13009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have found significant differences in the likelihood of becoming an elite athlete depending on community population sizes and densities, an effect known as the place of early development, or birthplace effect. However, the results have not been consistent between sports or European countries. As both professional and voluntary clubs are vital to the talent development systems in Europe, the proximity of an athlete's place of early development to the location of talent clubs may be an important predictor of the likelihood of becoming an elite athlete. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate the place of early development effect and the effect of proximity to talent clubs. The samples included elite youth league athletes (579 football and 311 handball) and national youth athletes (85 football and 80 handball) and a comparison group of 147 221 football and 26 290 handball youth athletes. Odds ratios showed variations in the optimal community size and density across sports. Geospatial analyses of proximity to talent clubs highlighted a trend indicating that most national and elite youth league athletes in both sports had their place of early development in their sport near a talent club. The results suggest that proximity is an important predictor in the development of expertise across sports, but future studies need to clarify if proximity is important in other countries and sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- N N Rossing
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - D Stentoft
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - A Flattum
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - J Côté
- School of Kinesiology and Health studies, Queens University, Kingston, Canada
| | - D S Karbing
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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21
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Wattie N, Schorer J, Baker J. Seeing the forest but not the trees: Heterogeneity in community size effects in Canadian ice hockey players. J Sports Sci 2017; 36:436-444. [PMID: 28421914 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1313444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The community size effect (or birthplace effect) suggests that high-performance athletes are less likely to emerge from regions with population sizes that are very small or very large. However, previous research on elite Canadian ice hockey players has not considered the influence of intra-national regional variation of population distributions with respect to community size effects. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to test the heterogeneity of the community size effect between Canadian National Hockey League draftees (2000-2014: n = 1505), from 7 provincial regions within Canada (i.e., British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces). The proportion of athletes in the 9 census population categories were compared to the national and regional general population distributions in the census categories. Results suggest variability of community size effects between the 7 provincial regions within Canada, with only the province of Ontario demonstrating a community size effect congruent with effects reported in previous research. Using regional general population distributions as the comparator to athlete populations changed the direction, meaningfulness and magnitude of community size effects. In conclusion, elite ice hockey player community size effects may not be generalisable to all regions within Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Wattie
- a Faculty of Health Sciences , University of Ontario Institute of Technology , Oshawa , Canada
| | - J Schorer
- b Institute of Sport Science , University of Oldenburg , Oldenburg , Germany
| | - J Baker
- c School of Kinesiology and Health Science , York University , Toronto , Canada
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22
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Hancock DJ, Coutinho P, Côté J, Mesquita I. Influences of population size and density on birthplace effects. J Sports Sci 2017; 36:33-38. [PMID: 28078945 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1276614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Contextual influences on talent development (e.g., birthplace effects) have become a topic of interest for sport scientists. Birthplace effects occur when being born in a certain city size leads to participation or performance advantages, typically for those born in smaller or mid-sized cities. The purpose of this study was to investigate birthplace effects in Portuguese volleyball players by analysing city size, as well as population density - an important but infrequently used variable. Participants included 4062 volleyball players (Mage = 33), 53.2% of whom were men. Using Portuguese national census data from 1981, we compared participants (within each sex) across five population categories. In addition, we used ANOVAs to study expertise and population density. Results indicated that men and women athletes born in districts of 200,000-399,999 were 2.4 times more likely to attain elite volleyball status, while all other districts decreased the odds of expert development. For men, being born in high-density areas resulted in less chance of achieving expertise, whereas there were no differences for women. The results suggest that athletes' infrastructure and social structure play an important role in talent development, and that these structures are influenced by total population and population density, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Hancock
- a Division of Allied Health Sciences , Indiana University Kokomo , Kokomo , IN , USA
| | - Patrícia Coutinho
- b Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport , University of Porto , Porto , Portugal
| | - Jean Côté
- c School of Kinesiology and Health Studies , Queen's University , Kingston , ON , Canada
| | - Isabel Mesquita
- b Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport , University of Porto , Porto , Portugal
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23
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Dalen T, Ingvaldsen RP, Roaas TV, Pedersen AV, Steen I, Aune TK. The impact of physical growth and relative age effect on assessment in physical education. Eur J Sport Sci 2016; 17:482-487. [PMID: 28038501 DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2016.1268651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Physical education (PE) is perhaps the school subject most likely to produce relative age effects (RAE). Like in sports, physical maturity gives students an advantage in PE, which might well be mistaken for superior ability. The aim of the present study is to investigate the extent to which physical growth, measured as height, and RAE reflect the assessment in Norwegian PE. Furthermore, we wanted to examine whether there is any gender differences in the assessment in PE as a function of physical growth and RAE. The participants (n = 2978) were pupils in the last three years of secondary school (13-16 years old). A custom-made questionnaire was designed to collect the necessary data. The correlations between height and mark in PE for boys in 8th, 9th, and 10th grades are respectively r = 0.14, r = 0.32, and r = 0.29. For girls, the correlations are r = 0.11, r = 0.33, and r = 0.21. All correlations are significant (p < .05). The number of pupils achieving top marks was 114 in the first half of the year, whereas it was 65 in the second half of the year. The present study showed that physical growth has an impact on the pupils' PE attainment. The physical growth is of course also mediated by the pupils' age. RAEs were found in PE attainments also in the Norwegian school system for both genders, despite all the intentions expressed in the PE curriculum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terje Dalen
- a Department of Sport Sciences , Nord University , Levanger , Norway
| | | | | | - Arve Vorland Pedersen
- b Department of Health Science , Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway
| | - Ingebrigt Steen
- a Department of Sport Sciences , Nord University , Levanger , Norway
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24
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Finnegan L, Richardson D, Littlewood M, McArdle J. The influence of date and place of birth on youth player selection to a National Football Association elite development programme. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1254807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Finnegan
- Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland
| | - David Richardson
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Martin Littlewood
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jean McArdle
- Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, Ireland
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25
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Rees T, Hardy L, Güllich A, Abernethy B, Côté J, Woodman T, Montgomery H, Laing S, Warr C. The Great British Medalists Project: A Review of Current Knowledge on the Development of the World's Best Sporting Talent. Sports Med 2016; 46:1041-58. [PMID: 26842017 PMCID: PMC4963454 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-016-0476-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The literature base regarding the development of sporting talent is extensive, and includes empirical articles, reviews, position papers, academic books, governing body documents, popular books, unpublished theses and anecdotal evidence, and contains numerous models of talent development. With such a varied body of work, the task for researchers, practitioners and policy makers of generating a clear understanding of what is known and what is thought to be true regarding the development of sporting talent is particularly challenging. Drawing on a wide array of expertise, we address this challenge by avoiding adherence to any specific model or area and by providing a reasoned review across three key overarching topics: (a) the performer; (b) the environment; and (c) practice and training. Within each topic sub-section, we review and calibrate evidence by performance level of the samples. We then conclude each sub-section with a brief summary, a rating of the quality of evidence, a recommendation for practice and suggestions for future research. These serve to highlight both our current level of understanding and our level of confidence in providing practice recommendations, but also point to a need for future studies that could offer evidence regarding the complex interactions that almost certainly exist across domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Rees
- Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Faculty of Management, Bournemouth University, Dorset House, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK.
| | - Lew Hardy
- Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, George Building, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ, UK
| | - Arne Güllich
- Department of Sport Science, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin Schrödinger Street, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Bruce Abernethy
- School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jean Côté
- School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, SKHS Building 28 Division Street, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N, Canada
| | - Tim Woodman
- Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, George Building, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PZ, UK
| | - Hugh Montgomery
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University College London, Rockefeller Building, 20, University Street, London, WC1E 6DE, UK
| | - Stewart Laing
- UK Sport, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF, UK
| | - Chelsea Warr
- UK Sport, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF, UK
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26
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Werneck F, Coelho E, de Oliveira H, Ribeiro Júnior D, Almas S, de Lima J, Matta M, Figueiredo A. Relative age effect in Olympic basketball athletes. Sci Sports 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.scispo.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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27
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O'Connor D, Larkin P, Mark Williams A. Talent identification and selection in elite youth football: An Australian context. Eur J Sport Sci 2016; 16:837-44. [DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2016.1151945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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28
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Lemez S, MacMahon C, Weir P. Relative Age Effects in Women's Rugby Union From Developmental Leagues to World Cup Tournaments. RESEARCH QUARTERLY FOR EXERCISE AND SPORT 2016; 87:59-67. [PMID: 26731533 DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2015.1116120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Annual age cohort groupings promote relative age effects (RAEs), which often, inadvertently, create participation and attainment biases between relatively older and younger players within the same age cohort. In a globally evolving sport, women's rugby team selection practices may potentially bypass qualified players as a result of maturational differences. PURPOSE Our study examined the prevalence of RAEs in women's rugby union. METHOD Player data (age range = 4-21+ years) were gathered from the 2006 and 2010 Rugby World Cups (n = 498) and from Canadian (n = 1,497) and New Zealand (NZ; n = 13,899) developmental rugby leagues. RESULTS Although no evidence of an RAE was found in the World Cup samples, chi-square analyses identified some typical and atypical patterns of RAEs at the developmental levels (w ≥ .3). Younger developmental groups displayed a typical RAE patterning with a greater representation of older players (Canadian 13-year-olds, w = .58; NZ 4-year-olds, w = .35), whereas older developmental groups displayed an atypical RAE patterning with a greater representation of younger players (Canadian 19-year-olds, w = .58; NZ 17-year-olds, w = .32). Further, a traditional RAE emerged in the Canadian 11- to 15-year-old age group, χ2(3) = 10.92, p < .05, w = .30. CONCLUSION The lack of homogeneity of traditional RAEs across the sample questions the existence of a single, clear RAE in women's rugby. Some evidence of participation inequalities at the developmental levels suggests that further RAE research in more varied sociocultural contexts may be necessary.
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29
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Wattie N, Schorer J, Baker J. The relative age effect in sport: a developmental systems model. Sports Med 2015; 45:83-94. [PMID: 25169442 DOI: 10.1007/s40279-014-0248-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The policies that dictate the participation structure of many youth sport systems involve the use of a set selection date (e.g. 31 December), which invariably produces relative age differences between those within the selection year (e.g. 1 January to 31 December). Those born early in the selection year (e.g. January) are relatively older—by as much as 12 months minus 1 day—than those born later in the selection year (e.g. December). Research in the area of sport has identified a number of significant developmental effects associated with such relative age differences. However, a theoretical framework that describes the breadth and complexity of relative age effects (RAEs) in sport does not exist in the literature. This paper reviews and summarizes the existing literature on relative age in sport, and proposes a constraints-based developmental systems model for RAEs in sport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Wattie
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada,
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30
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Ishigami H. Relative age and birthplace effect in Japanese professional sports: a quantitative evaluation using a Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model. J Sports Sci 2015; 34:143-54. [PMID: 25917193 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1039462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Relative age effect (RAE) in sports has been well documented. Recent studies investigate the effect of birthplace in addition to the RAE. The first objective of this study was to show the magnitude of the RAE in two major professional sports in Japan, baseball and soccer. Second, we examined the birthplace effect and compared its magnitude with that of the RAE. The effect sizes were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical Poisson model with the number of players as dependent variable. The RAEs were 9.0% and 7.7% per month for soccer and baseball, respectively. These estimates imply that children born in the first month of a school year have about three times greater chance of becoming a professional player than those born in the last month of the year. Over half of the difference in likelihoods of becoming a professional player between birthplaces was accounted for by weather conditions, with the likelihood decreasing by 1% per snow day. An effect of population size was not detected in the data. By investigating different samples, we demonstrated that using quarterly data leads to underestimation and that the age range of sampled athletes should be set carefully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideaki Ishigami
- a Faculty of Sport Science , Nippon Sport Science University , Tokyo , Japan
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31
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Suppiah HT, Low CY, Chia M. Detecting and developing youth athlete potential: different strokes for different folks are warranted. Br J Sports Med 2015; 49:878-82. [DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-094648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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32
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Rossing NN, Nielsen AB, Elbe AM, Karbing DS. The role of community in the development of elite handball and football players in Denmark. Eur J Sport Sci 2015; 16:237-45. [DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2015.1009492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Balish SM, Rainham D, Blanchard C. Community size and sport participation across 22 countries. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2014; 25:e576-81. [PMID: 25487738 DOI: 10.1111/sms.12375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine, across 22 countries, the association between community size and individual sport, team sport, and exercise participation. Hierarchal non-linear Bernoulli modeling is used to examine the association between community size (100,000-10,000; <10,000) and (a) individual sport, (b) team sport, and (c) exercise participation. After controlling for country-level clustering and demographic variables, those residing a community with between 100,000 and 10,000 residents are more likely to participate in individual sport [odds ratio (OR) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05-1.23] while residing in a community with less than 10,000 residents is unrelated (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.96-1.19). Those residing in communities with between 100,000 and 10,000 residents were more likely to participate in team sport (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.01-1.45) while residing in a community with less than 10,000 residents is unrelated (OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.88-1.18). Residing in a community with between 100,000 and 10,000 residents is unrelated to exercise participation (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.89-1.7), while residing in a community with less than 10,000 residents is negatively related to exercise participation (OR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.79-0.93). These findings provide novel evidence that communities between 100,000 and 10,000 residents are related to increased sport participation, particularly team sport participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Balish
- IDPhD Program, SILK Lab, Life Science Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - D Rainham
- Environmental Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - C Blanchard
- Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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34
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Baker J, Shuiskiy K, Schorer J. Does size of one’s community affect likelihood of being drafted into the NHL? Analysis of 25 years of data. J Sports Sci 2014; 32:1570-5. [DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2014.908319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Turnnidge J, Hancock DJ, Côté J. The influence of birth date and place of development on youth sport participation. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2012; 24:461-8. [PMID: 22998526 DOI: 10.1111/sms.12002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous research highlights the critical role that contextual factors play in shaping athlete development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate two of these contextual factors: birth date (known as the relative age effect, RAE) and city of development as determinants of participation in a sample of youth ice hockey players. The sample included 146,424 athletes registered with Ontario youth ice hockey between the 2004 and 2010 seasons. Chi-square statistics determined a significant RAE in youth ice hockey. Findings also revealed a significant association between small cities of development and increased youth ice hockey participation. Finally, there was no evidence of an interaction between relative age and city of development. The characteristics of smaller communities that may facilitate sport participation across all youth are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Turnnidge
- School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
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Bruner MW, Macdonald DJ, Pickett W, Côté J. Examination of birthplace and birthdate in World Junior ice hockey players. J Sports Sci 2011; 29:1337-44. [PMID: 21800970 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2011.597419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated birthdate (known as the Relative Age Effect; RAE) and birthplace as determinants of expertise in an international sample of elite ice hockey players. The sample included 566 World Junior (WJR) ice hockey players from four countries (Canada, n = 153; USA, n = 136; Sweden, n = 140; Finland, n = 137). Participants competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation World U20 Championship between 2001 and 2009. A series of Poisson regression models were conducted to examine the consistency of direct then interactive relationships between both birthdate and birthplace and WJR membership across the four countries (Canada, USA, Sweden, and Finland). Findings revealed a consistent RAE across the four countries for World Junior participation from 2000 to 2009. WJR players from the four countries were also less likely to be from major cities. In addition, there was no evidence in any of the four countries of an interaction between RAE and birthplace. Future research should explore the contextual and cultural factors that influence elite athlete development in smaller towns, cities and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark W Bruner
- School of Physical and Health Education, Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
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