Relative age and dropout in French male soccer

The aim of this study was to examine the birthdates distribution of French male soccer players (n = 363,590) who dropped out during or after the 2006-2007 season, to determine whether the relative age effect is linked to dropout behaviour. An over-representation of players born late in the competiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sports sciences 2010-05, Vol.28 (7), p.717-722
Main Authors: Delorme, Nicolas, Boiché, Julie, Raspaud, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adults
Age
Age Factors
Athletes
Athletes - psychology
Athletic Performance
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Birthdays
Child
dropout
France - epidemiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Hypotheses
Male
Males
Professional soccer
Psychology
Relative age effect
soccer
Soccer - psychology
Sociology
Studies
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
Young Adult
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Summary:The aim of this study was to examine the birthdates distribution of French male soccer players (n = 363,590) who dropped out during or after the 2006-2007 season, to determine whether the relative age effect is linked to dropout behaviour. An over-representation of players born late in the competitive year was observed among dropouts, from the U-9 to the U-18 age categories, whereas their counterparts born earlier in the year were under-represented. The distortion of the distribution was most marked for the extreme quarters of the competitive year, and in the U-13 and U-15 categories. This biased distribution was not confirmed for the U-7 category. Finally, regarding the adult category, an unbiased distribution of dropouts was observed as hypothesized. Practical implications to avoid the negative consequences of the relative age effect are advanced.
ISSN:0264-0414
1466-447X
DOI:10.1080/02640411003663276