Abstract
The objective of the study was to evaluate the relative age effect (RAE) on the selection of athletes for the youth teams in a soccer club in 2016. Athletes aged between 12 and 17 years old were classified according to category, age and position, and divided into quartiles, according to date of birth. Chi‐square test was applied with significance of 5%. Of the total of 746 athletes, 88 (11.8%) comprised the team. Second category, it was observed that 54.8% of the approved ones were born in the first quartile (January to March) (p = 0.04). For age, association was observed for sub13 and sub17, where 55% (p = 0.04) and 50% (p = 0.04) were born in this quartile. The same was observed among those in the midfield position (57.9%, p = 0.01). In this way, we conclude the existence of the RAE among these athletes.
Keywords
Athletes; Athletic performance in adolescence; Maturation; Age effect
