Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players
Youth soccer academies are dominated by the older players in each annual age cohort because they are judged to be better at the time of selection. Failing to identify talented players because they are simply younger in their cohort is a problem of both discrimination and poor practice. One potential...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4658 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850277561034080256 |
|---|---|
| author | Thiago V. Camata Andrew H. Hunter Nicholas M. A. Smith Mathew S. Crowther Paulo R. P. Santiago Robbie S. Wilson |
| author_facet | Thiago V. Camata Andrew H. Hunter Nicholas M. A. Smith Mathew S. Crowther Paulo R. P. Santiago Robbie S. Wilson |
| author_sort | Thiago V. Camata |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Youth soccer academies are dominated by the older players in each annual age cohort because they are judged to be better at the time of selection. Failing to identify talented players because they are simply younger in their cohort is a problem of both discrimination and poor practice. One potential method for addressing such biases is to develop and use age- and size-corrected assessments of individual players using traits closely associated with match success. In this study, we quantified the relationship between age and size with individual passing and control performance in six different tests for 170 players between 10 and 20 years old from a Tier 1 academy in Brazil. Passing tests were significantly repeatable and performance varied among tests (df = 5; F = 432.2; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Overall passing performance (PC<sub>P1</sub>)—based on all tests—was significantly positively associated with age (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.42, t = 10.67; <i>p</i> < 0.001), height (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.19, t = 6.13; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and mass (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.23, t = 6.90, <i>p</i> < 0.001). In addition, tests of passing and control could discriminate among groups of differing playing levels (test 1: F<sub>(2,116)</sub> = 55.2, <i>p</i> < 0.001; test 3: F<sub>(2,116)</sub> = 12.0, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Normative algorithms from this study can be used to compare athletes during selection trials and against an elite group, after taking age and size into account, and using such algorithms could vastly reduce the insipid age-biases that plague youth football. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-674377cdf3af465895b058ca5b107d30 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-674377cdf3af465895b058ca5b107d302025-08-20T01:49:50ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01159465810.3390/app15094658Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer PlayersThiago V. Camata0Andrew H. Hunter1Nicholas M. A. Smith2Mathew S. Crowther3Paulo R. P. Santiago4Robbie S. Wilson5School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, AustraliaSchool of Physical Education and Sport of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 14040-900, BrazilSchool of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, AustraliaYouth soccer academies are dominated by the older players in each annual age cohort because they are judged to be better at the time of selection. Failing to identify talented players because they are simply younger in their cohort is a problem of both discrimination and poor practice. One potential method for addressing such biases is to develop and use age- and size-corrected assessments of individual players using traits closely associated with match success. In this study, we quantified the relationship between age and size with individual passing and control performance in six different tests for 170 players between 10 and 20 years old from a Tier 1 academy in Brazil. Passing tests were significantly repeatable and performance varied among tests (df = 5; F = 432.2; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Overall passing performance (PC<sub>P1</sub>)—based on all tests—was significantly positively associated with age (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.42, t = 10.67; <i>p</i> < 0.001), height (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.19, t = 6.13; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and mass (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.23, t = 6.90, <i>p</i> < 0.001). In addition, tests of passing and control could discriminate among groups of differing playing levels (test 1: F<sub>(2,116)</sub> = 55.2, <i>p</i> < 0.001; test 3: F<sub>(2,116)</sub> = 12.0, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Normative algorithms from this study can be used to compare athletes during selection trials and against an elite group, after taking age and size into account, and using such algorithms could vastly reduce the insipid age-biases that plague youth football.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4658skillsoccerpassingperformancedevelopmenttalent identification |
| spellingShingle | Thiago V. Camata Andrew H. Hunter Nicholas M. A. Smith Mathew S. Crowther Paulo R. P. Santiago Robbie S. Wilson Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players Applied Sciences skill soccer passing performance development talent identification |
| title | Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players |
| title_full | Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players |
| title_fullStr | Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players |
| title_short | Using Age- and Size-Corrected Measures of Technical Skill to Better Assess the Performances of Youth Soccer Players |
| title_sort | using age and size corrected measures of technical skill to better assess the performances of youth soccer players |
| topic | skill soccer passing performance development talent identification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4658 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thiagovcamata usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers AT andrewhhunter usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers AT nicholasmasmith usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers AT mathewscrowther usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers AT paulorpsantiago usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers AT robbieswilson usingageandsizecorrectedmeasuresoftechnicalskilltobetterassesstheperformancesofyouthsoccerplayers |