This study examined the simultaneous effects of relative age and biological maturity status upon player selection in an English professional soccer academy. 202 players from the U9 to U16 age groups, over an eight-year period (total of 566 observations), had their relative age (birth quarter) and biological maturity (categorised as late, ontime or early maturing based upon the Khamis-Roche method of percentage of predicted adult height at time of observation) recorded. Players born in the first birth quarter of the year (54.8%) were over represented across all age groups. A selection bias towards players advanced in maturity status for chronological age emerged in U12 players and increased with age; 0% of players in the U15 and U16 age group were categorised as late maturing. A clear maturity selection bias for early maturing players was, however, only apparent when the least conservative criterion for estimating maturity status was applied (53.8% early and 1.9% late maturing in the U16 age group). Professional football academies need to recognise relative age and maturation as independent constructs that exist and operate independently. Thus, separate strategies should perhaps be designed to address the respective selection biases, to better identify, retain and develop players.

This study investigated perceptions of academy football players participating in a tournament bio-banded for player maturity status. Players completed a post-tournament questionnaire, comparing participants in bio-banded and age group format competitions. One sample means t-tests, magnitude-based inferences and ANOVA were used to examine differences between perceptions of bio-banded and age-group competitions, and differences across maturity groups. Thematic analysis was conducted on qualitative data generated by the open-ended questions. Quantitative and qualitative results showed two major benefits of bio-banding: first, early maturing boys perceived bio-banding as a greater physical and technical challenge, which provided new opportunities and challenges. Second, late maturing players perceived less physical and technical challenge, which permitted greater opportunity to demonstrate their technical and tactical abilities, and can potentially aid the retention of these players.Overall, players understood and enjoyed the bio-banded competitions, and also perceived less injury risk associated with this format. All maturity groups reported more opportunity to engage in leadership behaviours, to influence game-play and to express themselves on the ball in the bio-banded format. Overall, results of this study contribute to the current knowledge of bio-banding efforts in youth football and may facilitate the development of both early and late maturing academy players.

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Talent identification and selection in soccer has been shown to be confounded by individual differences in relative age and biological maturation. Limited research has however, investigated whether these effects are reflected in coaches’ evaluations of performance. This study investigated relative and biological age associated differences in coach perceptions of performance in a professional soccer academy across four seasons. The performances of 279 male players were evaluated on a 4-point Likert-scale. Multi-level modelling was used to examine predictive relationships between biological age, chronological age, result and opposition of game, on match grades. Result of the games was a statistically significant predictor of players perceived performance in every age-group; category of opposition was only significant in the under 13 and 14 age-groups. Biological age significantly predicted players perceived performance grades in the under 10, 14 and 15 age-groups, whereby advanced maturity predicted a higher grade. Across all age-groups, a relative age effect was observed, however age half was not a significant predictor of perceived performance grade in any age-group. Coaches evaluations of match performance appear to vary in accordance with maturity, opposition, and result of game. Academy staff should recognise and account for individual differences in biological maturation when retaining and releasing players.

In light of a growing trend by which Northern Irish-born footballers opt to pledge their sporting allegiance to the Republic of Ireland, the issue of player eligibility has become the subject of much public and political debate across the island of Ireland. In seeking to shed light on this controversial topic, this article examines the myriad factors which are negotiated by northern nationalist footballers when faced with the choice of which ‘nation’ to which they belong. Based on extracts from a series of interviews with northern nationalist players, the study situates their lived experiences within the broader socio-political landscape of Northern Ireland, highlighting a range of factors from the perceived culpability of the Irish Football Association (IFA) to sporting pragmatism on the part of the players. The research is theoretically grounded in the writings of Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu, in particular by utilizing their respective interpretations of the socio-psychological concept of habitus in an attempt to understand the interplay between the relatively superficial and potentially temporary nature of sporting identity and a more deeply ingrained sense of national or political identification.