Does the longitudinal development of physical and anthropometric characteristics associate with professional career attainment in adolescent Australian footballers?

Abstract

<jats:p> This study sought to longitudinally and retrospectively determine the relationship between professional career attainment and the development of anthropometric and physical qualities in junior Australian footballers. Eighty adolescent male Australian footballers from a single state academy previously selected onto an under 16 s talent development squad were classified by career attainment (professional team selection; n = 17 and non-selected; n = 63). Physical and anthropometric tests were conducted at the end of preseason during participation in under 16 and under 18 competitions. Tests included standing height, mass, stationary countermovement jumps, dynamic vertical jumps, 20-m sprints, agility and 20 m multistage fitness test. Both groups significantly improved all performance measures between the under 16 and under 18 levels. Athletes selected onto a professional team possessed significantly quicker 20-m sprint outcomes than non-selected athletes at both under 16 and under 18 levels, highlighting the importance of this physical capacity within talent development programmes. Binary logistic regression was unable to predict an effect of any measures on career attainment. An inability of the binary logistic regression to identify qualities predictive of long-term career success likely highlights limitations associated with utilising unidimensional models of assessment in talent identification practices. As such, development coaches and sport scientists should be aware that while physical capacities play a role in career attainment outcomes, other factors, such as tactical understanding and technical skill are also likely to be impactful. </jats:p>

Comparison of Countermovement Jump and Squat Jump Performance Between 627 State and Non-State Representative Junior Australian Football Players

“…The greatest age group differences in CMJ and SJ height and estimated CMJ and SJ PP were observed between the nonstate U18 and nonstate U16 cohort, with the only significant age group difference in the state U18 and U16 cohort was in estimated CMJ PP. The nonsignificant differences between age groups in the state group are in contrast to a longitudinal analysis that found all physical performance tests, including CMJ, significantly improve as players progress from State U16 to State U18 (7). However, caution should be taken when comparing cross-sectional to longitudinal study designs, particularly in youth athletes who are subject to maturational influences (8).…”

Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of Sprint Times and Force-Velocity-Power Characteristics

“…In the Australian football (AF) talent pathway programs, a primary aim of the testing battery is to identify and select talented players into state development programs, which may ultimately lead to selection in the professional levels of the sport. Recent research has identified that sprint performance is a developmentally consistent physical assessment in junior AF players (3) and is the only physical quality explanatory of talent selection in elite under 16 and under 18 competition levels (20). Furthermore, junior AF players who possess faster sprint performance over 20 m (<2.99 seconds) increased their likelihood of being drafted into the professional AF ranks (15) and played a greater number of AFL games over a 5-year period (2).…”

The Effect of a Heavy Resisted Sled-Pull Mesocycle on Sprint Performance in Junior Australian Football Players

“…Sprinting performance has been further highlighted as a key physical quality often associated with talent identification, talent pathway progression, and professional career attainment (3,6,24,25,30). However, sprinting performance improvements in junior Australian football (AF) players, which are frequently attributed to physical maturation, have been shown to diminish from elite under 16s into elite under 18s (6). This suggests that from the age of 16 years, further improvements in sprinting performance are largely dependent on training methods, stimulus, and subsequent physical adaptation (18,19).…”

“…This is emphasized in the literature through the positive association of individual sprint performance and level of competition (2,10,11,14,17), age categories (12,14,19,26), and individual playing performance (32). Sprinting performance has been further highlighted as a key physical quality often associated with talent identification, talent pathway progression, and professional career attainment (3,6,24,25,30). However, sprinting performance improvements in junior Australian football (AF) players, which are frequently attributed to physical maturation, have been shown to diminish from elite under 16s into elite under 18s (6).…”