Soccer academy practitioners’ perceptions and application of bio-banding

Abstract

The primary aims of this study were to examine the application of maturity status bio-banding within professional soccer academy programmes and understand the methods employed, the intended objectives, and the potential barriers to bio-banding. Using a mixed method design, twenty-five professional soccer academy practitioners completed an online survey designed to examine their perceptions of the influence of maturation on practice, their perceptions and application of bio-banding, and the perceived barriers to the implementation of this method. Frequency and percentages of responses for individual items were calculated. In the next phase of the study, seven participants who had experience with, or knowledge of, the bio-banding process within an academy youth soccer setting were recruited to complete a semi-structured interview. Interview data was transcribed and analysed using a combination of deductive and inductive approaches to identify key themes. The main findings across the two phases of the study were that [1] there is consensus among the practitioners that the individual effect of maturation impacts their ability to accurately assess the soccer competencies, [2] the majority (80%) of the sample had implemented bio-banding, with practitioners showing a clear preference for using the Khamis and Roche method to bio-band players, with the greatest perceived benefit being during maturity-matched formats, specifically for late or post-PHV players, [3] Practitioners perceived that bio-banding enhances their ability to assess academy soccer players, and [4] practitioners who have used bio-banding believe that the method is an effective way of enhancing the perception of challenge thereby providing a number of psycho-social benefits. Findings suggest that a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach is required to enhance the likelihood of bio-banding being successfully implemented within the typical training schedules across the adolescent phase of the player development pathway.

Professional soccer practitioners’ perceptions of using performance analysis technology to monitor technical and tactical player characteristics within an academy environment: A category 1 club case study

“…Following this, to determine a binary (agree or disagree; important or not important) interpretation, data for composite component data points (i.e., strongly agree-agree, strongly disagree-disagree; very important-important, not at all important-low importance) were aggregated. In accordance with similar previous research [63][64][65], and due to the limited, non-parametric categorical data collected, statistical assumptions were violated (i.e., the Pearson's chi-squared test necessitates that for expected frequencies, cell values should be >5 in �80% of cells, and �1 in 100% of cells) [66]) and therefore unviable. Accordingly, data was reported descriptively.…”

Skeletal age prediction models by maturity atatus in male soccer players

“…These biases may result in the over-selection of early-maturing players, leading to long-term consequences for the development of late-maturing players, who often quit the sport prematurely due to a temporary physical disadvantage associated with the maturation process [2]. Grouping children by biological maturity rather than age (commonly referred to as bio-banding [1; 7; 8] commonly used with professional soccer academies [1;3; 9; 10] helps coaches assess players development [11] and help ensure that players of all maturity levels have equal opportunities to develop their skills and reach their full potential [8].…”

A new method to identify key match-play behaviours of young soccer players: Development of the Hull Soccer Behavioural Scoring Tool

“…These psychological aspects are important for talent identification, as late-maturing players have been characterised as being achievement-oriented and highly skilled (between 13 and 14 years; [16]), which might be linked, in part, to the onset and cessation of peak height velocity (PHV) [17,18]. For instance, our previous findings have shown that performing in maturity mis-matched (i.e., late maturing versus early maturing) categorised groups of players (using 'bio-banding'; [19][20][21]) during small-sided games provides late-maturing players with a mis-matched environment which allows them to exhibit a number of desirable psychological characteristics [22]. This maturity-related performance phenomena can be in part explained by the 'underdog hypothesis' [15,23], which proposes that late-maturing players may have established enhanced psychological skills that permit them to compete with their more mature team mates on equal terms [23].…”