The relative age effect in Brazilian elite soccer depending on age category, playing position, and competitive level

Abstract

Purpose. this study investigated the occurrence of relative age effect (RAE) in Brazilian elite soccer athletes depending on age categories, playing position, and competitive level. Methods. Data from 2660 male elite soccer athletes who participated in the 2019 Brazilian soccer championships were analysed. to determine RAE, the players were divided by their quarter of birth: Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September), and Q4 (October-December). Data were obtained from the Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF) official website, and from each club's website when no information was available at the CBF website. Were included the athletes who participated in the 2019 Brazilian soccer championships in series A and B. Data were organized in accordance with age categories (under-20 or senior), playing position (forwards, midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers), and competitive level (Series A or B).Results. An overrepresentation of soccer players born in the first quarter of the year was found when compared with the other quarters, whereas players born in the last quarter of the year were underrepresented, regardless of the age category and competitive level. Regarding playing position, an overrepresentation of soccer players born in the first quarter of the year was found for all playing positions in both age categories, except for the goalkeepers in the senior category. Conclusions. Our results showed a prevalence of RAE in U-20 and senior age categories in elite Brazilian soccer athletes, in both competitive levels, and for all playing positions, except for goalkeepers in the senior category.

Market value of Brazilian soccer players that played 2020 series A and B of the Brazilian championship: an analysis based on quarters of birth and playing position

“…This argument is debatable since the forward playing position is physically demanding, especially in terms of high-speed running and high-intensity accelerations 33 , which would favor the occurrence of RAE 14 . On the other hand, RAE was not prevalent for goalkeepers in the European soccer leagues investigated 27,31 , nor in the Brazilian context 18 , which corroborates our results. The absence of RAE in this playing position may be because this is a very specialized role and children show less interest in this position compared to line positions 34,35 , reducing the competition for spots in teams and identification processes, which consequently decreases the likelihood of RAE 5 .…”

“…In Series B, the results only showed an overrepresentation of athletes born in the first months of the year for midfielders. Similar results were reported by Figueiredo 18 , in an investigation that evaluated 2,660 male U20 and senior elite soccer athletes that participated in the 2019 Brazilian soccer championships Series A and B. The results showed that athletes born in the first semester were more frequent in all playing positions in both study categories, except for the goalkeepers in the senior category.…”

“…Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE in soccer players from different positions who participated in Series A and B of the 2020 Brazilian championships, as well as the possible impact of RAE on the estimated market value of these players. We hypothesize that RAE will be present in the investigated sample, corroborating previous investigations with elite Brazilian soccer players 17,18 . In addition, considering previous results found within European soccer 19,27 and especially in Brazilian soccer 25 , we assume that the players' birth quarters will not affect their market values, since these values are associated with the technical-tactical performance presented by the players and external variables, such as club management and public attention 29 .…”

“…Evidence indicates that RAE is particularly pervasive in the soccer contexts 14 , occurring in youth categories and remaining up to the senior categories of highlevel competitions, such as in the first and second divi-sions of the main European soccer leagues 15,16 . Costa 17 and Figueiredo 18 also observed this phenomenon in Brazilian soccer. Thus, RAE can be persistent even in elite soccer, favoring relatively older athletes and impairing talented players to achieve their potential.…”

Relative Age Effect in Brazilian water polo: analysis of male and female athletes from U16 to senior categories

“…Even though RAE is a widespread phenomenon in different individual 20,21 and invasion team sports [22][23][24][25][26][27] , investigations in water sports focus on swimming [28][29][30] , being scarce in water polo [31][32][33] . In addition to that, the results from studies that investigated RAE in water polo are inconsistent.…”