Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
J Sports Sci. 2012;30(13):1365-74. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2012.707329. Epub 2012 Aug 9.
The birth date distributions of elite male and female footballers in Australia, from junior youth (age 14 and upwards) to senior (professional) players, were examined. A statistically significant relative age effect was found among junior male players, reducing in effect with increasing age. An inter-year relative age effect that became apparent among the players at national level in the Under-17 and Under-20 age groups, due to the timing of the respective World Cups for those age groups, was also identified. It is conjectured that this might lead to players born in certain years having a curtailed pathway in the elite game, leading to drop-out among this very elite group. In the case of women elite players, no significant relative age effect was found among youth players, possibly due to less fierce competition for places, although a significant effect was found to exist at senior elite level.
本研究调查了澳大利亚精英男性和女性足球运动员的出生日期分布，从青少年（14 岁及以上）到成年（职业）球员。在青少年男性球员中发现了一个具有统计学意义的相对年龄效应，随着年龄的增长，这种效应逐渐减弱。在 17 岁以下和 20 岁以下年龄组的国家级球员中，还发现了一个年度间的相对年龄效应，这是由于这些年龄组的世界杯比赛时间所致。据推测，这可能导致某些年份出生的球员在精英比赛中机会减少，导致这批非常优秀的球员中出现辍学现象。在女性精英球员中，青少年球员中没有发现显著的相对年龄效应，这可能是由于竞争压力较小，但在高级精英水平上确实存在显著的效应。
