The relative age effect in the football federation of Castilla y León (RFCyLF)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17398/1885-7019.21.609Keywords:
relative age effect, football, young football players, women's football, men's football.Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyse the dates of birth of 36,268 football players with a federation licence registered on 1 January 2025, corresponding to 350 teams from the different youth football divisions of the football federation of Castilla y León (RFCyLF) in order to observe the relative age effect (RAE). The player's date of birth was classified into quarters (T1, T2,T3 and T4), four-month periods (C1, C2 and C3) and semesters (S1 and S2). The RAE was analysed based on the type of category according to sex (Mixed, Male and Female), age (Debutante, Prebenjamín, Benjamín, Alevín, Infantil, Cadete and Juvenil), competition level (Provincial or Regional) and the combination of these factors. The Chi-square test (χ²) was applied to analyse differences between observed and expected frequencies. Odds ratios (95% CI) were calculated to assess the association between the different time groups. The results show an overrepresentation of players participating in the RFCyLF born in the first months of the year compared to those born in the last months, regardless of sex. This overrepresentation is more evident in younger age categories (Debutantes, Prebenjamín and Benjamín) and in male regional categories.
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