Relative Age Effect in Costa Rican Professional Football. An Analysis by Tournaments, Playing Positions, and Competitive Participation Indicators
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15359/mhs.23-1.20979Keywords:
football, age, team sport, performanceAbstract
Objective: To analyze the distribution of Costa Rican professional football players by date of birth, compare them by tournaments and playing positions, and explore the relationship between the relative age effect (RAE) and collective performance and individual participation indicators. Methods: A total of 919 male players who participated in 10 tournaments across five years in Costa Rica were grouped into four quartiles, according to their date of birth (Q1= jan-mar, Q2= apr-jun, Q3= jul-sept, and Q4= oct-dec), and six playing positions: goalkeepers, central defenders, full-backs, central midfielders, wide midfielders, and forwards. The collective competitive performance indicator was the team’s position in the table of classification, and individual participation indicators were the percentage of call-ups, matches played, and minutes played. Results: It was found a higher percentage of players were born in Q1 and Q2 across nine tournaments compared with Q4 (p< 0.05; OR: 1.46 to 1.70). Among fullbacks, the highest percentage was in Q2, while central and wide midfielders were in Q1. Among the top four teams, there was a higher number of Q1 players; no significant relationship was found between the RAE and the final table of classification (p> 0.05). Players born in Q1 and Q2 had higher percentages of call-ups, matches played during the tournaments, and minutes played per match than Q3 and Q4 (p< 0.03). Conclusions: There was RAE in Costa Rican professional football. It was manifested mainly in fullbacks and midfielders. RAE does not influence collective performance, but it affects individual participation indicators.
Downloads
References
Bezuglov, E., Morgans, R., Butovskiy, M., Emanov, A., Shagiakhmetova, L., Pirmakhanov, B., Waśkiewicz, Z., & Lazarev, A. (2023). The relative age effect is widespread among European adult professional soccer players but does not affect their market value. PLOS ONE, 18(3), e0283390. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0283390
Bozděch, M., Agricola, A., & Zháněl, J. (2023). The Relative Age Effect at Different Age Periods in Soccer: A Meta-Analysis. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 00315125231210585. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125231210585
de la Rubia, A., Lorenzo, A., Bjørndal, C. T., Kelly, A. L., García-Aliaga, A., & Lorenzo-Calvo, J. (2021). The Relative Age Effect on Competition Performance of Spanish International Handball Players: A Longitudinal Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.673434
de la Rubia, A., Lorenzo-Calvo, J., & Lorenzo, A. (2020). Does the Relative Age Effect Influence Short-Term Performance and Sport Career in Team Sports? A Qualitative Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01947
Duarte, J. P., Coelho-E-Silva, M. J., Costa, D., Martinho, D., Luz, L. G. O., Rebelo-Gonçalves, R., Valente-Dos-Santos, J., Figueiredo, A., Seabra, A., & Malina, R. M. (2019). Repeated Sprint Ability in Youth Soccer Players: Independent and Combined Effects of Relative Age and Biological Maturity. Journal of Human Kinetics, 67, 209-221. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2018-0090, PMID:31523319
Figueiredo, L., Gomes, L., Silva, D., Gantois, P., Fialho, J., Fortes, L., & Fonseca, F. (2022). The relative age effect in Brazilian elite soccer depending on age category, playing position, and competitive level. Human Movement, 23(2), 112-120. https://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2022.109070
Fritz, C. O., Morris, P. E., & Richler, J. J. (2012). Effect size estimates: Current use, calculations, and interpretation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(1), 2-18. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024338
González-Víllora, S., Pastor-Vicedo, J. C., & Cordente, D. (2015). Relative Age Effect in UEFA Championship Soccer Players. Journal of Human Kinetics, 47, 237-248. https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2015-0079, PMID: 26557207.
Götze, M., & Hoppe, M. W. (2021). Relative Age Effect in Elite German Soccer: Influence of Gender and Competition Level. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.587023
Grossmann, B., & Lames, M. (2013). Relative Age Effect (RAE) in Football Talents – the Role of Youth Academies in Transition to Professional Status in Germany. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 13(1), 120-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2013.11868636
Helsen, W. F., Baker, J., Michiels, S., Schorer, J., Van winckel, J., & Williams, A. M. (2012). The relative age effect in European professional soccer: Did ten years of research make any difference? Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(15), 1665-1671. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.721929
Kelly, A. L., Wilson, M. R., Gough, L. A., Knapman, H., Morgan, P., Cole, M., Jackson, D. T., & Williams, C. A. (2020). A longitudinal investigation into the relative age effect in an English professional football club: Exploring the ‘underdog hypothesis’. Science and Medicine in Football, 4(2), 111-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2019.1694169
Lovell, R., Towlson, C., Parkin, G., Portas, M., Vaeyens, R., & Cobley, S. (2015). Soccer Player Characteristics in English Lower-League Development Programmes: The Relationships between Relative Age, Maturation, Anthropometry and Physical Fitness. PLOS ONE, 10(9), e0137238. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137238
Lupo, C., Boccia, G., Ungureanu, A. N., Frati, R., Marocco, R., & Brustio, P. R. (2019). The Beginning of Senior Career in Team Sport Is Affected by Relative Age Effect. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01465
Mulazimoglu, O. (2014). The Relative Age Effect (RAE) in Youth and Professional Soccer Players in Turkey. The Anthropologist, 18(2), 391-398. Retrieved from: http://krepublishers.com/02-Journals/T-Anth/Anth-18-0-000-14-Web/Anth-18-2-000-14-Abst-PDF/T-ANTH-18-2-391-14-1128-Mulazimoglu-O/T-ANTH-18-2-391-14-1128-Mulazimoglu-O-Tx[14].pdf
Musch, J., & Grondin, S. (2001). Unequal Competition as an Impediment to Personal Development: A Review of the Relative Age Effect in Sport. Developmental Review, 21(2), 147-167. https://doi.org/10.1006/drev.2000.0516
Padrón-Cabo, A., Rey, E., García-Soidán, J. L., & Penedo-Jamardo, E. (2016). Large Scale Analysis of Relative Age Effect on Professional Soccer Players in FIFA Designated Zones. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 16(1), 332-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2016.11868890
Parr, J., Winwood, K., Hodson-Tole, E., Deconinck, F. J. A., Hill, J. P., Teunissen, J. W., & Cumming, S. P. (2020). The Main and Interactive Effects of Biological Maturity and Relative Age on Physical Performance in Elite Youth Soccer Players. Journal of Sports Medicine, e1957636. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1957636
Perez-Gonzalez, B., Fernandez-Luna, A., Castillo, D., & Burillo, P. (2020). Are European Soccer Players Worth More If They Are Born Early in the Year? Relative Age Effect on Player Market Value. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(9), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093301
Pérez-González, B., León-Quismondo, J., Bonal, J., Burillo, P., & Fernández-Luna, Á. (2021). The New Generation of Professional Soccer Talent Is Born under the Bias of the RAE: Relative Age Effect in International Male Youth Soccer Championships. Children, 8(12), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8121117
Rađa, A., Padulo, J., Jelaska, I., Ardigò, L. P., & Fumarco, L. (2018). Relative age effect and second-tiers: No second chance for later-born players. PLOS ONE, 13(8), e0201795. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201795
Radnor, J. M., Staines, J., Bevan, J., Cumming, S. P., Kelly, A. L., Lloyd, R. S., & Oliver, J. L. (2021). Maturity Has a Greater Association than Relative Age with Physical Performance in English Male Academy Soccer Players. Sports, 9(12), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports9120171
Roberts, S. J., McRobert, A. P., Rudd, J., Enright, K., & Reeves, M. J. (2021). Research in Another un-Examined (RAE) context. A chronology of 35 years of relative age effect research in soccer: Is it time to move on? Science and Medicine in Football, 5(4), 301-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/24733938.2020.1841278
Romann, M., Rüeger, E., Hintermann, M., Kern, R., & Faude, O. (2020). Origins of Relative Age Effects in Youth Football—A Nationwide Analysis. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.591072
Salinero Martín, J. J., Pérez González, B., Burillo, P., & Lesma, M. L. (2013). Relative age effect in european professional football. Analysis by position. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 8(4), 966-973. https://doi.org/10.4100/jhse.2013.84.07
Tomczak, M., & Tomczak, E. (2014). The need to report effect size estimates revisited. An overview of some recommended measures of effect size. Trends in Sport Sciences, 1(21), 19-25.
Vaeyens, R., Philippaerts, R. M., & Malina, R. M. (2005). The relative age effect in soccer: A match-related perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(7), 747-756. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400022052
Yagüe, J. M., de la Rubia, A., Sánchez-Molina, J., Maroto-Izquierdo, S., & Molinero, O. (2018). The Relative Age Effect in the 10 Best Leagues of Male Professional Football of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 17(3), 409-416.
Yagüe, J. M., Molinero, O., Alba, J. Á., & Redondo, J. C. (2020). Evidence for the Relative Age Effect in the Spanish Professional Soccer League. Journal of Human Kinetics, 73, 209-218. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0145, PMID: 32774552
Yagüe, J. M., Salguero, A., Villegas, A., Sánchez-Molina, J., & Molinero, O. (2023). The Relative Age Effect in the Two Professional Men’s Football Leagues in Spain. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 22(4), 700-706. https://doi.org/10.52082/jssm.2023.700
Zhou, C., Lorenzo, A., Gómez, M.-Á., & Palao, J. M. (2020). Players’ match demands according to age and playing position in professional male soccer players. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(3), 389-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2020.1753979
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 MHSalud: Revista en Ciencias del Movimiento Humano y Salud
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
General conditions
MHSalud: Journal in Human Movement Sciences and Health by the Universidad Nacional is cover under a Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 Costa Rica license.
The journal is hosted in open access repositories such as the Institutional Repository of the Universidad Nacional, the Kimuk Repository of Costa Rica and La Referencia.
The editorial source of the journal must be recognized. Use the doi identifier for this purpose.
Self-archiving policy: The journal allows the self-archiving of the articles in their peer-reviewed version, edited and approved by the Editorial Board of the Journal to be available in Open Access through the Internet. More information in the following link: https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/25815
