For the first time in Austria, a recent research project by our department has quantitatively investigated the influence of biological maturity on the performance of young soccer talent.

The study of 98 male players in the U13 to U18 age groups of an Austrian first division club shows a significant relative age effect in player selection in the U14 and U15 teams, which decreases with increasing age.

The results show that young players in the U13 to U15 age groups have a higher biological maturity than young Austrian players of the same age. In addition, the level of biological development correlates positively with parameters such as strength and jumping ability and negatively with sprint times.

The findings make it clear that biological maturity is a decisive factor for athletic performance, especially before the onset of puberty. This should be taken into account when identifying and developing talent.

The study can be read in full here.