Examination of the Relative Age Effect in Youth Team Sports from an Ecological Perspective

Yıl 2022, Cilt: 33 Sayı: 2, 105 - 119, 19.09.2022

Koray Kılıç Ekrem Yılmaz

https://doi.org/10.17644/sbd.1143998

Öz

In athlete development literature, the fact that the athletes born in the last months of the year cannot meet developmental opportunities equally due to chronological age grouping is defined as the relative age effects. Previous studies’ findings were usually based on retrospective analysis of the quartiles of athletes’ birth months. A comprehensive examination of the existence of and the reasons for the relative age effects from different data sources in competitive sport settings is critical in determining the strategies to be developed so that sports programs can create fair learning and development opportunities for children and youth. This study aimed to determine the current state of the relative age effect in a competitive youth football environment and examine the factors affecting the formation of the relative age effects from an ecological perspective. This study firstly examined monthly (quarter) birth dates of 12–18-year-old competitive footballers (n=676) from 17 sports clubs. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis of quantitative data. In order to examine the factors of the relative age effects from an ecological point of view, semi-structured interviews were conducted with coaches (n=10) from the same sports context. The interviews were analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The study’s findings indicated that the relative age effects may persist in the examined sports environment and that the coaches may have low awareness and knowledge about the concept. Furthermore, the findings provide in-depth information on the effects of social-ecological factors in the examined sports environment on the formation and perpetuation of the relative age effects. The findings were discussed with the current relative age effects and the athlete development literature, and suggestions were made for future studies.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Chronological age, Talent selection, Athlete development, Sport programs

Gençlik Takım Sporlarında Bağıl Yaş Etkisinin Ekolojik Bakış Açısıyla İncelenmesi

Öz

Sporcu gelişimi alanyazınında yılın son aylarında doğan sporcuların kronolojik yaş gruplarına ayrılma sonucu gelişimsel fırsatlarla eşit oranda buluşamaması bağıl yaş etkisi olarak tanımlanmıştır. Önceki çalışma bulguları, bağıl yaş etkisini genellikle yalnızca sporcu doğum aylarının çeyrekler bazında retrospektif olarak incelenmesine dayanır. Yarışmacı spor ortamlarında bağıl yaş etkisinin varlığının ve bunun nedenlerinin farklı veri kaynaklarından, çok boyutlu incelenmesi, spor programlarının çocuk ve gençlere adil öğrenme ve gelişim fırsatları yaratabilmesi için üretilecek stratejilerin belirlenmesinde oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmanın amaçları, yarışmacı gençlik futbol ortamında bağıl yaş etkisinin var olan durumunu saptamak ve ekolojik bakış açısıyla bağıl yaş etkisinin oluşumunu etkileyen unsurları incelemektir. Çalışmada öncelikle 17 spor kulübünden 12-18 yaş arası yarışmacı futbolcuların (n = 676) aya bağlı (çeyrek) doğum tarihleri incelenmiştir. Nicel verilerin analizinde betimsel istatistik kullanılmıştır. Bağıl yaş etkisinin nedenlerinin ekolojik bakış açısıyla incelenmesinde aynı spor ortamından antrenörler (n=10) ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Görüşmeler, Tematik Analiz yoluyla incelenmiştir. Çalışma bulguları, bağıl yaş etkisinin incelenen spor ortamındaki süreğenliğine ve antrenörlerin bağıl yaş etkisi ile ilgili düşük farkındalık ve bilgiye sahip olduklarına işaret etmektedir. Ayrıca bulgular, incelenen spor ortamındaki sosyal ekolojik etkenlerin bağıl yaş etkisinin oluşumuna ve sürdürülmesine etkileri ile ilgili derinlikli bilgi sunmaktadır. Bulgular, güncel sporda bağıl yaş etkisi ve sporcu gelişimi alanyazınları ile tartışılmış ve sonraki çalışmalar için önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kronolojik yaş, Yetenek seçimi, Sporcu gelişimi, Spor programları

Kaynakça

• Abbott, A., & Collins, D. (2002). A theoretical and empirical analysis of a ‘state of the art’ talent identification model, High Ability Studies, 13, 157–178.
• Balyi, I., Way, R. ve Higgs, C. (2016). Uzun vadeli sporcu gelişimi, Ankara: Spor Yayınevi ve Kitabevi.
• Barnsley, P. E., Barnsley, R. H., & Thompson, A. H. (2020). Relative Age Effects: Early Studies. In Relative Age Effects in Sport (pp. 12-22). Routledge
• Barnsley, R. H., Thompson, A. H., & Barnsley, P. E. (1985). Hockey success and birthdate: The relative age effect. CAHPER Journal, 51(8), 23–28.
• Braun, V., Clarke, V., & Weate, P. (2016). Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research. In Routledge handbook of qualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 213-227). Routledge.
• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1999). Environments in developmental perspective: Theoretical and operational models
• Cobley, S., Baker, J., Wattie, N., & McKenna, J. M. (2009). Annual age- grouping and athlete development: A meta-analytical review of relative age effects in sport. Sports Medicine, 39(3), 235–256.
• Côté, J., & Gilbert, W. (2009). An integrative definition of coaching effectiveness and expertise. International journal of sports science & coaching, 4(3), 307-323
• Côté, J., Murata, A., Turnnidge, J., & Hancock, D. J. (2021). Situating birth advantages within the youth sport system. In Birth Advantages and Relative Age Effects in Sport (pp. 15-29). Routledge.
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research. Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research.
• Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Delorme, N., & Raspaud, M. (2009). The relative age effect in young French basketball players: A study on the whole population. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport, 19(2), 235–242.
• Delorme, N., Boiché, J., & Raspaud, M. (2010). Relative age and dropout in French male soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(7), 717–722.
• Delorme, N., Chalabaev, A., & Raspaud, M. (2011). Relative age is associated with sport dropout: evidence from youth categories of French basketball. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 21(1), 120-128
• Deprez, D., Fransen, J., Lenoir, M., Philippaerts, R. M., & Vaeyens, R. (2015). A retrospective study on anthropometrical, physical fitness, and motor coordination characteristics that influence dropout, contract status, and first-team playing time in high-level soccer players aged eight to eighteen years. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(6), 1692–1704.
• Fraser-Thomas, J. L., Côté, J., & Deakin, J. (2005). Youth sport programs: An avenue to foster positive youth development. Physical education & sport pedagogy, 10(1), 19-40
• Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field methods, 18(1), 59-82
• Hancock, D. J. (2020). Antecedents and explanations of relative age effects. In Relative Age Effects in Sport (pp. 23-32). Routledge.
• Hancock, D. J., Adler, A. L., & Côté, J. (2013). A proposed theoretical model to explain relative age effects in sport. European journal of sport science, 13(6), 630-637.
• Hancock, D. J., Ste-Marie, D. M., & Young, B. W. (2013b). Coach selections and the relative age effect in male youth ice hockey. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 84(1), 126-130
• Helsen, W. F., Starkes, J. L., & Van Winckel, J. (1998). The influence of relative age on success and dropout in male soccer players. American Journal of Human Biology: The Official Journal of the Human Biology Association, 10(6), 791-798.
• Kelly, A. L., Brown, T., Reed, R., Côté, J., & Turnnidge, J. (2022). Relative Age Effects in Male Cricket: A Personal Assets Approach to Explain Immediate, Short-Term, and Long-Term Developmental Outcomes. Sports, 10(3), 39
• Kelly, A. L., Côté, J., Hancock, D., & Turnnidge, J. In: Kelly, A. L., Côté, J., Turnnidge, J., & Hancock, D. (Eds.). (2021). Birth advantages and relative age effects: Exploring organisational structures in youth sport.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
• Kilic, K., & Ince, M.L. (2021). Youth athletes' developmental outcomes by age, gender, and type of sport. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 16(1), 212-225.
• 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.
• Mülazımoğlu, O., Cihan, H., Erdoğdu, M., & Şirin, E. F. (2013). Türkiye’deki bazı futbol kulüplerinin profesyonel ve alt yapı takımlarında bağıl yaş etkisi. Spormetre Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 11(2), 105-111.
• Mülazımoğlu, O., Bayansalduz, M., Kaynak, K., & Mülazımoğlu, H. (2016). Relative age effect in Turkish soccer. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise, 18(1), 64-69.
• Patton, M., Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, Calif. London : Sage.
• Pearson, D., Naughton, G., & Torode, M. (2006). Predictability of physiological testing and the role of maturation in talent identification for adolescent team sports, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 9, 277–287.
• Pehlivan, Z. (2013). Okullararası spor yarışmalarına katılanların sporu bırakma ve devam etme nedenleri. Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 24(3), 209-225.
• Pekel, H. A., & Kamiş, O. (2018). 14 Yaş Altı Atletlerde Bağıl Yaş Etkisi. Gazi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 23(3), 153-162.
• Régnier, G., Salmela., J. & Russell, S. (1993). “Talent detection and development in sport”, R. Singer, M. Murphy ve L. Tennant (Eds.), In Handbook of Research in Sport Psychology, (pp. 290–313), New York: Macmillan.
• Turnnidge, J., Wright, E., & Matthews, A. (2021). Organizational structures in sport: Methodological considerations. In Birth Advantages and Relative Age Effects in Sport (pp. 30-56). Routledge
• Wattie, N., Cobley, S., & Baker, J. (2008). Towards a unified understanding of relative age effects. Journal of sports sciences, 26(13), 1403-1409
• Yapar, A. (2020). U16 Basketbol Avrupa Şampiyonasına Katılan basketbolcularda Doğum Yeri ve Bağıl Yaş Etkisinin İncelenmesi. Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 3(3), 63-79.
• Yapar, A., & Ince, M. L. (2014). Youth basketball player's experience, enjoyment and burnout levels in recreational and specialization context. Science & Sports, 29, S33.