Relative age effect (long article)

[gormless]

https://thecorrespondent.com/406/th...as-born-in-the-wrong-month/956291182-abe2ca3e

In essence, if you are born in the summer months you are going to massively struggle to make it in the game as you will be playing against players 9-12 months older than you born in September . It’sa fascinating read really, told through the prism of Jamie Lawrence, a Welsh international I had no clue existed.


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe..._distribution_UEFA_youth_tournaments_2010.pdf
I am on my phone so can’t format the image in the link into my post but there looks to be a definite trend (I believe majority of EU countries school years begin in January so effect is slightly different in this chart)

Just found the article interesting so thought I would share, as I’m sure it applies through other walks of life such as academia as well

 

[Mogget]

I haven't read the article yet, but I just had a look at that image and that's an absolutely insane trend.

 

[VorZakone]

I've heard of this before, it's pretty interesting. Does this translate to multiple sports?

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

This is really mind blowing. I just did a quick scan of my group of closest friends. We attended the same middle school, a prestigious academy that required testing entrance. All but one of us were born between September and February.

The principle also applied to the world beyond sports. Late-born children perform worse in education; late-born children were more often diagnosed with ADHD; late-born children were less often given high managerial and political positions.

The principle of dividing children by year-groups was devised with the intention of assessing children’s abilities appropriately and fairly; the actual effect was the opposite.

“The world is divided into two,” Steve explains. “Those who are born early, the lucky ones, and those who are born late, the unlucky ones.”

 

[gormless]

I've heard of this before, it's pretty interesting. Does this translate to multiple sports?

The article says it’s a phenomenon in ice hockey as well. I assume others but that’s the only other sport touched upon in the article.

 

[macheda14]

So basically Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers?

 

[Bubz27]

It's a trend that continues in education too, for what it's worth.

 

[Manchester Dan]

So basically Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers?

I was just about to say, for anybody who enjoys this in football, outliers lays it out for all sport and many other industries - it’s a good read.

 

[Sandikan]

Definitely a lot in this.
I was a mid July birth, and my pal was September, and because of that you're getting that relative advantage/disadvantage.

I remember he used to smugly win through chess contests competing against younger kids

 

[Manchester Dan]

I've heard of this before, it's pretty interesting. Does this translate to multiple sports?

All sports, and just about anything that begins in education where they are segregated into “year” groups. I’ve heard of some bigger schools now splitting classes into smaller age categories to combat, but at a young age it’ll always make a difference.

As above, would recommend the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Is it really mind blowing? When you have a natural advantage over your peers at a young age it breeds confidence and makes it more likely that you’ll fulfil your potential.

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Is it really mind blowing? When you have a natural advantage over your peers at a young age it breeds confidence and makes it more likely that you’ll fulfil your potential.

I think it’s very obvious when pointed out, but when you’ve gone through life never really thinking about it and doesn’t realize the massive head start you enjoyed. It’s like people born in well off families who attribute all their successes to ‘hard work’.

 

[Blackwidow]

You just need to look into the squads for international youth tournaments and you will find far more players born in the first quarter of the year than players of the third or even fourth...

 

[Classical Mechanic]

I think it’s very obvious when pointed out, but when you’ve gone through life never really thinking about it and doesn’t realize the massive head start you enjoyed. It’s like people born in well off families who attribute all their successes to ‘hard work’.

Fair enough. It’s been known in the UK for a long time. There was discussion about it years ago when something like 95% of the England squad was born early in the school year.

 

[Pagh Wraith]

But this is only true if the new age group starts in September. I was born in August and always one of the oldest along with two of my mates you were born in June and July respectively.

 

[Leonetti]

But this is only true if the new age group starts in September. I was born in August and always one of the oldest along with two of my mates you were born in June and July respectively.

I am August too. I played up with my classmates until I was 12 (soccer and school had different cutoffs. August vs. September). Then I played a level below once I turned 12 since I was able to. I was far superior in that age group than I was in the one above though I did not struggle too much. Could have been that the team at the age group below was also a better team than the older group but confidence wise it was definitely a boost. Our top 5 players also were the oldest five which makes sense as we were also more physically developed than the others with none of us under 5-10.

 

[Raees]

Brilliant article thanks for sharing.

 

[Blackwidow]

But this is only true if the new age group starts in September. I was born in August and always one of the oldest along with two of my mates you were born in June and July respectively.

School and sports was something different as in sports it was the calendar year whereas in school July 1st was the dividing point between school years. I am born late September but went to school a year earlier. I never really remarked a handicap with that - not in sports and not in school - but I am grown up with 2 older brothers (1 year and 4 years) - so I had to learn to enforce me from early on and probably was ahead of my age because of that.

 

[gormless]

So basically Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers?

It’s mentioned in the article. Worth reading?

 

[macheda14]

It’s mentioned in the article. Worth reading?

Very very interesting, goes into the idea of right place right time as well. Like Bill Gates or the equivalent were incredible people but they were lucky to be born in a time where they could become game changers.

 

[Needham]

It’s mentioned in the article. Worth reading?

Not really. Makes a point/ has a central idea then keeps repeating same idea through various anecdotes. Tbf he's spent 10,000 hours practicing it though so he's good at it.

 

[RedRob]

It's covered in a chapter of Superfreakonmics as well.
Another good read.

 

[M16Red]

I think it’s very obvious when pointed out, but when you’ve gone through life never really thinking about it and doesn’t realize the massive head start you enjoyed. It’s like people born in well off families who attribute all their successes to ‘hard work’.

Are you saying just because they are born into that family and successful they worked less than us. Bastards

 

[Tottenhamguy]

I've heard of this before, it's pretty interesting. Does this translate to multiple sports?

I played Cricket growing up and the age groups were u'13s/u15's, Thinking about it imagine being born in August playing against someone who is 2 years older and born in September. A massive issue for development but due to lack of participation compared to football that's why there is 2 year's difference in age groups

 

[Flanders Devil]

I played Cricket growing up and the age groups were u'13s/u15's, Thinking about it imagine being born in August playing against someone who is 2 years older and born in September. A massive issue for development but due to lack of participation compared to football that's why there is 2 year's difference in age groups

Was going to come on to say this - growing up playing cricket it was very pronounced. In Australia they had teams in every U age, but still quite clear advantage to the older kids.
Also seconding the references to Malcom Gladwell - I like a lot of his books.

 

[711]

My sister's a teacher and said she can generally tell which kids in a new class of 11 year-olds are the youngest. They grow fast, physically and mentally.

 

[WeePat]

The league the football club I played for from age 7 to 14 competed in had this system where they would group 2 year groups together, but they would alternate on a yearly basis - so if I was born in 92 I'd play with and compete against year groups 92 and 93, the following year it would 91 and 92, then back 92 and 93 the year after that etc.

So when I was 10, I'd compete against 10-11 year olds, the following year I would be 11 but I'd still compete against 10-11 year olds, then the year after I'd be 12 but compete against 12-13 years old and so on. I never really thought about it growing up, but looking back it seemed like a very fair system that eliminated some of the problems raised here.

 

[BazzaBear]

Finally! The explanation for why I'm so shit at football! I knew it couldn't be my own fault.