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    Looking beyond relative age to understand relative advantage and disadvantage in talent development


    Sweeney, Liam, de la Rub, Alfonso, Taylor, Jamie and Thue Bjørndal, Christian (2024) Looking beyond relative age to understand relative advantage and disadvantage in talent development. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6 (147094). pp. 1-7. ISSN 2624-9367

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    Abstract

    In this perspective article, we argue for a broader consideration of relative advantages and disadvantages in youth sport; a lens that considers the complex biopsychosocial factors that influence athlete development beyond relative age. We begin with a brief overview of Relative Age Effects (RAEs), with a particular focus on the proposed underlying mechanisms, followed by a discussion of the cultural and organisational considerations and implications that talent systems must consider when implementing interventions to counteract RAEs. We conclude by proposing key directions for future research in respect to RAEs and talent development more broadly. We argue that there is a need to consider the highly complex nature of RAEs, but also that there are no clear solutions to the issue of RAEs in youth sports, and that proposed solutions may come with unintended consequences. This should encourage us to experiment more, not less, with diverse ways of providing meaningful sports experiences that promote learning, psychosocial development, and performance. We suggest an urgent need for greater practical and research focus on supporting coaches, as they have the greatest capacity to understand the needs of individual athletes. In addition, systemically working towards equal access to skilful coaches. We encourage a shift in focus beyond descriptive methodologies of RAEs toward transformative research methodologies that include action-based research, complex interventions that incorporate context-sensitive qualitative methods, and other participatory research approaches.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: athlete development; relative age effects; youth sport; talent identification; talent systems;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering > Sports Science and Nutrition
    Item ID: 19166
    Identification Number: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1470944
    Depositing User: Liam Sweeney
    Date Deposited: 11 Nov 2024 09:47
    Journal or Publication Title: Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
    Publisher: Frontiers Media
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19166
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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