Trends in Relative Age Effects of Top-Level Female Soccer Players: A Japanese Study

Abstract

We investigated recent trends in relative age effect (RAE) findings of top-level female soccer players in Japan, using data from the 2016 to 2020 seasons. We conducted two main analyses: (a) An examination of RAE for all registered players in the Japan Women’s Soccer League (Nadeshiko League) from 2016 to 2020; and (b) an examination of RAE of newly registered players in the league from 2017 to 2020. In the first analysis, we found a significant difference between the number of players born in Q1 (April–June) versus Q4 (January–March), with the number of players born in Q1 greater and with the ratio between these groups ranging from 1.5 to 1.7. In the second analysis, we found a significant relationship between Q1 and Q4 for the 2017 season alone. However, the Q1/Q4 ratio ranged from 1.4 to 1.9, and the semester ratio of S1 (Q1 + Q2))/S2 (Q3 + Q4) ranged from 1.2 to 1.3, suggesting a birth month bias. Thus, there was a RAE in female soccer players playing recently in Japan’s top-level leagues; and the size of the effect did not change significantly across recent seasons.