Relative Age and Passing Performance in Pre-adolescent Football Players (RAE-LSPT)

July 21, 2026 updated by: Édison Andrés Pérez Bedoya, Federal University of Vicosa

Relative Age and Passing Performance in Pre-adolescent Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test

This completed cross-sectional observational study examined whether relative age within an annual selection cycle was associated with passing performance in pre-adolescent football players. Participants were classified by birth month, birth quarter and birth semester. Passing performance was assessed using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test, in which players completed 16 passes to colour-coded targets as quickly and accurately as possible. Total performance time combined movement time, time penalties for errors and time bonuses for accurate passes. The study evaluated the distribution of players across the selection year and the association between relative age and passing-test performance while accounting for the two chronological birth cohorts represented in the sample.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Annual age grouping in youth football can create a relative age effect, characterised by the over-representation of players born earlier in the selection year. This pattern is often attributed to temporary developmental advantages, but it is unclear whether earlier-born pre-adolescent players also demonstrate superior technical performance.

The study used a cross-sectional observational design in a youth football development programme in Bello, Colombia. The source cohort contained 61 participant records. Birth month was used to classify players into four relative-age quarters: Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September) and Q4 (October-December), and into two semesters: H1 (January-June) and H2 (July-December).

Passing performance was measured with the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test. Players were scheduled to complete two trials separated by five minutes. Each trial comprised 16 externally cued passes to four colour-coded target areas. Movement time was adjusted by adding penalties for inaccurate execution or protocol violations and subtracting bonuses for striking the central target strip. Lower total performance time indicated better performance. The primary technical outcome was the mean total performance time across available trials. Sensitivity outcomes included Trial 1 and the best trial.

The primary analysis estimated the association between birth month and LSPT total performance time after adjustment for birth cohort. Additional analyses examined representation by quarter and semester and agreement between the two LSPT trials. Data collection was completed in 2017. The study is being registered retrospectively in 2026 to improve transparency and support public sharing of the anonymised dataset and analysis materials.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

61

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Colombia
    • Antioquia
      • Guarne, Antioquia, Colombia, 054080
        • Tecnológico de Antioquia

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Pre-adolescent football players enrolled in a youth football development programme in Bello, Antioquia, Colombia. Participants were recruited from the available programme roster using a non-probability, programme-based sample. The study included players from two chronological birth cohorts and classified them according to position within the annual selection year.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Registered or actively participating in the selected youth football development programme in Bello, Colombia during the assessment period.
  • Date of birth available in the programme roster.
  • Able to undertake the football passing assessment.
  • Written parent or legal guardian consent and child assent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute injury, illness or medical restriction preventing safe completion of the LSPT [retain only if this was an actual criterion].
  • Unable to complete the required familiarisation or test procedure.
  • Missing date-of-birth information.
  • No valid LSPT trial available for inclusion in the primary analytical sample.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Group 1
Q1 - Players born from January to March
Group 2
Q2 - Players born from April to June
Group 3
Q3 - Players born from July to September
Group 4
Q4 - Players born from October to December

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean LSPT total performance time
Time Frame: Day 1
Mean of all available LSPT trial total performance times, expressed in seconds. For each trial, total performance time was calculated as movement time plus penalty time minus bonus time. Lower values indicate better performance.
Day 1
Number of participants in each relative-age quarter
Time Frame: Baseline
Count of participants classified as Q1 (January-March), Q2 (April-June), Q3 (July-September) or Q4 (October-December), based on the date of birth recorded in the programme roster.
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
LSPT Trial 1 total performance time
Time Frame: Day 1
Trial 1 movement time plus penalty time minus bonus time, expressed in seconds.
Day 1
Best LSPT total performance time
Time Frame: Day 1
Lowest total performance time recorded across the participant's available LSPT trials, expressed in seconds. Two trials were scheduled five minutes apart.
Day 1
Number of participants in each relative-age semester
Time Frame: Baseline
Count of participants classified as H1 (January-June) or H2 (July-December), based on the date of birth recorded in the programme roster.
Baseline
Difference between Trial 2 and Trial 1 total performance time
Time Frame: Day 1
Trial 2 total performance time minus Trial 1 total performance time, expressed in seconds, among participants who completed both trials. The two trials were scheduled five minutes apart.
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Federal University of Vicosa

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 15, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

March 20, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 21, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RAE-LSPT-2017-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The de-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in the associated article will be made publicly available in Zenodo. The shared materials will include the participant-level analytical dataset, data dictionary, metadata, and reproducible analysis code. Names, identity-document numbers, exact dates of birth, contact information, and any participant re-identification key will not be shared. Data will become available when the Zenodo record is released, no later than publication of the primary article, and will remain available indefinitely under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Access will be open and will not require submission or approval of a research proposal.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be available from the public release of the Zenodo record, no later than publication of the primary article, and will remain available indefinitely.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The data and supporting materials will be publicly accessible through Zenodo without the need for a formal request, research proposal, data-use agreement, or approval by the study investigators.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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