Football-Specific PerformanceRAE-LSPTNCT07728305
Relative Age and Passing Performance in Pre-adolescent Football Players
An observational study of Football-Specific Performance and Children, run by Federal University of Vicosa at 1 site in Colombia.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 to 9 years, men only
- Conditions the study is for
- Football-Specific Performance, Children
- How many people
- 61 participants
- Where
- 1 siteColombia
- Study dates
- 15 Jan 2024to 20 Mar 2024
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 8 to 9 years
- Men only
- Child
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.
Who may be able to join
- 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.
Who cannot join
- 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.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: 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.
Read the 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.
- Conditions
- Football-Specific Performance, Children
- Keywords
- Relative age effect, youth football, passing performance, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 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 being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean LSPT total performance time
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.
Measured: Day 1
Number of participants in each relative-age quarter
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.
Measured: Baseline
Secondary outcomes (4)
LSPT Trial 1 total performance time
Trial 1 movement time plus penalty time minus bonus time, expressed in seconds.
Measured: Day 1
Best LSPT total performance time
Lowest total performance time recorded across the participant's available LSPT trials, expressed in seconds. Two trials were scheduled five minutes apart.
Measured: Day 1
Number of participants in each relative-age semester
Count of participants classified as H1 (January-June) or H2 (July-December), based on the date of birth recorded in the programme roster.
Measured: Baseline
Difference between Trial 2 and Trial 1 total performance time
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.
Measured: Day 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Jul 2026
- Study start15 Jan 2024
- Primary completion15 Jan 2024
- Study completion20 Mar 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Football-Specific PerformanceStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 61 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Federal University of Vicosa
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Édison Andrés Pérez Bedoya, Federal University of Vicosa
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07728305
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RAE-LSPT-2017-01
- Acronym
- RAE-LSPT
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 16 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 27 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: 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.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Relative Age and Passing Performance in Pre-adolescent Football Players: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07728305
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RAE-LSPT / RAE-LSPT-2017-01
- Conditions
- Football-Specific Performance, Children
- Keywords
- Relative age effect, youth football, passing performance, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 61 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Federal University of VicosaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 20 Mar 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 27 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
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 design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 to 9 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Age groups
- Child
- 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.
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 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.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
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.
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.
4 secondary outcomes
LSPT Trial 1 total performance time
Time frame: Day 1
Best LSPT total performance time
Time frame: Day 1
Number of participants in each relative-age semester
Time frame: Baseline
Difference between Trial 2 and Trial 1 total performance time
Time frame: Day 1
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. 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.
Related trials for Football-Specific Performance
Not yet recruiting
Acute Effects of Breathing Resistance During Exercise in Football Players
Respiratory Muscle Function and Football Performance
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Football-Specific Performance and Children, run by Federal University of Vicosa at 1 site in Colombia.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Colombia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mean LSPT total performance time (time frame: Day 1). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Jul 2026.