The relative age effect on Brazilian Elite Futsal: Men and Women Scenarios

Abstract

Aims: The relative age effect (RAE) has been a research subject in several fields of society. RAE is present in different sports, influencing the young athlete’s opportunities of participation. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of RAE in Brazilian elite men and women futsal. Methods: Birthdate of 376 athletes from Brazilian Men National Futsal League (LNF)/2013 and 227 from Brazilian Women National Futsal League/2014 were collected on leagues’ homepages and divided into four quarters (Q1:January-March, Q2:April-June, Q3:July-September and Q4:October-December) and two semesters (S1:January-June, S2:July-December). In men case, results were compared with Penna and Moraes (2010) data on LNF/2009. Chi-square test was used to analyze differences between distributions of birthdates by quarters and semesters. The significance level was set at α<0.05, with Bonferroni correction when necessary. Results: there is RAE in men futsal, predominantly on athletes born in first semester. In women futsal, there is no evidence of RAE. Conclusions: On men futsal, there is a need for offering similar opportunities to young players, while on women, the small amount of athletes in Brazil must be regarded as an alert to the culture of futsal as a men social space, which deters the entry of new practitioners.