University of Bath leads world’s largest growth and maturation study in elite football to support early and late developers
The University of Bath, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, has conducted the most extensive growth and maturation study in world football, helping reshape talent development pathways for young players in Scotland.
Commissioned by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and completed between January and April 2024, the research, published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, evaluated over 1,000 academy players in the Club Academy Scotland (CAS) system – making it the largest study of its kind examining both relative age and biological maturation.
Researchers recorded players’ birth dates, current height and weight, and parental height to project growth and determine biological maturity. The findings confirm a strong bias toward early-developing players, echoing global trends and raising important questions about current selection and development practices.
Professor Sean Cumming, Lead Researcher from the Department for Health, University of Bath, said: “Academies are often populated by players who have simply matured earlier. This project and the new pilot rule allow us to create more equitable environments for all players to thrive – especially late developers, who are typically underrepresented.”
Based on the findings, the Scottish FA has introduced a pilot policy that increases flexibility for clubs to group players based on biological rather than chronological age. This aims to give later-developing players a fairer developmental environment, helping them build confidence and hone their skills alongside physically similar peers.
The pilot was announced at the Growth and Maturation Workshop held at Hampden Park, where researchers presented the data to clubs and academy staff.
Click here to read the full story on the University of Bath website.
