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The influence of birth date and place of development on youth sport participation
Author(s) -
Turnnidge J.,
Hancock D. J.,
Côté J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12002
Subject(s) - ice hockey , youth sports , athletes , positive youth development , geography , sample (material) , psychology , medicine , developmental psychology , physical therapy , chemistry , chromatography , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Previous research highlights the critical role that contextual factors play in shaping athlete development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate two of these contextual factors: birth date (known as the relative age effect, RAE ) and city of development as determinants of participation in a sample of youth ice hockey players. The sample included 146 424 athletes registered with O ntario youth ice hockey between the 2004 and 2010 seasons. Chi‐square statistics determined a significant RAE in youth ice hockey. Findings also revealed a significant association between small cities of development and increased youth ice hockey participation. Finally, there was no evidence of an interaction between relative age and city of development. The characteristics of smaller communities that may facilitate sport participation across all youth are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.