Tool
Is your child young or old for their age group?
Enter your child’s birthday to see where it falls in the football age-group year. The research below explains why age differences within a team can matter.
Quarter of the selection year
Estimated age group
Position in year
Birthdays later in the year
Selection year
Copied.
What the research says
The relative age effect, in numbers.
44%
Of academy players in a ten-year English study were born in the first quarter of the selection year, September to November.
University of Essex, 2024
~10%
Typical share born in the last quarter, June to August, across European academy studies. A quarter of the population, a tenth of the places.
Relative age effect literature, multiple studies
Reverses
Among players who reach the top, the late-born are over-represented relative to their academy share. This does not show that a late birthday makes a child a better player.
The underdog effect, Gibbs et al. and later work
Bio-banding
Premier League academies now run some fixtures grouped by physical maturity rather than birth date, specifically to correct this. Ask any academy whether it does.
Premier League bio-banding programme
Sources are linked on the data page. This tool gives the calendar facts and the published research. It does not predict your child.