Nature or nurture....
Is it just me or does everyone love a little crazy research?
Did you know, that more than 50 per cent of players in the English premier league soccer were born in the first three months of the year?
Apparently, someone at Cambridge University was the first to notice the phenomenon, and decided to check it out.
For a comparison, they took a look at the European national youth teams, which provide talent to the English Premier League, confirmed it…half the elite players in ALL English teams were born in January, February or March.
The birth dates of others are spread over the other nine months.
As a little control, I took a look at the Bronco’s website…same again, more than half of first grade were born in the first three months of the year.
Apparently, there’s a pretty mundane explanation.
The cut off date for most sports is December 31.
So, when kids first get into sport, a player born in January is likely to be physically stronger and more likely to impress than one born later in the year.
And that’s the moment it starts, when people start noticing the child and commenting on their skills.
The January-born player then gets more attention from coaches and positive re-inforcement from parents and peers….and sometimes, that’s all it takes to transform them into superstars.
Now, this might sound like bad news for the mere mortals born between April and December…but it’s the opposite.
What the experts are saying, is that natural talent is in fact over rated… elite sportspeople, whether they play AFL football, netball, soccer or cricket, are nearly always made, not born.
As all it takes is a glimmer of hope and someone to believe in you…so there you go.
Did you know, that more than 50 per cent of players in the English premier league soccer were born in the first three months of the year?
Apparently, someone at Cambridge University was the first to notice the phenomenon, and decided to check it out.
For a comparison, they took a look at the European national youth teams, which provide talent to the English Premier League, confirmed it…half the elite players in ALL English teams were born in January, February or March.
The birth dates of others are spread over the other nine months.
As a little control, I took a look at the Bronco’s website…same again, more than half of first grade were born in the first three months of the year.
Apparently, there’s a pretty mundane explanation.
The cut off date for most sports is December 31.
So, when kids first get into sport, a player born in January is likely to be physically stronger and more likely to impress than one born later in the year.
And that’s the moment it starts, when people start noticing the child and commenting on their skills.
The January-born player then gets more attention from coaches and positive re-inforcement from parents and peers….and sometimes, that’s all it takes to transform them into superstars.
Now, this might sound like bad news for the mere mortals born between April and December…but it’s the opposite.
What the experts are saying, is that natural talent is in fact over rated… elite sportspeople, whether they play AFL football, netball, soccer or cricket, are nearly always made, not born.
As all it takes is a glimmer of hope and someone to believe in you…so there you go.
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