Reference Values of Specific Physical Performances of Elite Youth Male Soccer Players: Taking into Consideration the Maturity Status

Background. Recognizing the significance of maturity-related adaptations is imperative for specialists and coaches when designing training regimens to nurture long-term athlete development. Objective. This study aims to explore how both chronological age and maturity status influence anthropometric measurements and physical performance in elite youth male soccer-players. Additionally, our goal is to establish percentile values for anthropometric variables and physical performance across different maturity groups. Methods. Two-hundred-eighty-seven soccer-players aged between 12-17 years participated in this study. Anthropometric measurements, including leg-muscle-volume (LMV), along with soccer-specific-physical-performances (SPP) such as Squat-Jump (SJ), Countermovement-Jump (CMJ), sprinting performances, and intermittent-endurance tests were assessed. Players were categorized into age groups (U12 to U17) and six maturational groups based on their maturity offset, ranging from -2.5 to +2.5 years. Results. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in anthropometric variables and SPP among different maturity groups. Body mass, leg length, and leg muscle volume exhibited consistent changes across consecutive maturity groups. Notably, jumping performances, particularly CMJ/SJ, were significantly influenced by maturity status, showing a progression of changes from -0.5 to +0.5 maturity groups for CMJ and from -0.5 to +0.5 maturity groups for SJ. Similarly, sprinting performances were significantly affected by maturity status, particularly in the -1.5 maturity group. Conclusions. Our findings highlight the significant role of growth and peak height velocity (PHV) in the anthropometric development and SPP potential of youth soccer players.