Every youth coach has seen this: one child is bigger, faster, and more coordinated than their peers, while another child is smaller and takes longer to gain confidence. It’s easy to mistake this for talent, but it often comes down to age.
This is known as the Relative Age Effect — the tendency for children who are among the oldest in their age group to gain an early developmental advantage over their younger peers. These advantages can lead to more playing time, greater confidence, and more chances to improve. Over time, these small differences can have a big impact.
The phenomenon gained widespread attention after Malcolm Gladwell highlighted research on Canadian hockey players in Outliers. Research showed that elite Canadian hockey players born early in the year were more common at all levels of competition. Similar trends also appear in other sports and in academics.
However, a child’s birth date should not determine their future.
As coaches and youth sports leaders, our legacy won’t be measured by how many games we won with the most talented players. It will be measured by how many young athletes we helped develop — especially those who needed someone to believe in them before anyone else did.
That’s the opportunity we have every season.
In the accompanying video, I share a recent conversation I had with a nine-year-old softball player, who is among the youngest in her age group, and the perspective I took from that.