Maturity-associated variation in the body size, physical fitness, technical efficiency, and network-based centrality measures in young soccer players

This study aimed to observe the relationships between the maturity status on the network-based centrality measures of young athletes in small-sided soccer games (SSG). The study included 81 male players (14.4 ± 1.1 years). Measurements included height, sitting height, body mass, and bone age (TW3 method). The applied protocols were the following: Countermovement Jump (CMJ), Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRT1), Repeated Sprints Ability (RSA), observational analysis of techniques, and interactions performed by players in SSG. The relationship between the set of evaluated variables within each maturity status was obtained from the correlational analysis of networks (P < 0.05). The maturity status explained a significant portion of the variance in body mass (η(2) = 0.37), height (η(2) = 0.30), sitting height (η(2) = 0.30), and performance on the YYIRT1 (η(2) = 0.08), CMJ (η(2) = 0.14), and RSA (η(2) = 0.13). No effect of maturity status on network-based centrality measures of young athletes was identified (P > 0.05). For the late maturity group, there was a correlation between the degree of centrality and physical growth indicators (r(mean) = 0.88). For players with maturation “on time”, physical growth indicators relate to the degree of prestige (r(mean) = 0.36). It is concluded that body size and bone age impact how late and on-time maturity groups interact within the match.