Should Western United Consider Playing Games at Knights Stadium?

Football NSW’s new Biological Maturation Process for the 2025 season outlines a framework that allows players who “Are potentially disadvantaged from a physical perspective, due to later biological maturity” to play in lower age groups.

Players assessed as biologically “late developers” for their chronological age will be approved to play down an age grade provided there are positions available at their club, whereas players assigned as “on-time” or “early developers” are NOT.

It will be applied only for NSW’s girls’ and boys’ Youth Leagues one, two and three from ages 13 to 15.

Only one “late developer” is allowed per age group team and must be registered on their ID as a ‘late developer.’

The test conducted is based on the estimated age at peak height velocity (APHV) measuring differing factors of height and weight. This is then cross-referenced with normative data for boys and girls.

Biological maturity testing will be conducted at Valentine Park on the following dates:

• Monday, 9 September 2024
• Monday, 30 September 2024
• Monday, 25 November 2024 – FINAL DATE

The player must be registered before conducting these tests.

One cannot argue against speed, strength and agility being hallmarks of modern football athletes who are regarded as some of the fittest in the world.

However, football and modern development programs have always advocated that these factors do not only make one a great footballer.

Highly regarded academies such as Barcelona’s La Masia have mainly championed technical ability, hard work and teamwork as routes to success.

Some of the more famous and arguably the best players the world has known have been small or under-developed for their age. Lionel Messi and fellow countryman Diego Maradona, are adored due to their technique and ability, not for their physical prowess.

Even the most physical of positions has had players breaking the stereotypes, Italian centre-back Fabio Cannavaro a World Cup and Ballon-d’Or-winning stands at 6’9.

For a modern example, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez 6’9 has proven many critics wrong about his ability to adapt to the physicality of the English Premier League.

Spain’s Aitana Bonmati at 6’3 won the golden ball on these shores in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Not to mention is one of the most decorated individual players for a singular season in 2022-23 with Barcelona Feminine, who she captained to a famous treble.

One does not even have to travel overseas to observe this dichotomy, Josh Nisbet who stands at 5’2 was one of the best midfielders in the A-Leagues along with a plethora of players who have broken this stereotype to be successful.

Would these player’s growth as footballers have been stumped by these rules? Would they not have to challenge and adapt their game to play tougher opponents due to their disadvantage? This same physical disadvantage many explained to have been a barrier for them have turned out to be a strength of theirs.

Another topic that’s been championed by many footballers now is the psychological side of sport.

How would it feel for these players in their formative years to be seen as physically underdeveloped and must drop age groups to perform well? How will it be received by other kids or different academy prospects?

There is no shame in finding it difficult or not up to the task. Nor for parents, coaches and technical directors, important figures in these children’s lives, wanting to protect their children and players and give them the best environment to strive.

Now we must accept that the aforementioned players are grown adults who have gone through their bodies’ development.

Maybe a player who has serious development issues or doesn’t show massive quality could do leaps and bounds with this opportunity.

The age group changes are not huge and physical disadvantages have been identified as problems within youth throughout footballing history.

Football NSW also have data and studies to support their decision.

A study from 2020 of Spanish youth football reported that applying biological maturity can diminish the loss of quality in players. On top of this it highlights the need to focus not on competitive results.

Which to Football NSW’s credit they have made a core of their strategies for development but at these age groups specified this focus becomes harder to maintain.

Though the same study around is based centrally around RAE (Relative Age Effect) with people born in the beginning of the year compared to later. Playing down a age group wasn’t an option mentioned, and the psychological effects were still a variable missing a more prevalent analysis.

Is this the forward-thinking that Australian football needs to answer the crucial questions of physical development? This move seems like one that is very possibly going in the right direction.

Maybe it’s old-fashioned to reject this idea, though one cannot help but fear the possibility of holding back young players due to their physical ability or the effect it can have on them psychologically.

Football is a sport for all people no matter what their differences, that’s why it has coined the title ‘The Beautiful Game” and that’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

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