Bio-banding in soccer: Past, present, and future

Maturity-related selection biases are engrained within professional academy soccer programmes. The process of grouping of children by biological maturity (“bio-banding”), rather than age is not new. However, practice of bio-banding is becoming increasingly popular with youth soccer development programmes where maturity-related differences in size and athleticism have been cited as key mechanisms behind the over-selection of early over late maturing players. However, the objectives of bio-banding require further clarity to avoid a disconnect between contemporary academic evidence and present and future practitioner practice. Therefore, the purpose of this commentary is to 1) provide a concise overview of the literature (to date), 2) identify possible applications of bio-banding to permit more informed decisions relating to the evaluation and management of young soccer players and (3) propose future directions for both research and applied practice.