Abstract
Background
Differences in maturity status between athletes may affect selection to development programmes. Data supporting this are limited for low- and middle-income countries.
Aim
This exploratory study aimed to describe the maturity by country, sport and position/event, using data from a convenience sample of South African and German adolescents selected to competitive football (soccer) and athletics (track and field) programmes, and school learners from the same geographical area.
Subjects and methods
We included skeletal age estimates from BAUSport ultrasound assessments of 233 girls (age 10–15 years) and 483 boys (age 10–17 years).
Results
South African boys in the athletics group were advanced in maturity compared to football players, who were advanced compared to school learners. Similar patterns could be seen for South African girls (data only available for athletics vs. school learners). German female football players were less mature than the athletics and school samples, with no apparent differences between German male groups. South African boys and girls were delayed in maturity compared to German participants.
Conclusion
Our observations may inspire future research aiming to understand the maturity of athletes in development pathways in South Africa using more robust study designs. Such studies should include a suitable control group.
Differences in maturity status between athletes may affect selection to development programmes. Data supporting this are limited for low- and middle-income countries.
Aim
This exploratory study aimed to describe the maturity by country, sport and position/event, using data from a convenience sample of South African and German adolescents selected to competitive football (soccer) and athletics (track and field) programmes, and school learners from the same geographical area.
Subjects and methods
We included skeletal age estimates from BAUSport ultrasound assessments of 233 girls (age 10–15 years) and 483 boys (age 10–17 years).
Results
South African boys in the athletics group were advanced in maturity compared to football players, who were advanced compared to school learners. Similar patterns could be seen for South African girls (data only available for athletics vs. school learners). German female football players were less mature than the athletics and school samples, with no apparent differences between German male groups. South African boys and girls were delayed in maturity compared to German participants.
Conclusion
Our observations may inspire future research aiming to understand the maturity of athletes in development pathways in South Africa using more robust study designs. Such studies should include a suitable control group.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2700420 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Annals of Human Biology |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 6 Aug 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Aug 2026 |
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the first author (EHW), but limited to participants where parents consented to this use of their data. The data are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions, as parents of participants could opt in or out of making their data available for sharing with journals and other investigators during the consent process.Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the staff members at Stellenbosch Football Club, Hout Bay United Football Community, Cape Town City Football Club, Endurocad, and the participating school, who facilitated participant recruitment and data collection in South Africa as part of the larger database that this study has extracted data from.Funding
No specific funding was obtained for this study.
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
Keywords
- Adolescent development
- developing countries
- soccer
- track and field
- youth sports
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Epidemiology
- Physiology
- Ageing
- Genetics
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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