Interesting article on how birth date affects career prospects...

Wonder how many kids have fallen by the wayside just because of their date of birth

https://thecorrespondent.com/406/th...as-born-in-the-wrong-month/956291182-abe2ca3e

 

Talk about pushy parent! He had loads more opportunities than a lot of kids.

 

Educational statistics show a ~1.5% fall in grades for each month born after September in a school year - even up to age 16 although it tends to even out after that. So, kids born at the wrong end of the school year (July/August) *as a whole* get worse results than those born at the start of the year (September/October) by about 15%*.

*Individuals can do better or worse, but this is a pattern that is observed year-on-year.

 

I think that statistic will change now that children all start school in one intake.

 

I read an article years ago about athletes inc footballers, and how much difference birth month makes.

 

I enjoy that the moment he truly believed that it was true was when he saw Frimpong and basically thought 'I'm definitely better than him!'

 

That's absolutely fascinating - this graph is astounding if true. Definitely seems like something a data-driven club should be thinking about, especially if their edge in picking up bargains has been slightly blunted recently...

 

Messi July birthday and tiny!

 

Wonder how much of that is to do with kids born in September being more developed and generally bigger/stronger than those born later in the academic year.

 

Having said that, I've just noticed it's from 1996 - wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that clubs are a lot more on top of it now.

 

Its not to do with the time spent at school, but their physical and emotional development when they start school and throughout all the years of their education. So if you took 100 children born in September 2019 and 100 born in August 2020 and they started school on the same day with exactly the same teachers, lessons, etc, those born in September would do better as a group. Individuals would vary.

 

Let's be honest, we all had that thought in our heads when we saw Frimpong.

 

I work in education tracking software and I can certainly say that there is a definite correlation between attainment and month of birth. For me anyway, there’s some people that say it means nothing.

I think, for example when comparing September born to August born, 11 months is huge during early years in particular and that’s where it makes the most difference in my opinion.

I think you can tell it means something because the DfE state that Summer Born pupils run from April to August. I’m not sure where they are living in April for it to be classed as summer.

 

Interesting article although I'm not sold on the figures, they don't look real to me. They're way too definitive.

I design dashboards. These:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...X9WhUIHTtmDroQ_AUoAXoECBIQAw&biw=1920&bih=947

My sample size is 30,000+ children.

Birth month is a significant factor in primary school when analysing attainment. Pupils born in September achieve the highest grades on average, while those born in August the lowest, with a sliding scale of achievement between. The younger the pupils are the more significant this is. It narrows significantly as they reach year six and is barely detectable after year 8.

The later you are born in a school year the more disadvantaged you are at a younger age. However, as you grow older more environmental factors come into play and the more significant they become, often outstripping the month in which you were born. In education, by the time you're 16, the wealth of your family is a far more significant factor. That's not to say the month in which you're born affecting your life chances ever goes away, it's just diluted by numerous other influences. The figures in that article appear way too extreme and suggest birth month is the deciding factor regarding success in professional football. I seriously question that.

 

Thing is, however you do it someone will.always be the youngest.