Talent map of female soccer: How does the birthplace and birthdate impact the participation of soccer players in Brazilian Serie A1 Championship?

Abstract

This present study aimed to verify the impact of birthplace and birthdate on the identification and development of talented Brazilian female players. The sample comprised 876 players from the Brazilian Serie A1 Championship between 2003 and 2020. Players’ birthdate and birthplace data from their hometowns were collected. The birthplace’s variables used were city size and Human Development Index (HDI). Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and Pearson correlation tests were performed. Results indicated that the players who were born in small cities (up to 100,000 inhabitants) and large urban centres (> 6,000,000 inhabitants), also with high HDI (> 0.701), have a greater chance to play in the most important tournament of the country. Results did not indicate significant differences in the frequencies of players born in each quartile according to players’ positional roles. Based on these findings, it is possible to conclude that the environmental conditions of birthplace are essential to promote initial conditions for the training processes related to soccer. They bring a relevant contribution to facilitate the pathway to high-level performance.