Insights from the BIO-AGE Final Conference
The final conference of the BIO-AGE project, held on December 12th, provided a wealth of valuable insights into the importance of biological maturation in youth football. The event brought together key experts from Warta Poznań and Hannover 96 football clubs, as well as AWF Poznań and Saarland University, to discuss how this innovative methodology can reshape the development of young athletes. The conference gathered coaches, students from AWF, physical education teachers, and sports professionals.
Dr. hab. Robert Śliwowski, Head of the Department of Theory and Methodology of Team Sports at the University of Physical Education in Poznań, opened the conference as the host. He welcomed the participants and set the stage for an engaging discussion on the future of youth football development through the BIO-AGE methodology.
Mgr Mikołaj Patek, a lecturer at AWF Poznań, was the first to take the floor. He introduced the concept of biological maturation, explaining how biological age can be measured and discussing methods such as the Kamis-Roche method, PAH (Peak Height Velocity), PHV (Peak Height Velocity), and other indicators. He emphasized why it is essential to group players based on biological maturity rather than relying solely on chronological age. This approach is a core element of the BIO-AGE project, which aims to promote more individualized development for young athletes.
Next, Mirek Wódkowski, Director of the Warta Poznań Academy, shared the lessons learned during the one-year project and how it was implemented at their club. He highlighted that, although the academy had recognized the significance of biological maturation, there had been a trend of placing more early-maturing players in older age groups, which resulted in fewer opportunities for late-blooming players. Wódkowski also noted that this trend is prevalent in most football clubs across Poland. Moving forward, he emphasized that the academy is not only integrating biological age into their training but also introducing new scouting strategies and an updated academy development plan for next year, which will take the bio-age approach into account to better identify and support late bloomers.
Following this, Dominik Suslik, Head of Health and Performance at Hannover 96 Academy, and Arne Kübek, Head of the Football School & Project Manager at the H96 Academy, shared their perspectives. They discussed how Hannover 96 is adapting its training and competition strategies, focusing on bio-age competitions. These competitions, which were tested during the BIO-AGE Open Day as part of the European Week of Sport, aim to create a higher challenge for early-maturing players by combining different age groups through bio-banding. This approach challenges early-maturing athletes and makes bio-age principles accessible to regional clubs. By splitting training groups, the focus can shift towards more individualized player development. The club also stressed the importance of continuing coaching education to effectively implement these changes.
Finally, Lukas Arenas, a PhD candidate in Health and Performance from Saarland University, concluded the session by discussing ongoing changes in youth football development across Europe. He also presented the materials developed by all project partners throughout the year, which are now available for download at BIO-AGE.eu These resources are designed to assist clubs and coaches in integrating bio-age methodologies into their practices.
The conference concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where participants had the opportunity to ask the speakers insightful questions. The discussion was so lively that Prof. Śliwowski had to bring it to a close as time was up.
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