Age-Group Differences in Skeletal Age, Anabolic Hormones, and Physical Fitness in Elite Youth Football Players from Under-13 to Under-16
Ebrahim Eskandarifard, Mehdi Kargarfard, Rafael Franco Soares Oliveira, Seyed Abbas Afsanepurak, Hadi Nobarı, António José Figueiredo
This study compares skeletal age, growth hormones, and physical fitness across age groups of elite youth football players, finding increases in skeletal age, fitness, and IGF-1 with age, but no change in GH.
bioRxiv · Jun 12, 2026 · PreprintDevelopmental Biology