Private beta · Now inviting a small number of teams and academies · App Store launch coming soon

Growth & maturation for youth sport

Same age.
Different stage.

Growth and maturity estimates from published methods, updated every time you measure. Better-informed youth-sport decisions, all in one iPhone app.

Complete player profile with Growth Intelligence and maturity status
Inside Develupp · Player profile

The problem

One birth year.
Years apart in growth.

One squad, two ways to count ageIllustrative squad
Early maturerOn timeLate maturer

  1. Problem 1

    Same age, different stage

    Two players born the same month can sit years apart in physical maturity and still be in the same age group.

    Cumming et al., 2017
  2. Problem 2

    Selection leans toward early maturers

    Bigger, faster and stronger today looks like more talent, so late developers are easy to release before they catch up.

    Cumming et al., 2017
  3. Problem 3

    The growth spurt carries injury risk

    Research in academy football links the period around peak height velocity, the fastest point of the spurt, with more injuries, especially growth-related and overuse injuries.

    Johnson et al., 2020 · Rommers et al., 2020
  4. Problem 4

    Measuring is slow and costly

    The reference method, skeletal age, needs X-rays or specialist equipment. The practical alternatives need careful, regular measurements and spreadsheets, so data usually stays in one person's laptop.

Measuring

Measure with the iPhone camera, or keep using your stadiometer.

Develupp camera scan screen with face, distance, posture and feet checks
Camera scan in Develupp

iPhone 12 Pro or later (Pro models)

Camera scan

The app checks face, distance, posture and feet to help staff follow a consistent measurement process.

  • Standing height
  • Sitting height

Any iPhone on iOS 17.6+

Manual entry

Type in readings from your stadiometer, tape and scales, or import past seasons.

  • Height
  • Sitting height
  • Body mass
  • XLS, XLSX or CSV import

For reliable estimates

Every 3 monthsRegular intervals show how fast a player is growing.
Same time of dayHeight can drop by up to 1 cm over a day.
Same protocolSame device and, where possible, the same staff.

From player to squad

Understand each player’s growth.

01 / Understand a player

A growth story, not a single reading.

Follow changes in height and body mass as new measurements build a clearer picture of each player’s development.

  1. Height velocitySee how quickly a player is growing between measurements.
  2. Body mass alongside heightReview weight changes over the same period.
  3. The readings behind the chartKeep dates and measurements together in a history staff can review.

02 / See the whole squad

One team. Different stages.

Look beyond age groups to see growth patterns across the squad. Use maturity bands to inform bio-banded sessions and coaching conversations.

  1. The squad at a glanceGrowth speed, PHV phases and maturity timing.
  2. Find who needs a closer lookPlayer-level readings and overdue measurement flags.

03 / Plan by maturity

Another way to group your players.

Use bio-banding alongside age-group training to organise sessions around estimated physical maturity.

  1. See the maturity bandsReview how players are distributed across the squad before planning a session.
  2. Keep selection in perspectiveUse the relative-age report to check the balance of birth dates in your squad.

04 / Review growth with injuries

Bring growth into the conversation.

Review injury records alongside growth speed and maturity. Give staff a shared view of patterns over time.

  1. Growth at the time of injuryReview recorded injuries across growth-velocity groups.
  2. Maturity and time lostCompare injury counts and days lost across bio-bands.

These patterns support monitoring and discussion, not individual injury predictions or diagnoses.

Growth velocity screen showing changes in a player’s growth speed over time Squad summary with PHV phases, availability, growth velocity and individual player rows Bio-banding dashboard showing maturity groups across the squad Charts showing recorded injuries by growth velocity and bio-banding group
Growth velocity · Follow change between measurements Team growth report · From squad patterns to player detail Bio-banding · A different view of the same squad Growth & injury report · Example app data

The science

Built on published research.
Estimates with uncertainty.

Published methods estimate adult height and the timing of maturation. Each estimate shows a range based on the method's published error and typical measurement error.

Methods used by Develupp
MethodNeedsEstimatesNotes
Khamis-RocheAge, height, body mass and parents' heightsAdult height and % of adult height reachedThe most common basis for bio-banding
SITARAt least three heights across a yearEach player's growth curve and adult heightBoys aged 8 to 18 for now
Mirwald, Moore and FransenAge and height; some also use sitting height and body massTime from peak height velocityNo parents' heights needed
Visual checksA coach's or scout's assessmentEarly, on time or lateShown alongside the estimates, as can SonicBone results
2 min 22 sec An illustrated guide to growth and maturation.
Explore the research behind Develupp12 references · Open to read the publications
  1. Khamis & Roche · 1994Predicting adult stature without using skeletal age: the Khamis-Roche method.Pediatrics · 94(4), 504–507Read publication
  2. Mirwald et al. · 2002An assessment of maturity from anthropometric measurements.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 34(4), 689–694Read publication
  3. Moore et al. · 2015Enhancing a somatic maturity prediction model.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 47(8), 1755–1764Read publication
  4. Fransen et al. · 2018Improving the prediction of maturity from anthropometric variables using a maturity ratio.Pediatric Exercise Science · 30(2), 296–307Read publication
  5. Cole et al. · 2010SITAR: a useful instrument for growth curve analysis.International Journal of Epidemiology · 39(6), 1558–1566Read publication
  6. Monasterio et al. · 2026Application of the SITAR model for estimating age at peak height velocity, peak height velocity, and adult height from incomplete growth curves in elite male football players.Sport Performance & Science Reports · 287Read publication
  7. Johnson et al. · 2024Scouts’ education on maturation.Sport Performance & Science Reports · 237 · Growth and maturation infographic, Figure 3Read publication
  8. Cumming et al. · 2017Bio-banding in sport: applications to competition, talent identification, and strength and conditioning of youth athletes.Strength and Conditioning Journal · 39(2), 34–47Read publication
  9. Monasterio et al. · 2024The combined effects of growth and maturity status on injury risk in an elite football academy.Biology of Sport · 41(1), 235–244Read publication
  10. Johnson et al. · 2020Growing pains: maturity associated variation in injury risk in academy football.European Journal of Sport Science · 20(4), 544–552Read publication
  11. Rommers et al. · 2020Risk of acute and overuse injuries in youth elite soccer players: body size and growth matter.Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport · 23(3), 246–251Read publication
  12. Bahr et al. · 2020International Olympic Committee consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport 2020.British Journal of Sports Medicine · 54(7), 372–389Read publication

Behind every number, a young athlete.

App users

A shared picture for your staff.

Academy leads

See development across the whole pathway.

  • Team growth report
  • Bio-banding

Coaches

Bring maturity into session planning.

  • Squad overview
  • Bio-banding

Performance staff

Review injuries alongside growth.

  • Growth velocity
  • Injury report

Scouts

Consider maturity and relative age in selection.

  • Relative age
  • Maturity timing

Rosters & staff

From setup to first report.

  1. 01

    Develupp roster management screen showing players organised into teams

    Set up your roster

    Add players one by one, or import rosters and past measurements from a spreadsheet. Drag players between teams as they move through the pathway.

  2. 02

    Develupp squad testing session showing the player measurement queue

    Measure the squad

    Work through a testing session one player at a time. Each reading lands on the right player.

  3. 03

    Develupp player report with measurements and maturation results ready to share

    Share the report

    Send results to staff and parents. Present maturity timing as part of normal development, not a verdict on talent.

Data security

Consent, privacy and staff access.

Only the people you allow

Access is set per person, per club and per team, so a U12 coach never sees the U16s unless you say so.

Encrypted in transit and at rest

Data is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256, on backend infrastructure covered by a data processing agreement.

Your data stays yours

Export to CSV whenever you like. Delete a player, or the whole account, and it is gone from our systems within 30 days. Nothing is sold or used for advertising, and model training is opt-in.

Planned launch tiers

Planned for teams of every size.

A preview of the planned tiers. Final tiers, features and pricing will be confirmed at the official launch.

Planned launch tier comparison
Starter5 athletes
1 club · 1 team
Coach30 athletes
1 club · 3 teams
Academy500 athletes
5 clubs · 50 teams
EnterpriseUnlimited
athletes and teams
Camera or manual measurement and height history✓✓✓✓
Growth and maturity estimates✓✓✓✓
Bio-banding and relative-age reports✓✓✓✓
Injury surveillance✓✓✓✓
Staff permissions––✓✓
Bulk import and CSV export––✓✓
SonicBone integration––✓✓
Onboarding support for federations and multi-club groups–––✓

Tiers, features, limits and pricing will be confirmed at the official launch. Develupp is currently in private beta and is not yet available on the App Store.

FAQ

Questions coaches ask first.

Still have a question?Email support@develupp.app

Methods and accuracy

How accurate are the predictions?

Develupp is built on published research used to estimate adult height and maturity timing, the same methods many academies and federations use around the world.

These methods carry their own error, and were validated on specific populations that may not generalise well to others. This is a limit of the current research, and it applies to any tool using these methods.

Data capture, whether by camera or by hand, adds its own measurement error too. Develupp doesn't hide that error: every estimate shows a range based on the method's published error and typical measurement error.

No prediction is ever exact, but understanding the uncertainty around it gives staff the context to use it well.

We don't have parents' heights for most players. Is it still useful?

Bio-banding by % of adult height uses the Khamis-Roche method, so it needs parents' heights. Players without them show as unclassified until you add them.

Maturity offset, an estimate of how far a player is from peak height velocity, uses only the player's own measurements, so you still get it without parents' heights.

Once you have three heights over a year, the SITAR method also activates to predict adult height (boys aged 8 to 18 for now). It just takes a little longer to build.

Visual maturity assessments from coaches and scouts, and SonicBone analysis if your team uses it, can also be imported and analysed alongside everything else available.

How does Develupp estimate injury risk?

Develupp doesn't produce a single injury-risk score. It draws on published research linking growth speed and maturity phase, especially the period around peak height velocity, to higher injury rates in youth academy football (Monasterio et al. 2024, Johnson et al. 2020, Rommers et al. 2020), and follows the IOC's 2020 consensus for recording injury data.

Maturity phase feeds directly into that picture, and you choose which method estimates it, Khamis-Roche, SITAR, Mirwald, Moore or Fransen, depending on what data you have for each player. So you control the inputs behind what Develupp shows.

Treat it as context for a conversation, not a verdict: these signals highlight when to pay closer attention, not who will get injured. Involve a qualified medical professional in any injury decision.

Is Develupp a medical or diagnostic tool?

No. Develupp is a sports performance tool, not a medical device. Growth, maturity and injury signals are shown for context, to support conversations between staff, players and guardians, not to diagnose, treat or predict individual outcomes. Any medical decision should involve a qualified professional.

Does it work for sports other than football?

Yes. Most of the published research behind Develupp comes from football, simply because that's where the majority of youth-sport growth and maturation studies have been done. That doesn't limit it to football: the underlying growth and maturity methods aren't sport-specific, and the app recommends which equations suit different populations best.

Setup and data

Do I need the newest iPhone?

No. Camera scanning needs a LiDAR sensor, so it requires an iPhone 12 Pro or later, or an iPad Pro (2020) or later. Any other iPhone or iPad on iOS 17.6 or newer can enter measurements by hand, with full access to every report, prediction and injury tool.

Can I bring in the data I already have?

Yes. Develupp lets you quickly import rosters and past measurements from XLS, XLSX or CSV files, with downloadable templates that show the expected columns.

If your team uses a SonicBone ultrasound device, a dedicated import brings those results into Develupp too.

If you already have historical data, it's used from the first day.

How long does it take to get set up?

The in-app setup wizard makes getting your team up and running simple. Follow the steps to create teams and player profiles manually, or import an existing roster, and you can start collecting data within minutes.

Beyond that, our team offers ad-hoc support, and tutorials are being built as we speak.

Is there an Android or web version?

Not yet. We're building for iOS first.

Android and web are planned for a later release.

Privacy and beta

How is players' data protected?

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), and kept separate per club and per team, so only the staff you approve can see it.

Consent works from inside the app too. Send a guardian a digital request and they can approve it in minutes, straight from the email they receive, no extra paperwork or separate account needed.

We never use your data to train or develop anything without your consent.

You can delete a player, or your whole account, from the app at any time. Deleted data is gone from our systems within 30 days.

What happens after the beta?

We see our beta teams as development partners, not just early users. In return, they'll keep preferential access once Develupp launches publicly, including long-term pricing benefits and extended use privileges.

Private beta · Launch coming soon

Join the Develupp beta.

Develupp is being tested by selected teams and organisations. We’re inviting a few more before the App Store launch. Access is arranged directly with each team.

  • Use it with a real squad. Measure players, review the reports and try the workflow.
  • Tell us what works. Share feedback on the app and on how your staff use it.
  • Talk to the people building it. Direct contact while features are still changing.

Request beta access

Name, work email and organisation are required. Everything else is optional.

See how your details are handled in our Privacy policy.

Prefer email? support@develupp.app