Thread: Patterns in childrens soccer

I'm doing a science project on why children swarm around a soccer ball as youths, why this changes with age, and is there a mathematical pattern to it.
I would like some help as to where to get started with my research. what is the technical term for developing child movement. I can't word it correctly, as you can see. Thanks.

This doesn't seem to be related to movement, but to understanding of complexity and to planning.

Young children, playing football (I'll give it its proper English name), naturally focus on what it is that seems to make the game - the football. The game is called football, so they had best go for that ball.

Later, two things happen, one internal, the other external.
They realise that the objective of the game - placing the ball in the opponents net - can best be achieved if they work with other members of their team. It requires a readiness to embrace deferred gratification and a recognition that others can be important too.
Externally, teachers, coaches, older children, impose a discipline on them, that requires them to be more tactical in their approach.

Just some thoughts. I have no idea how you could incorporate this in a project, other than in a descriptive manner.

For example, video three or four teams of different ages. Define a suite of zones around the ball. Using freeze frame count the number of players in each zone at certain random times within the match. Comapre and contrast these distributions for the different aged teams.