Training & Testing 819

were to significantly account for match running performance, Under 13 to Under 18 in an elite soccer academy (● ▶ Table 1). All

irrespective of playing positions [10, 23, 34], centre-backs would
be expected to consistently present the poorest physical tests
results, and conversely, midfielders and attackers, the best ones.
While between-position differences in physical capacities have
been reported for some physical capacities [15, 22, 44], such dif-
ferences are not always apparent [20] or even absent [41]. For
example, while fullbacks performed more distance in the Yo-Yo
test than attackers [22], the mean sprint time on the RSA test
conducted by Impellizzeri et al. [20] did not discriminate full-
backs, midfielders and forwards, despite the important differ-
ences in their match running performance [5, 13, 14, 35]. It is
therefore unclear to what extent physical fitness and/or specific
technical/tactical roles assigned to each playing position and
playing style can dictate player’s running activity during the
game. In addition, given the reported existence of different posi-
tion-specific running patterns [13], it is also unclear which phys-
ical capacities (e. g., lower limb explosive strength, maximal
aerobic function, RSA [34]) are related with match running per-
formance for a given playing position.
The purpose of this study was therefore to 1) examine for the first
time match running performance in a wide age range of highly
trained young soccer players as a function of age and playing posi-
tion, 2) determine whether individual differences in match run-
ning performances are related to differences in physical capacities
(as evidenced via field tests results), and 3) evaluate the magni-
tude of these relationships for each separate playing position.
the players participated on average in ~14 h of combined soccer-
specific training and competitive play per week (6–8 soccer
training sessions, 1 strength training session, 1–2 conditioning
sessions, 1 domestic game per week and 2 international club
games every 3 weeks). All players had a minimum of 3 years of
prior soccer-specific training. Written informed consent was
obtained from the players and their parents. The study was per-
formed in accordance with the ethical standards of the IJSM [16]
and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki.
Anthropometric measurements and maturity
assessment
Height (Harpenden, Baty International, Burguess Hill, U.K.), body
mass (ADE Electronic Column Scales, Hamburg, Germany) and
the sum of 7 skinfold sites (triceps, subscapular, biceps, suprasp-
inale, abdominal, thigh and medial calf; Harpenden skinfold
caliper (Baty International, Burguess Hill, U.K.) were measured
by an experienced tester [26]. Although the teams differed in
chronological age, the possibility of an overlapping of some play-
ers’ maturity status was likely given the heterogeneity of bio-
logical and physical maturity of children around puberty [25].
The age at peak height velocity (PHV) is an indicator of somatic
maturity representing the time of maximum growth in stature
during adolescence. Maturity timing (yr) was calculated by sub-
tracting the chronological age at the time of measurement from
the age at estimated PHV [28].

Experimental procedures
Methods Match analyses were performed on 42 matches against interna-
▼ tional club teams, played over a 4-month period. Each outfield
Subjects player was assessed 1–9 times. The high level of the opposing
Time-motion match analysis data was collected on 99 young teams and the same competition format likely reduced match-
football players belonging to 6 different age groups ranging from

Table 1 Physical capacities and match running performance according to age.

U13 U14 U15 U16 U17 U18 η2

anthropometric, maturity data and physical capacities
number of players n=7 n = 17 n = 10 n = 12 n = 17 n = 14
year from PHV − 1.7 ± 0.4a,b,c,d,e − 0.7 ± 0.5c,d,e − 0.1 ± 0.7d,e 0.6 ± 0.8d,e 1.6 ± 0.6e 2.2 ± 0.4 0.83
height (cm) 150 ± 6a,b,c,d,e 159 ± 7d,e 161 ± 6d,e 163 ± 9 170 ± 7 171 ± 9 0.58
body mass (kg) 39.3 ± 5.1b,c,d,e 43.9 ± 5.2d,e 48.8 ± 9.8d 52.0 ± 7.2 58.1 ± 4.7 56.3 ± 7.5 0.51
CMJ (cm) saritura in inaltime 27.5 ± 2.5a,b,c,d,e 32.0 ± 3.1b,c,d,e 39.2 ± 4.1d,e 37.9 ± 3.7d,e 42.6 ± 4.0 44.5 ± 5.2 0.69
Acc (s) 10m 1.96 ± 0.07a,b,c,d,e 1.89 ± 0.06b,c,d,e 1.79 ± 0.08d,e 1.77 ± 0.05e 1.74 ± 0.04 1.71 ± 0.06 0.67
−1
PV (km.h ) V max 40m 25.4 ± 0.7a,b,c,d,e 27.0 ± 1.5 b,c,d,e
29.0 ± 1.8 d,e
29.4 ± 1.0d,e 31.3 ± 0.7e 32.3 ± 1.9 0.74
RSA media a10x30m cu pauza 30 sec 5.15 ± 0.08a,b,c,d,e 4.88 ± 0.16b,c,d,e 4.60 ± 0.20d,e 4.51 ± 0.12e 4.39 ± 0.12 4.31 ± 0.17 0.78
VVam-eval (km.h − 1) VMA-ul 13.7 ± 0.8a,b,c,d,e 15.3 ± 1.4d,e 15.8 ± 1.3e 15.8 ± 1.1e 16.6 ± 0.9 17.4 ± 0.9 0.51
match running performance
number of files n = 18 files n = 40 files n = 25 files n = 21 files n = 29 files n = 53 files
playing time 2 × 35 min 2 × 35 min 2 × 40 min 2 × 40 min 2 × 40 min 2 × 45 min
TD (m) 6549 ± 597a,b,c,d,e 7383 ± 640b,c,d,e 8129 ± 879e 8312 ± 1054 8707 ± 1101 8867 ± 859 0.44
LIR (m) 0-13 km/h 5370 ± 470b,c,d,e 5799 ± 454b,c,d,e 6288 ± 610 6480 ± 845 6749 ± 768 6650 ± 565 0.36
HIR (m)13-16 km/h 671 ± 180b,c,d,e 821 ± 231 954 ± 297 968 ± 258 991 ± 370 976 ± 240 0.28
VHIR (m) 16-19 km/h 323 ± 87b,c,d,e 446 ± 162e 477 ± 156 479 ± 180 519 ± 155 574 ± 134 0.20
Sprinting (m) peste 19km/h 186 ± 92b,c,d,e 318 ± 183e 410 ± 204e 384 ± 163e 449 ± 147e 666 ± 256 0.39
VHIA (m) 509 ± 156a,b,c,d,e 763 ± 307 d,e
887 ± 311 e
864 ± 314e 967 ± 221e 1239 ± 337 0.39
peak game speed (km.h − 1) 22.3 ± 1.4a,b,c,d,e 24.4 ± 1.8b,c,d,e 26.0 ± 2.4e 26.3 ± 2.3e 26.6 ± 2.2e 28.3 ± 2.2 0.45
Mean ( ± SD) values of anthropometric and match running performances and least squared means ( ± SE) of physical capacities of the Under 13 (U13), Under 14 (U14), Under 15
(U15), Under 16 (U16), Under 17 (U17) and Under 18 (U18) soccer players. PHV peak height velocity. Field tests: counter movement jump (CMJ), acceleration (Acc), peak veloc-
ity (PV), mean sprint time on the repeated sprint test (RSAmean) and peak running speed during the incremental field test (VVam-eval). Match running performance: total distance
covered (TD), low-intensity running (LIR; running speed < 13.0 km · h − 1 ), high-intensity running (HIR; running speed from 13.1 to 16 km · h − 1 ), very high-intensity running
(VHIR; running speed from 16.1 to 19 km · h − 1 ) and sprinting distance (Sprinting; running speed > 19.1 km · h − 1 ). Very high-intensity activities (VHIA) = VHIR + Sprinting. Main
age-group effect: all P < 0.001. a: significant difference vs. U14 (P < 0.05), b: vs. U15, c: vs. U16, d: vs. U17, e: vs. U18. η2 : effect size

Buchheit M et al. Match Running Performance and Fitness in Youth Soccer. Int J Sports Med 2010; 31: 818–825