The aim of the present study was to compare the anthropometry and somatotype of pre-adolescent soccer players of a wide range of levels and ages, and boys of the general population, in order to defi ne the most relevant anthropometric characteristics related to success and promotion to youth soccer elite levels. To this end, 528 youngsters (11.9±0.3 years) divided in four different age groups (...

The verbal feedback given to junior soccer players potentially heading to a professional career is essential for technical and tactical skill development. The aim of this study is to examine whether differences exist in feedback between coaches of junior elite soccer teams and coaches of junior amateur soccer teams. The coaches of a junior elite soccer team and a junior amateur soccer team in N...

BACKGROUND Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) can be a source of hip pain in young adults. Some reports have revealed that participation in high-impact sports may play a role in the development of cam deformity, and there is a higher prevalence of signs of cam impingement in asymptomatic adolescents who participate in soccer and basketball than in non-athlete controls; however, current evidence...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between popular endurance field tests and physical match performance in elite male youth soccer players. Eighteen young male soccer players (age 14.4 ± 0.1 years, height 1.67 ± 4.8 cm, body mass 53.6 ± 1.8 kg) were randomly chosen among a population of elite-level soccer players. Players were observed during international championship ga...

BACKGROUND The majority of surveillance studies in soccer have used a time-loss injury definition, and many groin problems result from overuse, leading to gradually increasing pain and/or reduced performance without necessarily causing an absence from soccer training or match play. Thus, the magnitude of groin problems in soccer has probably been underestimated in previous studies based on trad...

attention to the physical and physiological needs of a soccer referee plays an important role in his performance in a match as in order to regulate the rules of the game, the referee should track the event and players by moving inside the pitch continually with no restriction. the aim of this research was to study the variations in workload, heart rate and blood lactate in elite soccer referees...

PURPOSE To examine the physiological response, reliability, and validity of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 test (Yo-Yo IR2). METHODS Thirteen normally trained male subjects carried out four Yo-Yo IR2 tests, an incremental treadmill test (ITT), and various sprint tests. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were obtained, and heart rate was measured before, during, and after the Yo-Yo IR2...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the prevalence of knee and/or ankle osteoarthritis in former elite soccer player. DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS Medline, Embase and SPORTDiscus (2000 to January 2012) were used. To be included, studies were required to be a primary study, written in English, Dutch, French or German, former elite soccer players had to be the study population, and presenting knee...

Background. Regardless of the age, elite athletes exhibit various motor capabilities (e.g., speed; endurance; strength) that are specific to that particular sport. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare different aspects of physical fitness (agility, strength, endurance) in thirty, 9 year old elite soccer and hockey players. Methods. Participants completed a 90 minute familiariz...

Soccer is a high intensity intermittent contact sport exposing elite level players to contin‐ ual physical, technical, tactical, psychological, and physiological demands (Owen et al, 2011; Dellal et al, 2011). Due to the huge financial rewards of being successful at the elite level of the sport, the demands placed upon the players are ever growing because of increased fixture schedules that gen...