Body Physique, Body Composition, Physical Performance, Technical and Tactical Skills, Psychological Development, and Club Characteristics of Young Male Portuguese Soccer Players: The INEX Study

Maryam Abarghoueinejad, Daniel Barreira, Cláudia Dias, Eduardo Guimarães, Adam D. G. Baxter-Jones and José Maia
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Maryam Abarghoueinejad: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Daniel Barreira: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Cláudia Dias: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Eduardo Guimarães: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Adam D. G. Baxter-Jones: College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B2, Canada
José Maia: Centre of Research, Education, Innovation, and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Youth soccer performance is multifaceted, includes physical growth, biological maturation, and physical fitness, and is linked to the sporting environment to which the players are exposed. We aim to describe age-related associations in body physique, body composition, physical performance technical and tactical skills, psychological and club characteristics of male soccer players aged 12 to 14 years. A total of 157 male soccer players clustered into three age-cohorts (12, 13 and 14 years) were recruited from six soccer clubs. Anthropometric, body composition and body physique, biological maturation, physical performance, skill/game proficiency data, psychological characteristics, and clubs’ characteristics were collected. Group means were compared using analysis of variance and covariance. Fourteen years old players were significantly taller, heavier, leaner, faster, stronger, and technically more skilled than their younger peers ( p < 0.05). Differences in physical performance and technical skills ( p < 0.05) were found between age groups when adjusting for confounders of soccer training and biological maturation. No significant differences ( p > 0.05) between age groups were found in psychological domains. Our findings suggest that age, biological maturation, and training volume are key factors influencing young soccer players’ performance and development. Further, clubs’ conditions provide players with ample resources for their success in training and competition.

Keywords: youth soccer; body physique and composition; performance; skills; motivation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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