Impact of game format and age group on technical performance in youth football A comprehensive analysis
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to analyse technical action variations among 5, 7, 9, and 11-a-side game formats and investigate the effects of age groups (U8, U10, U12, and U14) on these actions. A total of 197 soccer players aged between 6.94 ± 0.7 and 13.46 ± 0.5 years participated, with three matches conducted weekly, totalling 48 matches. Two-way ANOVA was employed to analyse age group and game format as independent factors. The study revealed the influence of age group on players' technical actions variability: front pass success p < .001; side pass success p < .001; back pass success p < .001; short pass success p < .001; reception success p < .001; goal p < .002; unsuccessful short pass p < .001; unsuccessful long pass p < .001; ball contacts p < .001. Additionally, the study highlighted the impact of game format on success rates: front pass success p < .001; side pass success p < .001; back pass success p < .001; short pass success p < .001; reception success p < .001; goal p < .036; shot on target p < .001; ball contacts p < .001; interception p < .001. These findings enhance understanding of how game format and age group affect technical performance in youth soccer, emphasizing the need for interventions that optimize players’ development trajectories.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Each author warrants that his or her submission to the Work is original and that he or she has full power to enter into this agreement. Neither this Work nor a similar work has been published elsewhere in any language nor shall be submitted for publication elsewhere while under consideration by Journal of Human Sport and Exercise (JHSE). Each author also accepts that the JHSE will not be held legally responsible for any claims of compensation.
Authors wishing to include figures or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
Please include at the end of the acknowledgements a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the abovementioned requirements. The author(s) will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
This title is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
How to Cite
References
Amatria, M., Lapresa, D., Arana, J., Anguera, M. T., & Garzón, B. (2016). Optimization of Game Formats in U-10 Soccer Using Logistic Regression Analysis. Journal of Human Kinetics, 54(1), 163-171. https://doi.org/10.1515/hukin-2016-0047
Ben Teune, Carl Woods, Alice Sweeting, Mathew Inness & Sam Robertson (2022) The influence of environmental and task constraint interaction on skilled behaviour in Australian Football, European Journal of Sport Science, 22:8, 1268-1275. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1958011
Bergmann, F., Braksiek, M., & Meier, C. (2022). The influence of different game formats on technical actions and playing time parameters - A study with under-7 and under-9 soccer players in a competitive context. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17(5) 1089-1100. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541211051654
Brito, Â., Roriz, P., Duarte, R., & Garganta, J. (2018). Match-running performance of young soccer players in different game formats. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 18(3), 410-422. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2018.1479924
Clemente, F., Couceiro, M., Martins, F., & Mendes, R. (2012). Team's performance on FIFA U17 World Cup 2011: Study based on notational analysis. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 12(1), 13.
Clemente F. M., Chen Y-S, Bezerra J. P., Guiomar J., & Lima R. (2018). between-format differences and variability of technical actions during small-sided soccer games played by young players. Human Movement, 19(5)special/issue:114-120. https://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2018.83103
Clemente, F., & Sarmento, H. (2020). The effects of small-sided soccer games on technical actions and skills: A systematic review. Human Movement, 21(3), 100-119. https://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2020.93014
Clemente, F. M., Praça, G. M., Aquino, R., Castillo, D., Raya-González, J., Rico-González, M., Afonso, J., Sarmento, H., Silva, A. F., Silva, R., & Ramirez-Campillo, R. (2023). Effects of pitch size on soccer players' physiological, physical, technical, and tactical responses during small-sided games: a meta-analytical comparison. Biology of Sport, 40(1), 111-147. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.110748
Coutinho, D., Gonçalves, B., Travassos, B., Folgado, H., Figueira, B., & Sampaio, J. (2020). Different Marks in the Pitch Constraint Youth Players' Performances during Football Small-Sided Games. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 91(1), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2019.1645938
Fenoglio, R. (2004). The Manchester United 4 v 4 pilot scheme for U9's-Part II. The analysis. Insight: The FA Coaches Association Journal, 6, 21-24.
Figueiredo, A. J., Coelho-e-Silva, M. J., Cumming, S. P., & Malina, R. M. (2019). Relative age effect: Characteristics of youth soccer players by birth quarter and subsequent playing status. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(6), 677-684. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.1522703
Figueiredo, A. J., Coelho-e-Silva, M. J., Sarmento, H., Moya, J., & Malina, R. M. (2020). Adolescent characteristics of youth soccer players: do they vary with playing status in young adulthood? Research in Sports Medicine (Print), 28(1), 72-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2019.1586704
Ford, P., Carling, C., Garces, M., Marques, M., Miguel, C., Farrant, A., Stenling, A., Moreno, J., Le Gall, F., Holmström, S., Salmela, J., & Williams, M. (2012). The developmental activities of elite soccer players aged under-16 years from Brazil, England, France, Ghana, Mexico, Portugal and Sweden. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(15), 1653-1663. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.701762
García-Angulo, A., Palao, J. M., Giménez-Egido, J. M., García-Angulo, F. J., & Ortega-Toro, E. (2020). Effect of the Modification of the Number of Players, the Size of the Goal, and the Size of the Field in Competition on the Play Actions in U-12 Male Football. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020518
García-Angulo, A., Ortega-Toro, E., Giménez-Egido, J. M., Olmedilla, A., García-Mas, A., & Manuel Palao, J. (2021). Does Youth Soccer Players' Group Cooperation Improve when Pitch, Goal, and Team Size Are Reduced? Journal of Human Kinetics, 78(1), 151-160. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2021-0035
Heuvelmans, P., Di Paolo, S., Benjaminse, A., Bragonzoni, L., & Gokeler, A. (2024). Relationships Between Task Constraints, Visual Constraints, Joint Coordination and Football-Specific Performance in Talented Youth Athletes: An Ecological Dynamics Approach. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 131(1), 161-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125231213124
Hill, B., & Green, B. C. (2008). Give the Bench the Boot! Using Manning Theory to Design Youth-Sport Programs. Journal of Sport Management, 22(2), 184-204. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.22.2.184
Hill-Haas, S., Rowsell, G., Coutts, A., & Dawson, B. (2008). The Reproducibility of Physiological Responses and Performance Profiles of Youth Soccer Players in Small-Sided Games. International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 3(3), 393-396. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.3.3.393
Hintermann, M., Born, D.-P., Fuchslocher, J., Kern, R., & Romann, M. (2021). How to improve technical and tactical actions of dominant and non-dominant players in children's football? PLoS ONE, 16(7), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254900
Hopkins, W., Marshall, S., Batterham, A., & Hanin, J. (2009). Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(1):3-13. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31818cb278
Huijgen, B. C. H., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., Lemmink, K. A. P. M., & Visscher, C. (2014). Multidimensional performance characteristics in selected and deselected talented soccer players. European Journal of Sport Science, 14(1), 2-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2012.725102
James, N. (2006). Notational analysis in soccer: Past, present and future. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 6(2), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2006.11868373
Joo, C. H., Hwang-Bo, K., & Jee, H. (2016). Technical and Physical Activities of Small-Sided Games in Young Korean Soccer Players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(8), 2164-2173. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001319
Julen Castellano, Asier Puente, Ibon Echeazarra, Oidui Usabiaga, & David Casamichana. (2016). Number of Players and Relative Pitch Area per Player: Comparing Their Influence on Heart Rate and Physical Demands in Under-12 and Under-13 Football Players. PLoS ONE, 11(1), e0127505. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127505
Kelly, A., Wilson, M. R., Jackson, D. T., & Williams, C. A. (2020). Technical testing and match analysis statistics as part of the talent development process in an English football academy. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(6), 1035-1051. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2020.1824865
Lapresa Ajamil, D., Arana Idiakez, J., Amatria Jiménez, M., Fernández Alejandro, F. J., & Teresa Anguera, M. (2017). Fútbol: efectos de una unidad didáctica en la iniciación temprana. Apunts: Educación Física y Deportes, 127, 59-67. https://doi.org/10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2017/1).127.06
Lemes, J., Luchesi, M., Diniz, L., Bredt, S., Chagas, M., & Praça, G. (2020). Influence of pitch size and age category on the physical and physiological responses of young football players during small-sided games using GPS devices. Research in Sports Medicine (Print), 28(2), 206-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2019.1643349
Machado, J. C., Ribeiro, J., Palheta, C. E., Alcântara, C., Barreira, D., Guilherme, J., Garganta, J., & Scaglia, A. J. (2019). Changing Rules and Configurations During Soccer Small-Sided and Conditioned Games. How Does It Impact Teams' Tactical Behavior? Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1554. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01554
Martone, D., Giacobbe, M., Capobianco, A., Imperlini, E., Mancini, A., Capasso, M., Buono, P., & Orrù, S. (2017). Exercise Intensity and Technical Demands of Small-Sided Soccer Games for Under-12 and Under-14 Players: Effect of Area per Player. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(6), 1486-1492. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001615
Memmert, D., & Roth, K. (2007). The effects of non-specific and specific concepts on tactical creativity in team ball sports. Journal of Sports Sciences, 25(12), 1423-1432. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410601129755
Serra-Olivares, J., García López, L. M., & Gonçalves, B. (2019). Effects of the players' level and age group category on positional tactical behaviour during 7- and 8-a-side football youth games. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 19(2), 236-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2019.1593095
Silva, P., Aguiar. P., Duarte. R., Davids. K., Araújo. D., Garganta. J. (2014). Effects of pitch size and skill level on tactical behaviours of association football players during small-sided and conditioned games. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 9(5): 993-1006. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.9.5.993
Tom De Joode. (2023). The manipulation of task constraints and the effect on creative performance of youth soccer players. Current Issues in Sport Science, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.36950/2023.2ciss043
Williams, A. M., & Hodges, N. J. (2005). Practice, instruction and skill acquisition in soccer: Challenging tradition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(6), 637-650. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410400021328