The physical progress of a professional Scottish soccer academy over a ten-year period.

Craig, Thomas P.; Maughan, Patrick; McArdle, Michael Peter; Clark, David R.; Reid, Donald

Abstract

Increases in high-intensity locomotor activity of match play have been recorded in elite soccer. This places an onus on academy practitioners to develop players for the future demands of the game. At an academy level, locomotor data are not available for analysis over a longitudinal period, and thus changes can only be assessed with physical attribute assessment. The aim of the present study is to establish if changes in physical capacity were observed in a professional Scottish soccer academy over a ten-year period. A retrospective analysis was completed where linear mixed effect (LME) models were individually fitted to explain variation across each measure of physical capacity. Model selection was undertaken with likelihood ratio tests where the initial complex models were compared to simpler nested models to arrive at the final model by maximum likelihood. The main findings were that most recent players' sprint test data revealed a significant improvement in 5m, 10m and 20m sprint performance, greater increases in CMJ performance in older age groups, and greater increases in YYIR1 performance at U13 and U14. Most physical results showed increased performance with greater relative height and weight. Players recruited more recently to academies are fitter than they were previously. Reference values within clubs that establish first team requirements will contribute to appropriate planning and implementation of training.

Citation

CRAIG, T.P., MAUGHAN, P., MCARDLE, M.P., CLARK, D.R. and REID, D. 2024. The physical progress of a professional Scottish soccer academy over a ten-year period. Open access journal of sports medicine [online], 15, pages 101-110. Available from: https://doi.org/10.2147/oajsm.s477808

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 23, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 12, 2024
• Publication Date: Dec 31, 2024
• Deposit Date: Aug 19, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 19, 2024
• Journal: Open access journal of sports medicine
• Electronic ISSN: 1179-1543
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Pages: 101-110
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S477808
• Keywords: Player development; First team transition; Talent development; Soccer; Football; Physical profiles
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2434548
• PMID: 39157718