Publication | Open Access
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS IN FA PREMIER LEAGUE SOCCER
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2007
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The study aimed to assess the physical demands of FA Premier League soccer across defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Computerised time‑motion video‑analysis using Bloomfield Movement Classification was applied to purposeful movement data from 55 players. The analysis revealed good inter‑tester reliability (κ = 0.73), that players spent ~41 % of the match in purposeful movement with significant positional differences in sprinting, running, shuffling, skipping and standing still, that 49 % of purposeful movement was forward, players performed ~726 turns per match (≈609 0°–90° turns), and on‑ball activity averaged 111 per match with no positional differences.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical demands of English Football Association (FA) Premier League soccer of three different positional classifications (defender, midfielder and striker). Computerised time-motion video-analysis using the Bloomfield Movement Classification was undertaken on the purposeful movement (PM) performed by 55 players. Recognition of PM had a good inter-tester reliability strength of agreement (κ = 0.7277). Players spent 40.6 ± 10.0% of the match performing PM. Position had a significant influence on %PM time spent sprinting, running, shuffling, skipping and standing still (p 0.05). Players spent 48.7 ± 9.2% of PM time moving in a directly forward direction, 20.6 ± 6.8% not moving in any direction and the remainder of PM time moving backward, lateral, diagonal and arced directions. The players performed the equivalent of 726 ± 203 turns during the match; 609 ± 193 of these being of 0° to 90° to the left or right. Players were involved in the equivalent of 111 ± 77 on the ball movement activities per match with no significant differences between the positions for total involvement in on the ball activity (p > 0.05). This study has provided an indication of the different physical demands of different playing positions in FA Premier League match-play through assessment of movements performed by players.