A Comparison of Field Test Performances between Elite and Sub-Elite Academy Soccer Players

The Relationship between Competitive Experience and Performance in Skeleton

The findings of this study highlight that there are no significant differences (p>0.05) in the height (175.1 ± 5.4 cm vs. 171.8 ± 5.8 cm) and body mass (69.5 ± 6.9 kg vs. 68.1 ± 5.8 kg) of Elite and Sub- Elite squads respectively. In contrast the Elite squad demonstrated significant quicker sprint performances in the 5 m (0.98 ± 0.05 s vs. 1.02 ± 0.06 s; p=0.01) and 20 m (2.95 ± 0.09 s vs. 3.06 ± 0.15 s; p=0.003) sprints, higher SJ (51.8 ± 3.9 cm vs. 37.8 ± 3.8 cm; p<0.001) and CMJ (55.1 ± 4.5 cm vs. 38.6 ± 3.9 cm; p<0.001) performance and significantly greater relative strength (2.14 ± 0.25 kg/kg vs. 1.81 ± 0.34 kg/kg, p<0.001) compared to the Sub-elite squad, respectively. Results suggest that strength, jump and sprint tests can all differentiate between elite and sub-elite youth soccer players, highlighting the importance of appropriate conditioning to develop strength and power in youth soccer players.