Physical and Physiological Characteristics of Elite Indian National Football Players

Physical and Physiological Characteristics of Elite Indian National Football Players

The characteristics of professional footballers have been well documented however, research into elite Asian particularly Indian players, remains relatively unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of elite Indian footballers and compare the results according to outfield playing positions.Football is the most popular sport globally and there is a growing interest for this sport in India. However, the Indian national team is currently ranked 147 of 207 according to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This ranking suggests that Indian playing standards need to be improved through a focus on the three key areas of physical, technical and tactical skills, as they have been reported to being related to successful football performance.