Acute Effects on Physical Performance Measures after 45 Min of Official Competition in Youth Soccer Players

Abstract

(1) Background: An improved understanding of soccer players’ match-related physical performance and recovery may help conditioning programs and re-warm up strategies to increase team performance during official competitions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the acute effects of 45 min of official competition (first half in matches) on physical performance variables in U-16 youth soccer players. (2) Methods: 20 male soccer players (age: 14.4 ± 0.5 years; height: 1.70 ± 0.05 cm; body mass: 65.1 ± 11.6 kg) were recruited to participate in this study. Data was collected from five official matches. Participants performed the assessments in two stages of each match: after the pre-match warm-up and after the first half. Tests included rate of perceived exertion (RPE), 30-m sprint and countermovement (CMJ). (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found (p < 0.001) when the measurements prior to the game were compared with those recorded after half time across all variables. Effect sizes (ES) were very large for RPE (ES = 1.82), moderate for 30-m sprint times (ES = 0.64) and small for CMJ (ES = −0.25). (4) Conclusions: After 45 min of official competition, our results suggest that U-16 soccer players demonstrated a reduction in sprint and jump performance, in addition to a higher RPE. Hence, this information could be useful when designing re-warming strategies that can be performed before the second half.