Validated soccer simulation protocol for youth: evidence from U13–U15 players
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v77.117768Keywords:
Exercise testing, football, match performance, youthAbstract
Introduction: A football simulation protocol is a standardized exercise protocol designed to replicate the physical and physiological demands of an actual football match under controlled conditions.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of a soccer simulation protocol designed for U13, U14, and U15 soccer players.
Methodology: Twenty (n=20) outfield players (U13: n = 7, 1.57 ± 0.06 m, 47.8 ± 6.8 kg; U14: n = 7, 1.70 ± 0.06 m, 60.4 ± 8.4 kg; U15: n = 6, 1.75 ± 0.07 m, 58.1 ± 2.6 kg) from Auckland Football Federation volunteered to participate in the study. Participants completed the protocols on two occasions to determine test–retest reliability. Each protocol required players to cover a total running distance equivalent to match play at varying intensities in a cyclical pattern, divided into four exercise blocks separated by five-minute recovery periods.
Results: No significant differences were observed between trials in heart rate, countermovement jump, sprint speed and perceptual scales (P>0.05). Test–retest analysis demonstrated moderate to high reliability, with intraclass correlation (r= 0.50 to 0.80) and low standard error of measurement. Concurrent validity assessment showed significant positive correlations (r= 0.77 to 0.82) between match-play and the protocols for all age groups.
Discussion: The study validated a soccer-specific simulation protocol for under 13 to under 15 players, facilitating more comprehensive investigation and bridging the performance gap between youth and adult players.
Conclusion: The protocols is a valid and practical tool for assessing youth players.
References
Ahmad Shushami, A. H., & Abdul Karim, S. (2020). Incidence of football and futsal injuries among youth in Malaysian Games 2018. Malaysian Orthopaedic Journal, 14(1), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.5704/MOJ.2003.006
Andrzejewski, M., Chmura, J., Pluta, B., & Konarski, J. M. (2015). Sprinting activities and distance cov-ered by top level Europa League soccer players. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 10(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.10.1.39
Angius, L., Olla, S., Pinna, M., Migliaccio, G. M., & Ibba, G. (2012). Aerobic and anaerobic capacity of adult and young professional soccer players. Sport Sciences for Health, 8(2–3), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-012-0127-y
Aquino, R., Carling, C., Maia, J., Vieira, L. H. P., Wilson, R. S., Smith, N., Gonçalves, B. (2020). Relationships between running demands in soccer match-play, anthropometric, and physical fitness charac-teristics: A systematic review. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(3), 534–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2020.1746941
Atan, S. A., & Foskett, A., & Ali, A. (2014). Special populations: Issues and considerations in youth soccer match analysis. International Journal of Sports Science, 4(3), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.sports.20140403.04
Atan, S. A., & Kassim, M. (2019). Young football players are not miniature adults: Do young athletes need sports drinks? A review of literature. Akademi Sains Malaysia Journal, 12, 1–12.
Atan, S. A., & Kassim, M. (2020). Development of a soccer-specific running protocol for young soccer players. In Enhancing health and sports performance by design (pp. 100–113). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5345-0_9
Atan, S. A., Jakiwa, J., & Azli, M. S. (2024). The effects of carbohydrate-electrolyte ingestion on sprints and soccer skill performances in young soccer players. In M. H. A. Hassan, A. M. Che Muhamed, D. M. Ag Daud, T. Mündel, & N. Kondo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th Movement, Health and Ex-ercise Conference. MoHE 2023. Lecture notes in bioengineering (pp. 15–29). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4186-
Atan, S. A., Azli, M. S., Jakiwa, J., & Rustam, S. (2023). Relationship between match running performance and physical capacity in Malaysia young soccer players. Sport Mont, 21(1), 55–59. https://doi.org/10.26773/smj.230209
Atkinson, G., & Nevill, A. M. (1998). Statistical methods for assessing measurement error (reliability) in variables relevant to sports medicine. Sports Medicine, 26(4), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199826040-00002
Atkinson, G., & Nevill, A. M. (2001). Selected issues in the design and analysis of sport performance re-search. Journal of Sports Sciences, 19(10), 811–827. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404101317015447
Aughey, R. J. (2011). Applications of GPS technologies to field sports. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 6(3), 295–310. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.6.3.295
Ballesta, C., Garcia-Romero, J. C., Jose Carlos, F. G., & Alvero Cruz, J. R. (2015). Current methods of soccer match analysis. Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte, 15(60), 785–803.
Baydemir, B., & Alp, M. (2018). The effects of specific trainings applied to 14 age male soccer players on their balance, sprint and technical skills. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6(11), 27–31. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i11.3707
Borg, G. (1998). Borg’s rating of perceived exertion and pain scales. Human Kinetics.
Bossuyt, F. M., García-Pinillos, F., Raja Azidin, R. M. F., Vanrenterghem, J., & Robinson, M. A. (2016). The utility of a high-intensity exercise protocol to prospectively assess ACL injury risk. Internatio-nal Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(2), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1559690
Cone, J. R., Berry, N. T., Goldfarb, A. H., & Shultz, S. J. (2012). Effects of an individualized soccer match simulation on vertical stiffness and impedance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2027–2036. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31823b8740
Coratella, G., Beato, M., & Schena, F. (2016). The specificity of the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test for recreational soccer players is independent of their intermittent running ability. Re-search in Sports Medicine, 24(4), 363–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2016.1222271
Currell, K., & Jeukendrup, A. E. (2008). Validity, reliability and sensitivity of measures of sporting per-formance. Sports Medicine, 38(4), 297–316. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838040-00003
Da Silva, C. D., & Lovell, R. (2020). External validity of the T-SAFT90: A soccer simulation including te-chnical and jumping activities. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(8), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2019-0233
Da Silva, J. F., Guglielmo, L. G. A., Carminatti, L. J., de Oliveira, F. R., Dittrich, N., & Paton, C. D. (2011). Validity and reliability of a new field test (Carminatti’s test) for soccer players compared with laboratory-based measures. Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(15), 1621–1628. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.609179
Fernandes-da-Silva, J., Castagna, C., Teixeira, A. S., Carminatti, L. J., & Guglielmo, L. G. A. (2016). The peak velocity derived from the Carminatti test is related to physical match performance in young soccer players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(24), 2238–2245. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1176271
Forbes, H., Thrussell, S., Haycock, N., Lohkamp, M., & White, M. (2013). The effect of prophylactic ankle support during simulated soccer activity. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 22(3), 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.22.3.170
Galanti, G., Stefani, L., Scacciati, I., Mascherini, G., Buti, G., & Maffulli, N. (2015). Eating and nutrition ha-bits in young competitive athletes: A comparison between soccer players and cyclists. Transla-tional Medicine, 11(8), 44–47.
García-Rovés, P. M., García-Zapico, P., Patterson, Á. M., & Iglesias-Gutiérrez, E. (2014). Nutrient intake and food habits of soccer players: Analyzing the correlates of eating practice. Nutrients, 6(7), 2697–2717. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6072697
Hardy, C. J., & Rejeski, W. J. (1989). Not what, but how one feels: The measurement of affect during exercise. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11(3), 304–317. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.11.3.304
Hopkins, W. G. (2000). Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science. Sports Medicine, 30(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200030010-00001
Idowu, L. (2018). The transition from youth level to professional level: An examination of the challen-ges and coping strategies of elite football players (Master’s thesis, Solent University). Solent University Repository.
Julian, R., Page, R. M., & Harper, L. D. (2021). The effect of fixture congestion on performance during professional male soccer match-play: A systematic critical review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 51(2), 255–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01363-9
Kunz, M. (2007). 265 million playing football. FIFA Magazine, July, 11–13.
Lopez-Fernandez, J., Sánchez-Sánchez, J., García-Unanue, J., Felipe, J. L., Colino, E., & Gallardo, L. (2018). Physiological and physical responses according to the game surface in a soccer simulation pro-tocol. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(5), 612–619. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0102
Michailidis, Y., Kyzerakos, T., & Metaxas, T. I. (2024). The Effect of Integrative Training Program on Youth Soccer Players’ Power Indexes. Applied Sciences, 14(1), 384. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010384
Merkel, D. L. (2013). Youth sports: Positive and negative impact on young athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine, 4, 151–160. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S33556
Nicholas, C. W., Nuttall, F. E., & Williams, C. (2000). The Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test: A field test that simulates the activity pattern of soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences, 18(2), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404100365162
Oliveira, R., Brito, J., Martins, A., Mendes, B., Marinho, D. A., Ferraz, R., … Marques, M. C. (2019). In-season internal and external training load quantification of an elite European soccer team. PLoS One, 14(4), e0209393. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209393
Prajapati, B., Dunne, M. C. M., & Armstrong, R. A. (2010). Sample size estimation and statistical power analyses. Optometry Today, 2010(July).
Paul, D. J., Bradley, S., & Nassis, G. P. (2015). Factors affecting match running performance of elite soc-cer players: Shedding some light on the complexity. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 10(4), 516–519. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2015-0029
Phillips, S. M., Turner, A. P., Gray, S., Sanderson, M. F., & Sproule, J. (2010). Ingesting a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution improves endurance capacity, but not sprint performance, during intermit-tent, high-intensity shuttle running in adolescent team games players aged 12–14 years. Euro-pean Journal of Applied Physiology, 109(5), 811–821. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1403-0
Phillips, S. M., Turner, A. P., Sanderson, M. F., & Sproule, J. (2012). Beverage carbohydrate concentration influences the intermittent endurance capacity of adolescent team games players during pro-longed intermittent running. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112(3), 1107–1116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2054-0
Rago, V., Brito, J., Figueiredo, P., Krustrup, P., & Rebelo, A. (2019). Methods to collect and interpret ex-ternal training load using microtechnology incorporating GPS in professional football: A syste-matic review. Research in Sports Medicine, 28(3), 437–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2019.1586704
Richardson, D., Littlewood, M., Nesti, M., & Benstead, L. (2012). An examination of the migratory transi-tion of elite young European soccer players to the English Premier League. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(15), 1605–1618. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.733017
Russell, M., Rees, G., Benton, D., & Kingsley, M. (2011). An exercise protocol that replicates soccer match-play. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(7), 511–518. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1271771
Rustam, S., Atan, S. A., Jakiwa, J., & Shahril, M. I. (2024). Evaluation for reliability of the standing broad jump (SBJ) fitness test among army cadet officers. In M. H. A. Hassan, A. M. Che Muhamed, D. M. Ag Daud, T. Mündel, & N. Kondo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th Movement, Health and Exercise Conference. MoHE 2023. Lecture notes in bioengineering (pp. 41–48). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4186-1_4
Sarmento, H., & Pereira, A. (2018). Talent identification and development in male football: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 907–931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0851-7
Sirotic, A. C., & Coutts, A. J. (2008). The reliability of physiological and performance measures during simulated team-sport running on a non-motorised treadmill. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(5), 500–509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2007.05.013
Sládečková, B., Botek, M., Krejčí, J., & Lehnert, M. (2019). Assessment of the body response to specific fatigue exercise protocol SAFT90 in U16 soccer players. Acta Gymnica, 49(4), 157–163. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2019.019
Stone, K. J., Oliver, J. L., Hughes, M. G., Stembridge, M. R., Newcombe, D. J., & Meyers, R. W. (2011). Deve-lopment of a soccer simulation protocol to include repeated sprints and agility. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 6(3), 427–431. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.6.3.427
Svebak, S., & Murgatroyd, S. (1985). Metamotivational dominance: A multimethod validation of rever-sal theory constructs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(1), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.48.1.107
Thatcher, R., & Batterham, A. M. (2004). Development and validation of a sport-specific exercise proto-col for elite youth soccer players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 44(1), 15–22.
Trewin, J., Meylan, C., Varley, M. C., & Cronin, J. (2018). The match-to-match variation of match-running in elite female soccer. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(2), 196–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.05.016
Williams, J., Abt, G., & Kilding, A. E. (2010). Ball sport endurance and sprint test (BEAST90): Validity and reliability of a 90-minute soccer performance test. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Re-search, 24(12), 3209–3218. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e725c9
Zagatto, A. M., Papoti, M., Da Silva, A., Barbieri, R. A., Campos, E. Z., Ferreira, E. C., Loures, J. P., & Chama-ri, K. (2016). The Hoff circuit test is more specific than an incremental treadmill test to assess endurance with the ball in youth soccer players. Biology of Sport, 33(3), 263–268. https://doi.org/10.5604/20831862.1208474
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Preteev Rao Subbramaniyam Sao, Nurul Azurin Mazlan, Siti Azilah Atan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
