Effect of the congested schedule on the physical performance of football players participating in the Brazilian u-17 championship

Abstract

Football is a physiologically complex sport that requires multiple skills from its athletes (technical, tactical, mental, and physical), and has been the subject of frequent research aimed at advancing knowledge about the sport to positively impact team performance and reduce injury risks. In modern football, elite clubs play a large number of matches throughout a season, sometimes with short intervals between games, leading to a congested schedule. This study aimed to compare physical performance variables when a team plays one or more matches within a week. The sample consisted of players from a club in the state of Rio de Janeiro who participated in the Brazilian Under-17 Championship in 2021. Anthropometric analysis (body mass, height, and body fat percentage) was conducted using a stadiometer and bioelectrical impedance. Physical performance analyses (total distance covered, density, and distance at high speed) were measured using GPS technology. No significant differences were found in total distance covered (r= -0.2658; p=0.33), density (r= -0.5120; p=0.05), and total distance covered at high intensity (r= -0.3973; p=0.14) when comparing intervals between matches of five days or less with intervals longer than five days. The results suggest that the number of days between matches does not influence the analyzed parameters of physical performance.