The purpose of this study was to develop a physiological profile of elite Australian Youth soccer players. Over three years, 150 players from the U'17, U'20 and U'23 national squads were tested for six measurements - height, weight, sum of eight skinfolds, vertical jump, maximum oxygen consumption and speed over twenty metres. Comparisons were made between those selected in the final team (classified as Successful) and those who failed to be selected (classified as Unsuccessful) to determine any significant differences between the two groups A physical and physiological profile was obtained for each player - expressed as a single value in both numerical and graphical formats. Players were ranked based on this score to determine significant differences between successful and unsuccessful players. Several significant differences (p<0.05) were found between Successful and Unsuccessful groups for a number of the variables primarily in the performance area rather than in the anthropometry parameters. For all squads, significant differences (P<0.05) were found between those who made the squad and those who did not when ranked based on their physical and physiological score. This study highlights the importance of the application of scientific testing to soccer Furthermore, it provides a system by which players' results can be analysed and ranked, and expressed in a format that provides the coach with immediate feedback as to an individual's specific strengths and weaknesses as a basis for training and team selection.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att med hjälp av multivariata parametrar undersöka skillnader i fysisk extern belastning under den mest intensiva perioden (MIP) av match för spelare på ungdomselit och seniornivå samt att identifiera eventuella skillnader mellan positioner och halvlekar.Metod: En kvantitativ retrospektiv studie tillämpades, där spelare från ett seniorlag (SEN)spelandes i högsta divisionen i Sverige samt fotbollsspelare från ett ungdomselitlag (U19)från samma klubb spelades i näst högsta divisionen för åldersgruppen deltog i studien. Fysisk extern belastning mättes med hjälp av Global Positioning System (GPS). MIP analyserades utifrån spelares taktiska utgångsposition och med hjälp av multivariata parametrar. Rullande medelvärden användes för analys av 1-min MIP.Resultat: SEN täckte signifikant längre distans under den mest intensiva 1-mintusperioden av match jämfört med U19 (SEN 140 ± 22,3 m; U19 120 ± 24,1 m, p &lt; 0.001). Vid jämförelse mellan positioner täcker SEN-Lateral längre distanser än U19-Lateral under mest intensiva 1-mintusperioden av MIP-kinematik (135 ± 23.5 m vs 104 ± 40.3 m, p = 0.015).Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis konfirmerar denna studie en skillnad av den mest intensiva 1-minuters perioden för senior- och ungdomsspelare för MIPk. Studien visar att seniorspelare positionerade lateral på planen täcker längre distanser under MIPk jämfört med U19 på samma position. Praktiker bör beakta dessa skillnader i sina träningsupplägg för att kunna förbereda ungdomsspelare för de fysiska krav som ses i seniormiljön / Aim: The present study aimed to investigate differences in physical external load during the most intense period (MIP) of match play for youth and senior player and to indentify possible differences between positions and halves, with multivariate parameters. Method: A quantitative retrospective study was applied, players from a senior team playing in the highest division in Sweden participated in the study as well as football players from a youth elite team from the same club playing in the second highest division for the age group. Physical external load was measured using Global Positioning System (GPS). MIP was analyzed based on players' initial tactical position and using multivariate parameters. Rolling averages were used to analyze 1-min MIP.Results: SEN covered significantly longer distances during the most intense 1-min period of the match compared to U19 (SEN 140 ± 22,3 m; U19 120 ± 24,1 m, p &lt; 0.001). When comparing between positions, SEN-Lateral covers longer distances than U19-Lateral during the most intense 1-minute period of the MIPk (135 ± 23.5 m vs 104 ± 40.3 m, p = 0.015).Conclusions: In conclusion, this study confirms a difference in the most intense 1-minute period for senior and youth players for MIPk. The study shows that senior players positioned laterally on the pitch cover longer distances during MIPk compared to U19-Lateral. Practitioners should consider these differences in their training programmes in order to prepare youth players for the physical demands seen in the senior environment.