A mini-review of youth soccer match-play simulations

Abstract

The physical demands of football during match play have been observed, investigated and mimicked in a more controlled laboratory setting through a number of studies meant to resemble the activity of an actual soccer match. However, there have been variations in the simulation's design across studies. This mini-review aims to assemble and align various protocols in simulating youth soccer match play in order to identify and assess the viability of combining numerous simulations into various research in the sport. This article is the first narrative review to discuss numerous protocols used in research towards reproducing youth soccer match-play demands in a laboratory-controlled environment.