The physical demands of the match according to playing positions in a South African Premier Soccer League team

Background: Evidence indicates that international soccer players cover a total distance of between eight and 14 km in a match. Approximately 80 - 90% of this distance constitutes low-intensity actions, and about 10 - 20% is high-intensity. These data are influenced by playing position, formation, league standard, and national differences in different countries. Objective: To quantify the physical demands of competitive matches on the different playing positions in a South African Premier Soccer League team. Methods: A descriptive study design included 21 players on the same team. Data were collected over 23 official matches during the 2019/2020 season using PlayerTek GPS devices (10Hz). The data collected included total distance covered, high-intensity running distance, power plays, top-end speed, and distance per minute. Results: Statistical differences were evident only in the high-intensity running distance and power plays.  The centre-forwards (p<0.001), attacking central midfielders (p=0.006), and full-backs (p=0.01) covered the most high-intensity running distance (p<0.001) than centre-backs. The attacking central midfielders and centre-forwards recorded more power plays than the centre-backs.  Total distance (p=0.01), power plays (p=0.004) and distance per minute (p=0.001) were lower in the second half than in the first half of the match. Conclusion: Centre-forwards performed more high-intensity actions, whereas the centre-backs sprinted less than all the other positions. These data provide insight into the positional differences that exist and could help coaches to prescribe position-specific training programmes.