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Variations in physical characteristics between and within national teams that participated in the 2005 FIFA World Under-17 Football Championships in Peru

2006; Elsevier BV; Volume: 9; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jsams.2006.12.076

1440-2440

T. Dugbaza, J. Dugbaza,

Sport Psychology and Performance

This study examines the physical characteristics of players who participated in the Under-17 World Football Championships, organised by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) in Peru in 2005. The study is based on data compiled by FIFA on the ages, height and weight of 320 players, age up to 17 years, from 16 national teams, who represented the six FIFA confederations (Asia, Africa, North and Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Oceania) at the tournament. Soccer is not only a contest of skill and team tactics but also a contest where players pitch their strength, stamina and speed against one another, for 90–120 min. To meet the games’ physical demands, champion players are expected to possess exceptional physical attributes. Two of these attributes are height and weight. Lifetime nutrition, environmental factors and access to health care will have impacted on the growth and health experiences of the players, which in turn, will have affected their height and weight profile. Using measures of central tendency and of variation, the study examines differences between and within teams in terms of height, weight and Body Mass Index of players. The study found that players from more developed countries are taller and heavier and also show less intra-team variation in these attributes than players from less developed countries. This suggests superior and more universal and uniform access to good nutrition and positive growth and health experiences among players from more developed countries than players from developing countries.