Individual Work Rate of College Soccer Players

The work rate of individual players in soccer can be indicated to a large extent by the total distance covered during a game. The distance covered is representative of the severity of the work and also each player’s individual contribution towards team effort. The purpose of this paper is to analyze work rates of individual position players in soccer so coaches will have a better understanding of training techniques needed for each position. Thirty-eight Division 1 collegiate soccer players were analyzed during competition play to determine an estimated distance covered per game. Movement was divided into jogging, sprinting and walking for field players. Jogging backwards was added for goalkeepers. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to examine the effects of position on distances jogged, sprinted, or walked. The results show that there were statistically significant differences between positions and type and distance of movement.