Soccer players who play in the field can jog, sprint and run for most of 90 minutes. This means that players are typically of muscular or lean build and agile enough to change direction nearly 1,000 times in a typical game. After that, determining universal characteristics for soccer players becomes a tricky exercise. U.S. women's goalkeeper Hope Solo may be known for her height and reflexes, while skinny U.S. men's midfielder Kyle Beckerman displays endless endurance. Knowing the characteristics of soccer players can help you become a better student of the game.
For Youth Coaches
If you are coaching youth players, knowing the characteristics of each age group can be invaluable. Be prepared for U8s to be excitable, with a limited concentration span, as well as a bit selfish with the ball and ready to run until they drop. Girls may be a lot tougher than boys, notes the U.K.-based soccer site Footy4Kids. If you coach the U10 age group, you see the players turn a corner as they learn about soccer as a team game and begin to make thoughtful passes. U14 players become more competitive, and U16s can cope with the physical and mental challenges of soccer at a higher level.
For Talent Scouts
Directors at soccer academies attempt to come up with characteristics for what separates a good from a great future soccer player. They measure height, weight, BMI, body fat percentage and physical performance results in sprints, vertical leaps and cardiovascular endurance, in a hunt to determine factors that indicate future talent. A 2010 study published in the "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport" of players at France's elite soccer academy at Clairefontaine found some defining characteristics. Youth players with significantly greater height, weight, jumping ability and maximal anaerobic power as measured by a treadmill test were more likely to be selected for France's men's national team game.
For Professionals
A characteristic professional player, as measured by a study of paid players in the top and second division in Turkey, stands between 5 feet, 9 inches and 6 feet tall and weighs less than 180 lbs. BMI ranges from 23 to 24.45. The mean age of professionals in Europe's top leagues is 26.4 years, according to a literature review by sports science professor Takir Hazir published in the "Journal of Human Kinetics" in 2010. Improvements in medical support and training has increased the length of the active career for professional players.
For Fans
Players from each of the 208 member nations of FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, tend to reflect national or regional approaches to the game. Brazilian players are known for creativity, Northern Europeans and Italians for technical ability and Spanish and Latin American players for the ability to possess the ball. Lists of the characteristics of top American soccer players tend to emphasize conditioning, competitive spirit, hustle and coachability, notes Jay Martin, the men's soccer coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, in an essay on "The Emerging American Style." American goalkeepers, men and women alike, are athletically among the world's best, with notable quickness and agility.
References
- The Ultimate Soccer Coach; Youth Soccer Player Characteristics; Dave Maz; February 2011
- Footy4kids: Characteristics of Six to Ten Year Old Soccer Players
- "Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport"; Anthropometric and Fitness Characteristics of International Professional and Amateur Male Graduate Soccer Players from an Elite Youth Academy; Franck le Gall, et al.; 2010
- "Journal of Human Kinetics"; Physical Characteristics and Somatotype of Soccer Players according to Playing Level and Position; Takir Hazir; 2010
- NSCAA; The Emerging American Style; Jay Martin, Ph.D
- SoccerPlus: The Keeper's Line; Analysis of Goalkeeping from the 2008 Algarve Cup; Mariel Wilner
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