If you're looking for an intense, calorie-burning workout, look no further than football or soccer. Playing either sport consumes a massive number of calories. The exact number depends on a variety of factors such as your weight, fitness level and position, but, on average, you burn the same number of calories for each minute you play either sport. Because soccer games are longer than football games, soccer players burn more calories per game than football players.
Football Players
Depending on their size — from 150 to 400 pounds — football players can burn approximately 700 to 2,000 calories during a game, according to Stephanie Averkamp, a personal trainer certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. If, for instance, you weigh 150 pounds, expect to burn 360 calories during 30 minutes of play, according to Averkamp, which comes to 720 calories per game.
Soccer Players
Again, depending on their weight — from 150 and 400 pounds — and how much they play, soccer players burn roughly 1,000 to 3,000 calories per game, according to Averkamp. If you weigh 150 pounds, you burn 360 calories during 30 minutes of competitive play, according to calculations by Averkamp. For the entire 90 minutes of play, you burn 1,080 if you weigh 150 pounds and 2,865 calories if you tip the scales at 400 pounds.
More Exact Calculations
To count the calories you burn during a game of football or soccer more precisely, use an online calculator, such as Averkamp's calculator at FitnessForWeightLoss.com. Calorie calculators, which are available free on a wide variety of websites, estimate how many calories various physical activities burn based on your weight and the sport you're playing. Simply enter your weight and sport, then press the button to calculate the calories burned to get a total.
Fuel During Play
Regardless of whether you're playing fullback in football or soccer, don't ignore the need to take in calories when you're on the field. MayoClinic.com recommends that you rehydrate and replenish lost energy calories with a sports drink if you're playing any sport for more than 60 minutes. Drink a half to a full cup of fluid for every 15 or 20 minutes you spend competing. In addition to carbohydrates for energy, sports drinks help keep your electrolytes in balance.
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