The Analysis of Football Players - Report Example

Introduction Football is one of the most popular games with many fans worldwide. Training of footballers and conditioning enable them to compete at higher levels and prepare them for matches by getting fit and strong through improving their skills. Jones and Carter (2000) point out that training individuals is better in terms of physical fitness than individuals who follow a sedentary and inactive life. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the differences in fitness and skill levels between players from three different levels of football and their progress over the period of one season. The data on fitness and skills was obtained at the beginning of the season (August 2011) and at the end of the season (June 2012) for all three groups. The results of this investigation will help conditioning and help specialists to understand better the variables that can predict football performance. Materials and Methods Sample Size Data was obtained from three different groups of players playing at the under 13 level including: Premier League U13 team players (n=18), Boys Club U13 team players (n=17) and Casual football players (n=20). The Premier League players are high performing players who received extensive training from their club including conditioning training. The Boys Club players take part in competitive matches and weekly training, while the casual football players play on an ad hoc basis with friends. Methodology The Fitness and Skills Tests undertaken by the players include the following: Sprint Test In this test the players were asked to sprint a total distance of 20m in as short a time as possible. The sprint test was undertaken indoors using electronic timing gates and the results recorded in seconds. Sit and Reach Test The sit and reach test measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstring muscles, which have been shown to provide a good basic indication of overall flexibility. The results were recorded in centimetres with the higher the number, the greater the flexibility of the player. YoYo Endurance Test The Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance test evaluates an individuals ability to repeatedly perform intervals over a prolonged period of time, therefore providing an indication of their aerobic capabilities, and this was recorded in metres. Distance Kick Test The players were tested in their ability to accurately kick the ball over as long a distance as possible with both their stronger and weaker feet. The distance covered by the ball was recorded in metres. Dribbling Test This test examined the players’ dribbling skills, asking them to dribble a ball through a set course in as short a time as possible. The results were recorded in seconds with the shorter the time, the better the result. Keepy Up Test In this test, the players’ ball control skills were evaluated. Players were required to complete the following series in as short a time as possible: Perform 4 ‘keep it ups’ with alternative feet Lift the ball to the thigh and performing 4 ‘keep it ups’ with alternative thighs Lift the ball to the head and performing 4 ‘keep it ups with head Drop the ball back to the feet The results were recorded in seconds, with a smaller time indicating a better score. Shooting Test The players’ shooting skills were evaluated through a test in which they were required to complete a series of four shots from prescribed positions as quickly as possible, with time reductions awarded on the basis of where the ball finishes in the net (e.g. top right/left = minus 5 seconds; bottom right/left but not on ground = minus 3 seconds; middle along ground = minus 1 second), with the lower the score, the better the result. Time Spent Playing Football or Attending Football Training The players provided details of the mean average amount of time they spent during a typical week playing football or taking part in football training. Statistical Analysis of Data Data analysis was carried out using Excel spreadsheets and SPSS Version 16.0. Firstly, summary statistics were computed and MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to compare all the parameters in the three squads to find out if they were statistically significant. A correlation analysis was also done to assess the relationship among variables. Results Presentation Table 1 Descriptive Statistics Squad Mean Std. Deviation N Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player 3.6083 .17106 18 Boys club player 3.7124 .22247 17 Casual player 3.7205 .18280 20 Total 3.6813 .19566 55 Sprint time (secs) AFTER Premier club player 3.3117 .11184 18 Boys club player 3.6424 .24924 17 Casual player 3.6035 .21736 20 Total 3.5200 .24643 55 Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Premier club player 3.72 3.770 18 Boys club player 4.06 3.418 17 Casual player 4.10 2.222 20 Total 3.96 3.115 55 Sit and reach (cm) AFTER Premier club player 5.39 3.346 18 Boys club player 4.71 3.368 17 Casual player 4.95 2.038 20 Total 5.02 2.903 55 YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Premier club player 2768.89 755.162 18 Boys club player 2584.71 857.745 17 Casual player 2466.50 814.605 20 Total 2602.00 804.477 55 YoYo score (metres) AFTER Premier club player 3891.11 594.533 18 Boys club player 3404.12 869.116 17 Casual player 3263.00 739.346 20 Total 3512.18 775.860 55 Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Premier club player 25.17 3.417 18 Boys club player 21.12 5.110 17 Casual player 19.05 5.871 20 Total 21.69 5.500 55 Kick test - Strong foot (m) AFTER Premier club player 32.78 3.934 18 Boys club player 23.65 5.533 17 Casual player 23.00 6.147 20 Total 26.40 6.890 55 Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Premier club player 17.94 4.331 18 Boys club player 15.94 5.093 17 Casual player 14.90 5.210 20 Total 16.22 4.980 55 Kick test - Weak foot (m) AFTER Premier club player 25.17 4.890 18 Boys club player 18.65 3.856 17 Casual player 17.45 3.927 20 Total 20.35 5.396 55 Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player 25.94 2.413 18 Boys club player 27.94 3.344 17 Casual player 27.55 3.316 20 Total 27.15 3.123 55 Dribble test time (secs) AFTER Premier club player 24.44 .856 18 Boys club player 26.82 3.107 17 Casual player 26.95 2.964 20 Total 26.09 2.744 55 Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player 20.72 6.037 18 Boys club player 24.76 10.895 17 Casual player 28.00 10.362 20 Total 24.62 9.681 55 Keepy Up time (secs) AFTER Premier club player 10.72 3.232 18 Boys club player 19.94 7.798 17 Casual player 21.25 7.940 20 Total 17.40 8.116 55 Shooting test score BEFORE Premier club player 20.00 3.430 18 Boys club player 30.41 3.759 17 Casual player 30.35 3.468 20 Total 26.98 6.023 55 Shooting test score AFTER Premier club player 19.17 3.682 18 Boys club player 30.71 5.417 17 Casual player 31.20 4.162 20 Total 27.11 7.096 55 Average time per week spent playing football or in football training Premier club player 10.667 2.7812 18 Boys club player 2.735 .5623 17 Casual player 1.925 .7826 20 Total 5.036 4.3085 55 Height (cm) at beginning of academy Premier club player 146.94 4.964 18 Boys club player 146.24 4.816 17 Casual player 147.40 4.297 20 Total 146.89 4.621 55 Weight (kg) at beginning of academy Premier club player 36.78 4.784 18 Boys club player 36.71 4.341 17 Casual player 37.30 3.294 20 Total 36.95 4.084 55 In Table 1, summary statistics were computed and later used in multiple comparisons using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to compare the means. Table 2 Multiple Comparisons using MANOVA LSD Dependent Variable (I) Squad (J) Squad Mean Difference (I-J) Std. Error Sig. 95% Confidence Interval Lower Bound Upper Bound Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player -.1040 .06506 .116 -.2346 .0265 Casual player -.1122 .06250 .079 -.2376 .0132 Boys club player Premier club player .1040 .06506 .116 -.0265 .2346 Casual player -.0081 .06346 .898 -.1355 .1192 Casual player Premier club player .1122 .06250 .079 -.0132 .2376 Boys club player .0081 .06346 .898 -.1192 .1355 Sprint time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player -.3307* .06803 .000 -.4672 -.1942 Casual player -.2918* .06536 .000 -.4230 -.1607 Boys club player Premier club player .3307* .06803 .000 .1942 .4672 Casual player .0389 .06636 .561 -.0943 .1720 Casual player Premier club player .2918* .06536 .000 .1607 .4230 Boys club player -.0389 .06636 .561 -.1720 .0943 Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player -.34 1.072 .755 -2.49 1.81 Casual player -.38 1.030 .715 -2.44 1.69 Boys club player Premier club player .34 1.072 .755 -1.81 2.49 Casual player -.04 1.046 .969 -2.14 2.06 Casual player Premier club player .38 1.030 .715 -1.69 2.44 Boys club player .04 1.046 .969 -2.06 2.14 Sit and reach (cm) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player .68 .996 .496 -1.32 2.68 Casual player .44 .957 .648 -1.48 2.36 Boys club player Premier club player -.68 .996 .496 -2.68 1.32 Casual player -.24 .971 .803 -2.19 1.70 Casual player Premier club player -.44 .957 .648 -2.36 1.48 Boys club player .24 .971 .803 -1.70 2.19 YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player 184.18 273.769 .504 -365.18 733.54 Casual player 302.39 262.998 .255 -225.35 830.13 Boys club player Premier club player -184.18 273.769 .504 -733.54 365.18 Casual player 118.21 267.038 .660 -417.64 654.06 Casual player Premier club player -302.39 262.998 .255 -830.13 225.35 Boys club player -118.21 267.038 .660 -654.06 417.64 YoYo score (metres) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player 486.99 250.292 .057 -15.26 989.24 Casual player 628.11* 240.445 .012 145.62 1110.60 Boys club player Premier club player -486.99 250.292 .057 -989.24 15.26 Casual player 141.12 244.138 .566 -348.78 631.02 Casual player Premier club player -628.11* 240.445 .012 -1110.60 -145.62 Boys club player -141.12 244.138 .566 -631.02 348.78 Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player 4.05* 1.672 .019 .69 7.40 Casual player 6.12* 1.606 .000 2.89 9.34 Boys club player Premier club player -4.05* 1.672 .019 -7.40 -.69 Casual player 2.07 1.631 .211 -1.21 5.34 Casual player Premier club player -6.12* 1.606 .000 -9.34 -2.89 Boys club player -2.07 1.631 .211 -5.34 1.21 Kick test - Strong foot (m) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player 9.13* 1.799 .000 5.52 12.74 Casual player 9.78* 1.728 .000 6.31 13.25 Boys club player Premier club player -9.13* 1.799 .000 -12.74 -5.52 Casual player .65 1.755 .714 -2.87 4.17 Casual player Premier club player -9.78* 1.728 .000 -13.25 -6.31 Boys club player -.65 1.755 .714 -4.17 2.87 Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player 2.00 1.658 .232 -1.32 5.33 Casual player 3.04 1.593 .061 -.15 6.24 Boys club player Premier club player -2.00 1.658 .232 -5.33 1.32 Casual player 1.04 1.617 .523 -2.20 4.29 Casual player Premier club player -3.04 1.593 .061 -6.24 .15 Boys club player -1.04 1.617 .523 -4.29 2.20 Kick test - Weak foot (m) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player 6.52* 1.436 .000 3.64 9.40 Casual player 7.72* 1.379 .000 4.95 10.48 Boys club player Premier club player -6.52* 1.436 .000 -9.40 -3.64 Casual player 1.20 1.401 .397 -1.61 4.01 Casual player Premier club player -7.72* 1.379 .000 -10.48 -4.95 Boys club player -1.20 1.401 .397 -4.01 1.61 Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player -2.00 1.035 .059 -4.07 .08 Casual player -1.61 .994 .112 -3.60 .39 Boys club player Premier club player 2.00 1.035 .059 -.08 4.07 Casual player .39 1.009 .700 -1.63 2.42 Casual player Premier club player 1.61 .994 .112 -.39 3.60 Boys club player -.39 1.009 .700 -2.42 1.63 Dribble test time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player -2.38* .857 .008 -4.10 -.66 Casual player -2.51* .823 .004 -4.16 -.85 Boys club player Premier club player 2.38* .857 .008 .66 4.10 Casual player -.13 .836 .880 -1.80 1.55 Casual player Premier club player 2.51* .823 .004 .85 4.16 Boys club player .13 .836 .880 -1.55 1.80 Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player -4.04 3.167 .207 -10.40 2.31 Casual player -7.28* 3.042 .020 -13.38 -1.17 Boys club player Premier club player 4.04 3.167 .207 -2.31 10.40 Casual player -3.24 3.089 .300 -9.43 2.96 Casual player Premier club player 7.28* 3.042 .020 1.17 13.38 Boys club player 3.24 3.089 .300 -2.96 9.43 Keepy Up time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Boys club player -9.22* 2.273 .000 -13.78 -4.66 Casual player -10.53* 2.183 .000 -14.91 -6.15 Boys club player Premier club player 9.22* 2.273 .000 4.66 13.78 Casual player -1.31 2.217 .557 -5.76 3.14 Casual player Premier club player 10.53* 2.183 .000 6.15 14.91 Boys club player 1.31 2.217 .557 -3.14 5.76 Shooting test score BEFORE Premier club player Boys club player -10.41* 1.200 .000 -12.82 -8.00 Casual player -10.35* 1.153 .000 -12.66 -8.04 Boys club player Premier club player 10.41* 1.200 .000 8.00 12.82 Casual player .06 1.170 .958 -2.29 2.41 Casual player Premier club player 10.35* 1.153 .000 8.04 12.66 Boys club player -.06 1.170 .958 -2.41 2.29 Shooting test score AFTER Premier club player Boys club player -11.54* 1.505 .000 -14.56 -8.52 Casual player -12.03* 1.445 .000 -14.93 -9.13 Boys club player Premier club player 11.54* 1.505 .000 8.52 14.56 Casual player -.49 1.468 .738 -3.44 2.45 Casual player Premier club player 12.03* 1.445 .000 9.13 14.93 Boys club player .49 1.468 .738 -2.45 3.44 Average time per week spent playing football or in football training Premier club player Boys club player 7.931* .5709 .000 6.786 9.077 Casual player 8.742* .5485 .000 7.641 9.842 Boys club player Premier club player -7.931* .5709 .000 -9.077 -6.786 Casual player .810 .5569 .152 -.307 1.928 Casual player Premier club player -8.742* .5485 .000 -9.842 -7.641 Boys club player -.810 .5569 .152 -1.928 .307 Height (cm) at beginning of academy Premier club player Boys club player .71 1.584 .656 -2.47 3.89 Casual player -.46 1.522 .766 -3.51 2.60 Boys club player Premier club player -.71 1.584 .656 -3.89 2.47 Casual player -1.16 1.545 .454 -4.27 1.94 Casual player Premier club player .46 1.522 .766 -2.60 3.51 Boys club player 1.16 1.545 .454 -1.94 4.27 Weight (kg) at beginning of academy Premier club player Boys club player .07 1.405 .959 -2.75 2.89 Casual player -.52 1.349 .700 -3.23 2.19 Boys club player Premier club player -.07 1.405 .959 -2.89 2.75 Casual player -.59 1.370 .666 -3.34 2.15 Casual player Premier club player .52 1.349 .700 -2.19 3.23 Boys club player .59 1.370 .666 -2.15 3.34 Based on observed means. The error term is Mean Square (Error) = 17.247. *. The mean difference is significant at the .05 level. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to compare the dependent variables indicated that sprint time (before) was not statistically different between the three clubs (p> 0.05). However, sprint time in seconds (after) was statistically significant between the three clubs (p0.05) between the three clubs. This implies that endurance or aerobic capabilities between players of the three clubs are not significantly different. Additionally, MANOVA analysis to compare kick tests (using strong foot and before) was only statistically significant between players of premier club and casual players (Table 2). However, kick test after using strong foot were also different between premier club players and boys club and casual players but not between casual and boys club players (Table 2). This means that premier and boys club members have significant differences in their ability to accurately kick the ball over a long distance using their strongest feet. Comparing kick tests using weak foot (before), it was not statistically different between the three clubs (p>0.05). However, kick tests after using weak foot were statistically different between premier club players and the other 2 clubs but not statistically significant between casual and boy club players. Dribble tests (before) are not statistically different between the clubs but (after) they were statistically different between premier and casual players. This implies that the 2 club players vary in their dribbling abilities. Keepy up tests (before) were only significant between premier and casual players while after they were only different between premier players, casual and boys club. This variation can partly be explained by the different training conditions in the three clubs. Shooting test scores (before and after) were statistically significant between premier players and both casual and boys players but were not significant between casual and boys club players. Similarly, this difference can be partly attributed to variation in training conditions and the average time spent on training. The average time spent on training football was statistically different only between premier and the other 2 clubs and not between casual and boys club players. On the other hand, both height and weight were not significantly different between clubs (p> 0.05, Table 2). Table 3: Correlations of height and weight in each club Squad Height (cm) at beginning of academy Weight (kg) at beginning of academy Premier club player Height (cm) at beginning of academy Pearson Correlation 1 .832** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 18 18 Boys club player Height (cm) at beginning of academy Pearson Correlation 1 .712** Sig. (2-tailed) .001 N 17 17 Casual player Height (cm) at beginning of academy Pearson Correlation 1 .727** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 4: Overall Correlations of weight and height Height (cm) at beginning of academy Weight (kg) at beginning of academy Height (cm) at beginning of academy Pearson Correlation 1 .761** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). In the premier club height and weight were strongly correlated (r=0.832) while in boys (r=0.712) and casual clubs (r=0.727) they were moderately related (Table 3). However, the overall height-weight correlation was moderate (r=0.761, Table 4). These results are in agreement with previous studies (Nesser et al., 2008). These two parameters have been shown to enhance stability, thus allowing the individual to transfer forces produced in lower extremities to higher extremities. On the other hand, weak core stability is thought to cause alterations in transfer of force, thus leading to reduced sport performance and risk of injuries to underdeveloped muscles (Nesser et al., 2008). However, since these two parameters are only moderately related in casual and boys clubs, they should not be the only focus of conditioning. Table 5: Correlations of shooting scores in each club Squad Shooting test score BEFORE Shooting test score AFTER Premier club player Shooting test score BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .382 Sig. (2-tailed) .118 N 18 18 Boys club player Shooting test score BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .924** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Shooting test score BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .946** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Shooting tests (both before and after) in each club were correlated and indicated no correlation in premier clubs (Table 5). It also means that there was no significant improvement in premier shooting scores. However, in boys (r=0.924) and casual clubs (r=0.946) shooting scores before and after were strongly correlated. From this analysis it is clear that Boys club and casual club shooting scores improved significantly after conditioning. There was a strong positive correlation of overall shooting scores before and after in all the clubs (r=0.921) (Table 6). However, the average time spent on training was weakly negatively related to shooting scores (Table 6). This statistic points out that by increasing average time spent on training can improve shooting scores. Table 6: Overall correlation of shooting scores in all clubs Average time per week spent playing football or in football training Shooting test score BEFORE Shooting test score AFTER Average time per week spent playing football or in football training Pearson Correlation 1 -.794** -.703** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 N 55 55 55 Shooting test score BEFORE Pearson Correlation -.794** 1 .921** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 N 55 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 7: Correlations of sprint time in each club Squad Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Sprint time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .544* Sig. (2-tailed) .020 N 18 18 Boys club player Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .952** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .924** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). There was a weak correlation of sprint time (before and after) in premier clubs as compared to Boys and Casual clubs (Table 7). This means that there was little progress in the premier club while Boys and Casual clubs sprint time improved significantly during the season. Table 8: Overall correlations of sprint time Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Sprint time (secs) AFTER Sprint time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .815** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). However, overall progress of sprint time in all members of the three clubs improved significantly as indicated by a strong positive correlation (r=0.815, Table 8). Table 9: Correlations of YOYO scores in each club Squad YoYo score (metres) BEFORE YoYo score (metres) AFTER Premier club player YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .673** Sig. (2-tailed) .002 N 18 18 Boys club player YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .988** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .937** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). In the premier club, endurance tests (aerobic capabilities) improved slightly as indicated by a weak correlation (r=0.673) unlike in Casual (r=0.937) and Boys clubs (0.988) which improved significantly during the season (Table 9). However, in general YOYO scores improved significantly in all players (r=0.875, Table 10). Table 10: Overall Correlations of Yoyo scores YoYo score (metres) BEFORE YoYo score (metres) AFTER YoYo score (metres) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .875** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 11: Correlations of Dribbling scores in each club Squad Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Dribble test time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .326 Sig. (2-tailed) .187 N 18 18 Boys club player Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .937** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .860** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Dribbling scores improved significantly in Casual and Boys clubs during the season while in the Premier club there was no significant improvement (r=0.3.62, Table 11). However, dribbling skills improved in all players as indicated by a strong positive correlation (r=0.822, Table 12). Table 12: Overall Correlations of Dribbling scores Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Dribble test time (secs) AFTER Dribble test time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .822** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 13: Correlations of Keepy Up time in each club Squad Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Keepy Up time (secs) AFTER Premier club player Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .499* Sig. (2-tailed) .035 N 18 18 Boys club player Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .933** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .865** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Keepy up scores in the Premier club were weakly correlated (r=0.499) unlike in Boys (r=0.933) and Casual clubs (r=0.865, Table 13). This implies that the ability of Premier club players to control football did not improve significantly during the season. However, in general all players improved their abilities to control the ball (r=0.83, Table 14). Table 14: Overall correlations of keepy up time Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Keepy Up time (secs) AFTER Keepy Up time (secs) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .830** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 15: Correlations of sit and reach in each club Squad Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Sit and reach (cm) AFTER Premier club player Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .415 Sig. (2-tailed) .087 N 18 18 Boys club player Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .935** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .861** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Correlation of sit and reach was very weak in the Premier club (r=0.415) unlike in Casual (r=0.935) and Boys clubs (r=0.861). This means that flexibility of lower hamstring muscles improved significantly only in Casual and Boys clubs (Table 15). However, in general all players improved slightly in their flexibility as indicated by a weak correlation (r=0.682, Table 16). Table 16:Overall Correlations of sit and reach Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Sit and reach (cm) AFTER Sit and reach (cm) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .682** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Table 17: Correlations of Kick test (strong foot) in each club Squad Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Kick test - Strong foot (m) AFTER Premier club player Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .432 Sig. (2-tailed) .074 N 18 18 Boys club player Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .890** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .930** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Kick test (using strong foot) did not improve significantly in premier club players (r=0.432) unlike in Casual (r=0.89) and Boys clubs (r=0.93, Table 17). However, in general all players improved significantly their kick test using strong foot during the season (r=0.853, Table 20). Table 18: Overall Correlations of Kick test (weak foot) in each club Squad Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Kick test - Weak foot (m) AFTER Premier club player Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .400 Sig. (2-tailed) .100 N 18 18 Boys club player Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .881** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 17 17 Casual player Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .905** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 N 20 20 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Kick test using weak foot did not improve significantly in the Premier club unlike the Boys and Casual clubs (Table 18). On the other hand, weak foot tests only improved slightly in all players as indicated by a weak correlation (r=0.69, Table 20). Table 20: Overall Correlations of strong foot and weak foot in the clubs Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Kick test - Strong foot (m) AFTER Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Kick test - Weak foot (m) AFTER Kick test - Strong foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation 1 .853** .701** .651** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 N 55 55 55 55 Kick test - Weak foot (m) BEFORE Pearson Correlation .701** .559** 1 .694** Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 N 55 55 55 55 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). A comparison of kick test (strong foot before) and weak foot (before and after) indicated a strong correlation before (r=0.701) and after the season (r=0.651), indicating lack of improvement (Table 20). A similar observation was made when kick test using weak foot (before) was correlated to kick test (before and after). Conclusion It can be concluded that both Casual and Boys clubs improved significantly in their skills and abilities during the season as compared to the Premier club. Height and weight were only strongly correlated in Premier club players. In all the clubs flexibility and endurance tests were not statistically significant. Recommendation The Premier club needs to focus on shooting scores, sprint time tests, keep up tests, dribble tests and kick tests as they did not show significant improvement at the end of the training season. The club also needs to focus on endurance tests as they improved slightly. All clubs need to focus on sit and reach, and weak foot tests as they improved only slightly. Both Boys and Casual clubs need to focus on height and weight conditioning as they showed weak correlation considering that these two parameters are important for core stability and performance. Average time spent on training needs to be increased in all the clubs as this can improve shooting scores. References Jones, A. M. and Carter, H., 2000. The effect of endurance Training on parameters of aerobic fitness. Sports. Med., 29, pp. 373–386. Nesser, T. W., Huxel, K. C., Tincher, J. L. and Okada, T., 2008. The relationship betweeen core stability and performance in Division 1 football players. Journal of Streghth and Conditioning Research, 22 (6), pp. 1750–1754. Read More