ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sports Coaching: Performance and Development
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1634446
This article is part of the Research TopicFootball training and competitionView all 21 articles
A Comparison of Box-to-Box and Positional Possession Styles: Selecting an Appropriate Game Format for U13 Footballers (A Pilot Study)
Provisionally accepted- 1Riga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia
- 2Rigas Stradina Universitate, Riga, Latvia
- 3Latvijas Universitate, Riga, Latvia
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Abstract: This pilot study aimed to examine trends in the use of game zones, group interactions of players participating in a game episode, and the effectiveness of their actions in the completion zone for the age group U13, between the game formats 9vs9 and 11vs11. Latvian Football Players (n=45), six goalkeepers and 39 field players, 12.6 ± 0.7 years of age; height: 1.65 ± 0.18 m; weight: 54.3 ± 10.2 kg; BMI: 26.7 ± 3, in three teams (from Riga), played two one-day tournaments (game order: C-B, C-A, and B-A) using two competition formats. A quasi-experimental design was used to assess the tendencies of changes in game format. Observational methodologies were used to analyze the six match recordings by the Lince 2.1 computer program, recorded with two VEO Gen.2 cameras, to evaluate the start and end zones of game episodes, including shots at the opponent’s goal. It was found that when choosing between the formats 9vs9 and 11vs11 in the U13 age group, it is possible to expect visible change (based on a medium effect size) in distribution of start and end of game episodes with more often reaching the completion zone, (the 1/3 area of the field where the opponent’s goal was located), increasing number of players involved in the game episode, and the increasing number of cases of changing the direction of the attack under 9vs9 format. The results showed that when choosing the format of youth championships, coaches and stakeholders should consider its impact on the formation of game patterns in players.
Keywords: Tactical behavior, Field zone, player's effectiveness, Football, Youth
Received: 24 May 2025; Accepted: 16 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bleidelis, Luika, Kolesovs and Boobani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Imants Bleidelis, 068867@rsu.edu.lv
Behnam Boobani, behnam.boobani@rsu.lv
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