Biology of Sport

Match-to-match variability during whole and peak official match locomotor demands in top-class football players across sexes and age-categories

  1. PhD placement, MilanLab Research Department, AC Milan S.p.A., Milan, Italy

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

  3. MilanLab Research and Innovation Department, AC Milan S.p.A., Milan, Italy

Biol Sport. 2027;44:247–258

Online publish date: 2026/10/13
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This study aimed to quantify match-to-match variability (CV%) during whole-match (90-minAvg) and one-minute peak (1-minpeak) locomotor demands across sexes and different age-categories (U15 to PRO) in top-class football players. A total of 252 outfield players were monitored across a full competitive season, encompassing 385 official matches (male: n = 267, female: n = 118) and 2317 individual observations (male: n = 1720, female: n = 617). Total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR, 14.4–19.8 km·h−1), very highspeed running (VHSR, 19.9–25.2 km · h−1), sprint (Sprint, > 25.2 km · h−1), accelerations (> 3 m ·s 2 ) and decelerations (< −3 m·s 2 ) (Acc+Dec) distances and the distance covered > 85% of the individual maximum speed (S85%Vmax) were monitored. Individual profiles were determined for 90-minAvg and 1-minpeak, using rolling moving-average analysis. CV% was determined for each metric in both 90 minavg and 1-minpeak. In men, the variability for 90 minavg was S85%Vmax > sprint > VHSR > Acc+Dec > HSR > TD, while in women was Sprint > S85%Vmax > VHSR > Acc+Dec > HSR > TD. For both 90-minAvg and 1-minPeak, TD and HSR showed similar variability between men and women; VHSR, Sprint, Acc+Dec and S85%Vmax exhibited lower variability in men (range: ~30/179%) than women (range: ~41/209%). Additionally, PRO players showed lower variability than younger players across both sexes. Moderately-to-largely higher variability for highintensity metrics in women vs men and in youth vs PRO across both sexes were found. Sprint variability was lower in 1-minPeak than 90-minAvg in both men and women. Practitioners involved in performance development should consider that match-to-match variability is higher in women than men and in youth than PRO.

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