The effect of match location and travel modality on physical performance in A-League association football matches

This study investigated the impact of match location and travel modality on physical performance of an Australian A-League association football team. Match location comprised of a home vs away comparison; while travel modality compared home matches, road travel, short-flight travel, and long-flight travel. Both models accounted for match result, opposition quality and total distance covered. Physical performance was defined as average running intensity (m.min(-1)), low-speed activity (LSA), high-speed activity (HSA), very high-speed activity (VHSA), high-intensity efforts (HIE) and sprint efforts. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05. Match location results demonstrated significantly greater average running intensity and LSA for away matches and significantly greater HSA for home matches. Travel modality results demonstrated significantly greater LSA for road travel compared to home matches and long-flight travel, while HSA was significantly greater for home matches and long-flight travel than for road travel. Additionally, home matches demonstrated significantly greater VHSA than road travel. Assessing the impact of travel modality on physical performance provides more contextual information than solely home vs away. Coaches may use this information to plan travel to mitigate detrimental effects on physical performance, particularly concerning road travel on matchdays.

Automated summary

This study examined the effects of match location and travel modality on the physical performance of an Australian A-League football team. The results showed that away matches had higher average running intensity and low-speed activity, while home matches had higher high-speed activity. In terms of travel modality, road travel had higher low-speed activity, while home matches and long-flight travel had higher high-speed activity. Home matches also showed significantly higher very high-speed activity than road travel. Evaluating the impact of travel modality on physical performance provides valuable information for coaches to plan travel and minimize the negative effects on performance.