Fluctuations in Well-Being Based on Position in Elite Young Soccer Players during a Full Season

The current study surveyed weekly and daily variations of well-being ratings relative to the Hooper Index (HI): fatigue (wFatigue), stress (wStress), delayed onset muscle soreness (wDOMS), and sleep quality (wSleep) during a soccer season based on players' positions. The full-season was divided into three meso-cycles: Early season, week (W)1 to W7; Mid-season, W8 to W13, and End-season, W14 to W20. Twenty-six young players participated in the study (age, 15.5 +/- 0.2 years; height, 172.9 +/- 4.2 cm; body mass, 61.4 +/- 5.6 kg; body fat, 8.6 +/- 2.9%; VO2max, 48.4 +/- 2.4 mL.kg(-1).min(-1); maturity offset, 1.9 +/- 0.3 years). Participants played in the same team and competed in Iran national under-16 competitions. Well-being status was monitored on training days using the HI questionnaire. The main result was a significant difference between well-being status 5 days before match day (MD) and 4 days before MD, compared to MD for all playing positions (p <= 0.001). The highest and lowest records occurred during End-season for wDOMS (strikers = 11.5 +/- 8.4 arbitrary units (AU)), Early season (central defenders = 9.5 +/- 0.7 AU) and for wFatigue (central midfielders = 11.4 +/- 0.9 AU), and Early season (wide defenders = 9.7 +/- 0.7 AU), respectively. Overall, the results showed a significant increase in wStress and wSleep for all players' positions from Early- to End-season. The main application of this study is to make coaches aware of their players' well-being fluctuations throughout the full season, especially in young elite soccer players, and to avoid injuries, overtraining, and overreaching as much as possible.

Automated summary

This study investigated the variations of well-being ratings relative to the Hooper Index during a soccer season based on players' positions. The findings revealed significant differences in well-being status among different playing positions at various stages of the season, with stress and sleep quality showing significant increases from Early- to End-season. The main implication of the study is to raise coaches' awareness of their players' well-being fluctuations throughout the season to prevent injuries, overtraining, and overreaching, particularly in young elite soccer players.