How Football Players’ Age Affect Passing Patterns of Play According to Field Location

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the passing patterns that support collective tactical behaviour in football players of different ages (U15, U17, and U19) in different field zones. Two hundred and twenty-eight male players, divided into U15, U17, and U19, participated in the study. Cluster analysis was used to group the passes into three sizes (short, medium, and long). The chi-square test was used to analyse the effect of player age on game-passing patterns in each field zone. The results revealed that long and medium passes were used more in areas close to the goals and short passes in the middle area of the field, concerning all ages (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the analysis of the relative distance between the ball carrier and the receiver indicated that older players (U17 and U19) used more distant players to pass the ball in medium and long passes. These results can help coaches design small-sided games according to the players’ ages and adjust to the field’s space and the numerical relationship, thus creating a greater transfer from training to competition.