Competitive Match Running Speed Demands and Impact of Changing the Head Coach in Non-League Professional Football

Jackson, Daniel T. and Blagrove, Richard C. and Thain, Peter Kevin and Weldon, Anthony and Clark, Cain and Kelly, Adam L. (2025) Competitive Match Running Speed Demands and Impact of Changing the Head Coach in Non-League Professional Football. Sensors, 25 (9). p. 2865. ISSN 1424-8220

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Abstract

Match running speed demands vary across competitive levels of football, influenced by player position, tactical considerations, and Head Coach changes. In England, the level directly below professional football, Non-League Football (NLF), comprises full-time and part-time clubs. However, the running speed demands of professional teams at this level remain unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate (1) the match running speed demands in a professional NLF team, and (2) the impact of changing the Head Coach on these physical demands. Match running speed data were collected via Polar Team Pro global positioning system (GPS) devices during 41 matches of a tier 6 NLF team, comprising 311 observations of 22 full-time outfield players. Linear mixed-effect models examined the relationship between running speed metrics and fixed effects of a Head Coach change (n = 3), player position, and match outcome, with match number as a random effect. The team average total distance (TD) was 10,479 ± 42 m, and high-speed running and sprinting were 431 ± 62 m and 99 ± 26 m, respectively. The results showed significant positional differences, with wide defenders and midfielders associated with a greater TD than central defenders and strikers. Moreover, a change in Head Coach was significantly associated with a reduced TD, and a similar downward trend was observed across other running speed metrics. The TD and positional differences observed are comparable with other football cohorts, yet HSR and sprinting distances were notably lower in professional NLF. The findings highlight NLF clubs’ challenges in transitioning to higher competitive levels and provide insights for performance and training. Further research is warranted to explore the influence of running speed demands, technical and tactical factors, and other determinants on success in NLF.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.3390/s25092865
Dates:	Date Event 30 April 2025 Accepted 30 April 2025 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	soccer, sub-elite, external load, coaching
Subjects:	CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-02 - sport and exercise sciences > CAH03-02-01 - sport and exercise sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Life Sciences
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2025 15:29
Last Modified:	26 Jun 2025 15:29
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16448

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