Soccer is a physically demanding game. Players must be agile and athletic.
Not all players will be required to run the same amount. Some do more than others. It all depends on where the players are and what roles they have to play.
A player’s running speed is often used to gauge their effort and work rate during the game.
What is the distance that soccer players cover?
The distance players cover in football competitions, such as the World Cup, is a common statistic.
Many people wonder how distances covered by players can be accurately measured.
It’s more complicated than we’d expect to track a player’s running time.
No matter what method you use, recording and accumulating the data can be labor-intensive and time-consuming.
But technology has made it much more straightforward, faster, accurate, and efficient. We can now have this information captured in real-time and sent to us immediately.
Many tracking technologies are available to track the distances played. They may differ depending on the league or competition.
These include the use of miniature radio transmitters that transmit signals.
They can be found in the players’ boots, jerseys, soccer balls, or pitches. They can also measure passes, ball speed, and step count.
The distance averaged by male and female soccer players.
Some players can run faster than others and cover greater distances in shorter bouts. Some players need to run more often.
The average distance a professional adult male can run is 6-8 miles (9,700-13,000m), with a maximum of 10 miles. The average distance soccer players run less than 13 km. Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, who ran 13.73km in May 2020, set a club record.
Female professional soccer players average 5 miles (8,000m), but it is known that female midfielders have covered 6 miles (9700m) in the same time as males.
The distances covered by younger soccer players are shorter because they move at a slower pace and last for shorter periods.
Which positions are most important in soccer?
Goalkeepers typically cover less distance, averaging around 2 miles per game. This distance is a mixture of long-distance and short sprints.
Other players in different matches cover different distances. Players may also have different ranges, varying from game to match.
Midfielders are the most likely to cover the most incredible distances of any position in soccer. You can see in the German Bundesliga distance statistics table that the distances covered by midfielders were the most dominant.
Many people ask how many kilometers a defender covers in a soccer match. Although soccer players have to run a lot, they are not as strenuous as other positions.
The average defender’s distance in a soccer match is 4.35 miles (7 km). Full-backs cover more ground than center-backs and can run longer distances.
Goalkeepers are more likely to move in part than strikers. Their primary station is the goalpost, so they tend to drive less. Strikers average a distance of 3.79 miles (6.9 kilometers) in a soccer match.
Matches can often be won or lost in a single moment. It may also be down to a well-timed sprint.
Sometimes, teams rely on fast-paced players to win the game and counterattack.
In soccer, sprints are generally between ten (10) and thirty (30) yards (9–27 meters) in length, with a frequency between 45 and 90 seconds.
An adult male professional athlete covers an average distance of 800 to 1,000 meters in a sprint. This is approximately 730 to 910 meters, but there are chunks of 10- to 30-yard (9.27 meters) each. Soccer has serious sprints faster than others every 30-60 seconds. Between those sprints, soccer players spend their time walking, jogging, or standing.