The Effects of Weekly Recreational Soccer Intervention on the Physical Fitness Level of Sedentary Young Men

Recreational soccer (RS) has a great potential to improve the physical fitness levels of diverse populations when performed two to three times per week. However, to date, only Beato and collaborators have examined the effects of once-a-week RS on physical fitness, even though this frequency is widespread among participants. 'thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of weekly performed RS intervention on components of physical fitness in sedentary young men. Twenty-healthy men aged 20-27 years were randomly assigned to a soccer (n=10) group or a control (n=10) group. Participants in the soccer group played a 60-min. small-sided soccer game once-a-week for eight weeks. Before and after the intervention period, body composition, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, anaerobic performance and isokinetic leg strength were assessed. After eight weeks of the once-a-week intervention period, in the soccer group, body fat and thickness of skinfolds were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Peak oxygen uptake, running distance, squat and countermovement jump (p<0.01), concentric quadriceps and eccentric hamstring strength were also improved only in the soccer group (p<0.05). In contrast, other variables, including body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), fat-free mass (FFM), heart rate responses, blood pressure, and anaerobic performance remained the same as before the intervention period (p>0.05). Participating in weekly RS programme can lead to some health and performance benefits. However, the people who wish to further improve their health status and performance level should increase the frequency of RS activity.