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Aim. The purpose of this study was to analyse the activities of a goalkeeper during a match and to identify the distances covered at different velocities between the first and second halves.
Methods. Sixty-two goalkeepers belonging to 28 teams in the English Premier League were monitored over 109 matches using the Prozone® system. All values are averages and standard deviations. Pearson product moment correlation was used to examine selected bivariate correlation. To analyze the differences in averages, the paired Student t-test was used. The analyses were performed using SPSS (v.13.0; SPSS, Inc. Chicago, IL). The significance level was set at P<0.05.
Results. Mean total distance covered by the goalkeeper during the match was 5 611±613 m. There were no differences between distances covered in the first and second halves. The distance covered at high-intensity was 56±34 m, while the distance covered sprinting was 11±12 m. The average number of high speed actions was 10±6, with a total range between 0 and 40. The goalkeeper walked during 73% of the match, while spending just 2% moving at high-intensity.
Conclusion. The goalkeeper's physical activity was not as great as that of the field players, but the high-intensity actions carried out will be very decisive in the final result of the match.
KEY WORDS: Football - Physical fitness - Muscle, skeletal.
In studies carried out over the last 30 years, the distances covered by football players during official matches have been analysed.1-16 Physical activity comparing the different positions within the team has also been studied, but no one has yet focused on the goalkeeper.17,18 Reilly and Thomas were the first to look at the specific activities of players during a match.16 However, these authors do not identify the distances covered at different velocities and the number of varying activities in which the goalkeepers are involved.
It is extremely important to know exactly which activities are carried out by the goalkeeper so that training programmes can be modified appropriately. In this way it is possible to design specific programmes which take into account the physical demands placed on a goalkeeper.
In addition, the use of new technology that allows the coaching staff to record data from all players is extremely important, thus allowing for the designing of specific...