GOAL SCORING FREQUENCY IN SOCCER IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS

Abstract

Scoring goals is the main objective and key to success in soccer. Therefore, all the aspects of this important performance indicator must be studied. Many authors have proposed to study different aspects related to goal scoring in soccer. However, the vast majority of these studies include adult players from professional or amateur teams. The aim of the present study was to analyze the goal scoring frequency in 388 soccer matches of Professional, Under-20 and Under-17 competitions from Brazil in order to compare the results between the different age groups. The impact of the first goal scored on the match outcome was also studied. The frequency of 1100 goals was analyzed by dividing the game in two (first and second half) and six equal periods of time. Data showed that there was a tendency of a greater number of goals scored over time with a higher percentage of goals scored in second half in all three competitions (p<0.05), respectively, 55.9%, 59.5% and 55.6%, and, specially, in the last period of the game, respectively, 21.5%, 26.2% and 22.1%. It was also found that scoring the first goal had an important influence on the match outcome with a percentage of between 65.3% and 75.4% of the matches won by the team scoring first. It was concluded that, despite differences in age and expertise among the players of the three categories, the results regarding the goal scoring frequency and the influence of the first goal on the match outcome were similar in all competitions.