In addition, the current pitch sizes show significant (P < 0.001) effect of ball location in all variables examined. The pitch sizes obtained from real matches were smaller and different from those used previously for SSGs. Data were collected from four Spanish La Liga matches of the 2002-03 season, and notated post-event using the Amisco system.
The aims of this study were to examine the (1) individual playing area, (2) length and width of the rectangle encompassing the individual playing area and (3) distance between the goalkeepers and their nearest team-mates during professional soccer matches and compare these to previously reported pitch sizes for small-sided games (SSGs).
