ABSTRACT
While traditional 11-a-side football is often played in various masters leagues and tournament settings, contemporary approaches to 055+ elite masters football increasingly focus on small-sided football competition (e.g., 7v7, 5v5, 3v3 and walking football). Passion for football, and health and wellness outcomes are core motives for 055+ players’ participation, and are well documented. However, despite scant practical attention, there is increasing interest, particularly for elite masters representative teams and competitive individual players, in performance analysis and strategically aligned team and player development. Grounded in interdisciplinary research and practical experiences with high-performance masters teams, this chapter provides insight into contemporary 055+ competitive game structures, a conceptual framework for performance analysis and practical examples to enhance strategic team and player development in elite 055+ masters football contexts.
