ABSTRACT
The quantification of workloads is an essential part of managing aspects of fitness and fatigue in elite soccer players. Monitoring is integrated to maximise performance, readiness, and fitness, whilst minimising the likelihood of excess fatigue, maladaptation, or injury. Quantifying competition workloads are used to help personnel prepare and recover players from the demands of match-play, while training workloads are used to drive physiological and performance adaptations. This chapter provides a detailed characterisation of the methods available for quantifying competition and training workloads, including a discussion of external and internal workloads. Both men’s and women’s soccer match demands are detailed for elite and developmental soccer players and several factors influencing workloads including standard of play, position, tactical formation, quality of opposition, and play stoppage are discussed. Lastly, the periodisation of training workloads in elite soccer players is discussed and perspectives are offered on the integration of training workload monitoring in an applied environment.
