ABSTRACT
With youth grassroots football, one of the most participated in sports globally, it is important to identify, and implement, optimal training practices to ensure not only successful performance but also injury avoidance and long-term enjoyment of the sport. Managing training load is critically important in youth football to mitigate the risks of overtraining injuries and burnout syndrome, the risk of both of which increases during adolescence. Small-Sided Games are one of the most popular training methodologies in football as they allow players to experience similar technical and tactical situations that they are likely to experience in match-play scenarios. Individualised training programmes are thought to reduce injuries, prevent overtraining and burnout syndrome, and enhance performance by priming athletes for the physiological and psychological demands of match play situations. In traditional periodisation, training focuses on several physical abilities and training targets simultaneously, working from general to more specific and from endurance to more intense.
