ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the application of sports science by the modern day coach in two codes of football. Whereas soccer is a truly international game with FIFA comprising almost 200 national federations, Australian Rules Football (ARF) is mainly confined to Australia. It describes present-day conditions of professional soccer in Germany. Starting out with a demand profile of each code, the focus is on the following aspects: planning and execution of training and competition, diagnosis and evaluation of performance. As in the pre-season the execution of microcycles and training units is generally mixed in both codes. The only endurance parameter in soccer is the "anaerobic threshold". German professional soccer could benefit from ARF practices in applying a more objective game analysis, a more offensive approach towards the game and aqua-jogging/aqua-walking in normal training and for rehabilitation. Vertical jump performance is measured by most ARF coaches and a few soccer coaches.
