ABSTRACT
Physical and physiological characteristics of soccer players can be used by coaches to modify training programmes and to help players prepare for the game strategy. This chapter analyzes the physical and physiological components of professional soccer players from the different leagues and to determine the specific requirements for optimal performance. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significance of differences among First, Second and Third league professional soccer teams. Differences in physical fitness variables were tested for statistical significance at 0.05 confidence level. The chapter confirms the findings obtained with transverse studies demonstrating that the performance of a team depends on factors other than physiological characteristics, because in most of the physiological capacities, there were no significant differences between three different groups of soccer players. It seems that physiological and physical characteristics of Turkish professional soccer players need to be developed to reach the values of world class soccer players.
