Positional training demands in the English Premier League and English Championship. A longitudinal study across consecutive seasons
2024

Training Demands in English Premier League vs. Championship

Sample size: 46 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Morgans Ryland, Ceylan Ibrahim H., Radnor John, Ryan Ben, King Matthew, Zmijewski Piotr, Oliveira Rafael

Primary Institution: Cardiff Metropolitan University

Hypothesis

The EPL will present higher values than the ECL during training.

Conclusion

Higher training values in the EPL were evident, except for centre forwards.

Supporting Evidence

  • EPL training sessions resulted in greater total distance per minute compared to ECL.
  • Centre midfielders covered more distance per minute than all other positions.
  • Significant interaction effect between position and league for all GPS metrics.

Takeaway

This study looked at how much training different soccer players do in the English Premier League compared to the Championship, finding that players in the Premier League generally train harder.

Methodology

GPS metrics were obtained during all EPL and ECL training sessions across four consecutive seasons.

Limitations

Only one team was examined, limiting generalization to other leagues.

Participant Demographics

46 male professional soccer players, average age 24.6 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.5114/biolsport.2025.139078

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