ABSTRACT
Background: Previous literature has demonstrated that each specialized playing position may have unique physical and physiological requirements. Body fat is highly related to playing position of football players. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine differences among positions in body size and percent body fat of elite football players prior to the start of regular season. Subjects: The subjects of this study were 34 (10 forwards, 10 midfielders, 10 defenders, 4 goalkeepers) normal, healthy elite football players without any orthopedic, respiratory or cardiovascular problems. Methods: Anthropometric profiles of the subjects were determined by measuring height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat. The prediction formula used to calculate percent body fat using BMI was: body fat % = (1.20 × BMI) + (0.23 × age) - (10.8 × gender) - 5.4 (R2 0.79, standard error estimate = 4.1% BF%), taking age and gender (male = 1, female = 0) into account. Results: The results demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.005) in the percent body fat among the players of different playing positions. Goalkeepers possessed highest values for body fat percentage followed by defenders and forwards while midfielders had the least body fat percentage. Conclusion: The study suggests that anthropometric characteristics differ in players of different playing positions. The differences found despite similar training protocol might be due to the physiological adaptations in the players.