Effects of Recreational Soccer Training on Physical Fitness and Gross Motor Coordination in Prepubertal Boys and Girls

Physical activity is essential for the healthy development of children, contributing significantly to their physical fitness and motor skills. Prepubertal children experience changes in physical growth. During the prepubertal phase, engaging in regular physical activity can lead to substantial improvements in cardiovascular health, muscular strength, agility, and coordination. Physical fitness has been recognized as a key determinant in healthy lifestyles based increasingly on criteria referenced to general health. However, many children and adolescents are only exposed to vigorous physical activity during school based physical education classes. That way, schools seem to provide an excellent setting to enhance physical activity and physical fitness levels. Soccer, a widely popular sport, offers an engaging and enjoyable way for children to improve their physical fitness and gross motor coordination.

This study aims to investigate the effects of recreational soccer training on physical fitness and gross motor coordination in prepubertal boys and girls and to compare the effects of recreational soccer training between boys and girls. This current study will be a clinical trial; data will be calculated from Dar-e-Arqam School, upper mall Lahore. A total of 70 prepubertal children (35 boys and 35 girls) will be recruited for this study. Inclusion criteria for the study will be 7 to 9 years old boys and girls. participants should be in good general health, without any medical condition that could affect their ability to participate in physical activities. Individuals with physical disabilities or impairments that prevent them from engaging in soccer activities will be excluded. Participants will be divided into two experimental groups: Group A (boys) and Group B (girls). Both groups will undergo the same soccer training program. The soccer training program will consist of sessions held thrice a week for 8 weeks, each lasting 60 minutes.Outcomes to be analyzed will be Physical fitness and Gross motor coordination. Data collection will be done before and after the intervention. Tools used for data collection will be Physical fitness test battery for children to assess physical fitness and rohrer's index will be used to assess somatotype. Gross motor coordination will be evaluated using the Körperkoordinations test für Kinder (KTK) test battery. Data will be analyzed through SPSS version 26.00.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy Male and Female Subjects
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Recreational Soccer Training (Boys Group); Other: Recreational Soccer Training (Girls Group)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 70
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Imran Amjad, PhD; Phone Number: 03324390125; Email: Imran.amjad@riphah.edu.pk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Fareeha Kausar, PP-DPT; Phone Number: 03216758180; Email: fareeha.kausar@riphah.edu.pk

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab
    • Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, 53400
      • Recruiting
      • CDGL Boys High School, Upper Mall
      • Contact: Fareeha Kausar, PP-DPT; Phone Number: 03216758180; Email: fareeha.kausar@riphah.edu.pk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children between age 7 to9
• Flamingo balance test between 11-14
• Both genders

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of any chronic medical condition
• Children who areinvolved inother training program
• Having any physical disability or impairment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Recreational Soccer Training (Boys Group); Prepubertal Girls Group	Other: Recreational Soccer Training (Boys Group); This group will have 3 training sessions per week, with each session lasting 60 minutes (13). The session will include: Warm-up (10 minutes): Light jogging, Dynamic stretching (Arm circles, Leg swings, Hip circles), Mobility exercises (Ankle roll, Trunk rotations),Technical Skills Training (20 minutes):Dribbling, passing, and shooting drills, Small-Sided Games (20 minutes): 3v3 or 4v4 games emphasizing teamwork, passing, and movement off the ball.Cool Down (10 minutes):Light jogging, Static stretching, Breathing exercises. Training Progression: Weeks 1-2: Basic skills and small-sided games, Weeks 3-5: Increased drill complexity, Weeks 6-8: Enhanced tactical awareness and structured gameplay.; Other Names: Prepubertal Boys Group
Experimental: Recreational Soccer Training (Girls Group); Prepubertal Girls Group	Other: Recreational Soccer Training (Girls Group); This group will have 3 training sessions per week, with each session lasting 60 minutes (13). The session will include: Warm-up (10 minutes): Light jogging, Dynamic stretching (Arm circles, Leg swings, Hip circles), Mobility exercises (Ankle roll, Trunk rotations),Technical Skills Training (20 minutes):Dribbling, passing, and shooting drills, Small-Sided Games (20 minutes): 3v3 or 4v4 games emphasizing teamwork, passing, and movement off the ball.Cool Down (10 minutes):Light jogging, Static stretching, Breathing exercises. Training Progression: Weeks 1-2: Basic skills and small-sided games, Weeks 3-5: Increased drill complexity, Weeks 6-8: Enhanced tactical awareness and structured gameplay.; Other Names: Prepubertal Girls Group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physical Fitness Test Battery for Children	Physical fitness test battery for children has been found to be highly reliable tool with interclass correlation coefficients for individual test items and total score ranging from .54 to .92	Baseline and 8th Week
Körperkoordinationstest für kinder (KTK) for Gross Motor Coordination	The Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) is a widely used test to assess motor coordination in children. KTK has high test-retest reliability ranging from o.80 to 0.96, indicating that children's performance on the test is consistent over repeated administrations. The test involves components of Motor Coordination, such as balance, rhythm, strength, laterality, speed, and agility.	Baseline and 8th Week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Riphah International University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Fareeha Kausar, PP-DPT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Hammami M, Negra Y, Billaut F, Hermassi S, Shephard RJ, Chelly MS. Effects of Lower-Limb Strength Training on Agility, Repeated Sprinting With Changes of Direction, Leg Peak Power, and Neuromuscular Adaptations of Soccer Players. J Strength Cond Res. 2018 Jan;32(1):37-47. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001813.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 15, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 20, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical Fitness
• Other Study ID Numbers: Riphah/G-III/RCR&AHS/B42-177

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No