The purpose of this reshearch was to investigate how the number of dribbles, passes, recieves shoots variates on different pitch sizes and what is the difference in pass distance and distance between defender and the attacker at the time of ball recieving on different pitch sizes in 11-year-old football players. Three pairs of teams playing 7-a-side matches were filmed on three pitches of different dimensions: 62 m × 40 m, 50 m × 35 m and 45 m × 35 m. Each team played one match on every pitch size, and the line-ups remained unchanged. The video recordings were calibrated in Dartfish, enabling us to measure pass length and the distance of the nearest defender at the moment of reception, as well as to count passes, receptions, dribbles and shots. Pass length and the distance of the nearest defender at the moment of reception were processed statistically with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey tests. Average Frequency of passes, receptions, dribbles and shots on different pitch sizes were analized with descriptive statistics.
The findings show that pitch size has a significant and multifaceted influence on game dynamics. The average number of passes was highest on the smallest pitch (432) and lowest on the largest (397). Conversely, mean pass length was greatest on the largest pitch—almost two metres longer than on the smaller fields—and likewise highly significant (p < 0.001). The number of receptions also varied with pitch size. more receptions occurred on the smallest pitch than on the medium-sized and largest one. The average distance of the nearest defender at reception was significant between groups and on the largest pitch exceeded that on the smallest by roughly 1.2 m, giving attackers more decision-making time, whereas on the most congested surface defenders engaged more quickly. This pattern is mirrored in attacking indicators: players executed the most dribbles on the smallest pitch (179 in average) and the fewest on the largest (135 in average). Shots followed a similar trend: 54 in average on the smallest field, 45 in average on the medium and 33 in average on the largest.
We found that coaches can optimize the training process by using different pitch sizes according to the objectives they want to achieve with the team. Pitch 3 should be used when the aim is to increase the number of passes, receptions, dribbles, and shots. It is also appropriate when the goal is to reduce distances between attackers and defenders and to emphasize short passing. Pitch 1 should be used when coaches want to increase the distances between players and encourage longer passes. Pitch 2 is suitable for acclimatizing players to match conditions, as it provides a setting similar to those in official games.
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