Exploring the Impact of Social Relationship Modification on Young Female Soccer Players’ Performance in Small-Sided Games

This study compared young female soccer players' tactical, conditional, and emotional responses during two small-sided games (SSGs), without restrictions (SSG_free), and introducing an additional rule (SSG_relationship: if a player touches an opponent just before she receives the ball, her team wins the ball back with an indirect free kick). Fourteen developmental U14 players participated in two 4 × 6-min seven-a-side games (six each, plus goalkeepers) on a 50-m long × 30-m wide field. Players' positional data were collected using a GPS to assess their tactical performance (central tendency and entropy measures of the surface area, distance between players and to the nearest opponent, and stretch and spatial exploration indices) and conditional performance (total and low-moderate, high, very high speed, sprinting distance covered, and the number of accelerations and decelerations). Participants also rated their perceived enjoyment and competence using the BECS scale. Tactical central tendency measures were higher during SSG_free (p < 0.05) than in SSG_relationship, but no differences were apparent for entropy and conditional measures (p > 0.05). From bout to bout, central tendency measures of tactical variables decreased more frequently during SSG_free than SSG_relationship. Entropy measures and conditional performance hardly varied between bouts. Enjoyment and perceived competence levels were similar for both SSGs. The findings indicate that modifying the interaction between opponents affects players' tactical responses more than conditional responses when compared with free play. Specifically, touching an opponent before they receive the ball may encourage players to play closer to their opponents during training tasks.