The influence of situational and environmental factors on match-running in soccer: a systematic review

ABSTRACTIt is common practice amongst researchers and practitioners to monitor the effects of external load via electronic tracking systems. Both semi-automatic multiple camera systems and global positioning system technologies are used worldwide to quantify match-running. As soccer is a global game, the playing environments can differ, with heat and altitude being factors that may impact players running performance. Further, tactical and situational match factors may also have an effect on match-running performance. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to systematically review current literature on the environmental and situational factors affecting match-running in soccer. An electronic database search (PubMed, EBSCOHost and Web of Science) was conducted. Further articles known to the authors were also included. A total of 1806 studies were identified, with only 28 meeting the specific search criteria. The main findings were that trivial changes in match-running were observed with regards to posses...