July 26 – The CIES Football Observatory has endorsed a recent European Club Association (ECA) study revealing that only a small percentage of footballers endure extensive minutes each season, throwing a more detailed light on the physical demands placed on top-tier players in the face of a growing international calendar.
The report, which scrutinised data from 40 leagues between 2012 and 2024, underscores the urgency for clubs and governing bodies to address player workloads and match scheduling.
According to the data, on average, just 0.88% of footballers played more than 4,500 minutes in official matches per year, equating to roughly 169 players per season. This statistic has remained stable over the 12-year period.
Players participated in an average of 1.68 matches per season within a 72-hour interval between kick-offs. Half of these back-to-back games occurred in domestic league fixtures, with national leagues accounting for 90% of such occurrences.
The majority of playing time (76.3%) for players exceeding 4,500 minutes per season took place in domestic club competitions, whilst international club competitions accounted for 14.7% of their playing time, leaving just 9.0% for national team competitions.
Projections for the 2024-2028 cycle by the ECA suggest that the proportion of players exceeding 4,500 minutes per season will remain consistent with the previous four-year period. These projections considered the recent changes in competition formats, squad turnover, the introduction of five substitutions, and efforts to maintain competitive balance.
However, the pressure is on the players at the biggest and highest performing clubs, who also make up the overwhelming bulk of national teams, and generate the most income for the sport.
The physical demands on that small group of elite footballers, raises questions about the sustainability of current match schedules. The ECA’s report calls for a re-evaluation of how playing time is managed to ensure player well-being and performance for the coming years.
However, the reports conclusion says: “The projections elaborated for the 2024-2028 four-year cycle taking into consideration recent changes in competition formats, squad turnover, five substitutions and competitive balance indicate that the proportion of footballers active in the 40 leagues studied playing more than 4 500 official game minutes all competitions combined per season will be comparable to that measured over the previous four years (2020-2024).”
To see the full report, click here.
For further details, contact Harry Ewing at moc.l1731636880labto1731636880ofdlr1731636880owedi1731636880sni@g1731636880niwe.1731636880yrrah1731636880.