Positional Differences in VO2max Among Youth Football Players in a School-Based Sports Program

Alfurqan Arrahman Usman 1 Indonesia , Muh. Adnan Hudain 1 Indonesia , Sudirman Sudirman 1 Indonesia
1 Department of Physical Education and Sport, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
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Published 2026-09-04
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026) PAGES 194-203
DOI 10.51574/ijrer.v6i1.4886
Views / Downloads 54 84

Position-specific physiological profiling is crucial for optimizing youth athletic development, yet data regarding school-based extracurricular sports programs remains limited. This study aimed to investigate positional differences in aerobic capacity (VO2max) between defensive and attacking youth footballers within a school-based sports framework. A comparative cross-sectional design was conducted with 23 male high school football players (n=11 defenders, n=12 attackers; age: 16–18 years) selected via purposive sampling from a public senior high school in Makassar, Indonesia. Aerobic capacity was estimated using the Multistage Fitness Test (MFT) to calculate VO2max (mL⋅kg ^(-1)⋅min^(-1)). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Independent Samples t-test (α=0.05), and Cohen's d to measure effect size. The overall cohort demonstrated a "Very Good" aerobic fitness profile ("mean VO2max=56.15±[SD] mL⋅kg^(-1)⋅min^(-1)). Although attacking players exhibited a slightly higher mean value (56.87 mL⋅kg^(-1)⋅min^(-1)) compared to defensive players (55.37 mL⋅kg^(-1)⋅min^(-1)), this difference was not statistically significant (t=-1.76, p=0.093). No significant positional divergence in VO2max was observed, indicating that current school-based physical conditioning produces a baseline aerobic standard across playing roles. These findings align with the dynamic, position-fluid physical demands of modern tactical play and suggest that early-stage school programs should prioritize general aerobic foundations over premature position-specific conditioning.

Usman, A. A., Hudain, M. A., & Sudirman, S. (2026). Positional Differences in VO2max Among Youth Football Players in a School-Based Sports Program. ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review , 6(1), 194–203. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v6i1.4886
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Aerobic Capacity Positional Demands School Sports Programs VO2max Youth Footballers