Cognitive Functioning, Physical Fitness, and Game Performance in a Sample of Adolescent Soccer Players

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between cognitive functioning, physical fitness, and game performance in a sample of adolescent soccer players. Eighty-five boys from a soccer team in Rincon de la Victoria (Malaga, Spain), aged between 12 and 16 years, participated in the study. The D2 and Global-Local Attention (GLA) tests were used to evaluate selective and divided attention, respectively, and the Coding and Symbol Search tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) were used for processing speed. To analyze physical fitness, the standing long jump test, speed test, and Course-Navette test of the Alpha-Fitness battery were used. Finally, the Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI) was used to analyze sports performance in three vs. three small-sided games. The analyses showed that cognitive functioning was related to game performance. The results obtained suggest the importance of cognitive functions for performance in this sport.