Assessment of body composition among current Czech professional soccer players with different performance levels

Purpose
To assess differences in body composition among professional soccer players with different performance levels and determine whether there is an association between body fat mass (BFM) and soccer-specific performance in professional soccer players.

Methods
Anthropometric and biometric data were evaluated for 203 participants (soccer players, n = 135; comparative group, n = 68). Soccer players were divided in accordance with the final standings of the Czech First League in the 2016–2017 season (top 3 teams: promoted group, n = 59; last 3 teams: relegated group, n = 76).

Results
No significant differences were found in fat free mass (FFM) (p = 0.714), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (p = 0.67), height (p = 0.413), or weight (p = 0.132) between soccer players with different performance levels. Players with a high performance level reported significantly higher body fat percentage (p < 0.001, d = 0.880) and BFM (p < 0.001, d = 0.908) than those with a low performance level.

Conclusions
There were no significant differences in body height, body weight, FFM, or SMM between the soccer players with different performance levels. However, significant differences were found in BFM: high performance players presented higher BFM than low performance players. Thus, BFM is not a limiting factor in soccer-specific performance of professional soccer players. Soccer coaches should pay more attention to the tactical and technical part of soccer-specific performance.