Anthropometry and Somatotype Characteristics of Male Provincial Youth League Soccer Players in Zimbabwe According to Playing Positions

The purpose of the study was to determine the anthropometric and somatotype characteristics of male provincial youth league soccer players according to their playing positions. Sixteen youth players (15.3±0.68 years) were purposively selected through volunteer participation from a club in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. The following anthropometric variables were measured following the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK): height, body mass, skinfolds: (triceps, subscapular, biceps, iliac crest, supraspinale, abdominal and medial calf), girths: (arm relaxed, arm flexed and tensed, waist, gluteal, medial calf), and bone breadths: (bi-epicondylar humerus and bi-epicondylar femur). The following derived body composition variables were also calculated from the measurements; fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), fat mass index (FMI), fat free mass index (FFMI), percentage body fat (%BF) and body density (Db). Somatotype was calculated using the Heath-Carter (1990) method. Results (mean±SD) were as follows; body mass 63.0±5.49kg, height 170.2±4.61cm, sum of skinfolds 41.1±6.00mm, %BF 10.0±1.19%), fat mass 6.3±1.05kg, fat free mass 56.7±4.79kg), fat mass index 2.2±0.27, fat free mass index 19.6±1.37 and Db 1.08±0.00 g/cc. Mean somatotype of the players was 1.56-3.45-2.74, (endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph). No statistically significant differences were observe among playing positions in both anthropometric and somatotype variables (p>0.05) except in height (p