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Introduction: The study aims to analyze scientific publications on the association between social networks, social relationships, and social support for sports coaches. It seeks to identify the types and levels of social support provided by various agents, and to understand the impact of this support on coaches' wellbeing. The goal is to help coaches better utilize social support, thereby enhancing their quality of life, work, and performance. Methods: This study systematically reviewed 11 scientific articles to investigate the association between social support, social networks, and social relationships in sports coaches. It aimed to identify the types and levels of social support offered to coaches by family members, peers, and friends. Our research utilized the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and assessed study quality using the STROBE Statement. Eligibility was determined by the PECOS criterion based on the search strategy terms. Results: Our findings indicate that social support has significant positive effects on sports coaches. It enhances selfcompassion, prevents burnout symptoms, boosts job and life satisfaction, and reduces stress levels. Organizational support, characterized by clear guidelines, guidance, and autonomy, yielded positive outcomes. Conversely, the absence of social support correlated with negative outcomes for coaches, including lower self-compassion, increased stress and burnout symptoms, reduced job and life satisfaction, and heightened work-family conflict. Coaches' social networks encompassed family members, peers, friends, and other sources, with friends perceived as the most influential. Maintaining an effective social support network is crucial for coaches' performance and psychological wellbeing. Discussion: This systematic review emphasizes the importance of social support for coaches in both their personal and professional lives, noting its positive effects and the negative consequences of its absence. Given the demanding nature of coaching, improving social support systems can enhance coaches' wellbeing and the success of sports activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The study aimed to investigate the defensive and offensive technical-tactical actions of elite young football goalkeepers. Methods. The goalkeepers who participated in our study (n = 3; mean age: 16.6 years) had 8 years of experience in the position, were Portuguese, and competed in the Portuguese National Championship U-17. Thirty championship games were observed. The observational instruments used were constructed and validated for the investigation, and the technicaltactical actions were coded with the Lince® software. The data were processed through a descriptive analysis, by using the Microsoft Excel® computer program. Results. Defensive actions with most occurrences were goal defence (25.33 ± 8.14), deviation to punch (13.67 ± 12.5), with 2 hands (45.66 ± 21.38), and in zone 1 (50.33 ± 34.81). Offensive actions started more frequently with delayed pass (38.33 ± 28.01), for zone 1 (28.7 ± 20.60). The goalkeepers executed goal kick most frequently (17.33 ± 14.29), followed by short hand replacement (16.67 ± 12.06) and short pass (14.33 ± 10.02). The preferred pass zone was 9 (17.33 ± 10.26), and actions sought to initiate positional attack (86 ± 61.02). Conclusions. In the defensive process, the goalkeepers' actions are mostly focused on the objective of goal defence; in the offensive process, technical actions with the hands and feet are important in the participation in positional attack construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Soccer is a complex team sport, in which moments of 1v1 during the game may decide the outcome. Despite this evidence, studies on this particularity are scarce, particularly involving young players. Aim of Study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate variations of internal and external loads in U-15 and U-12 soccer players associated to different smallsided game (SSG) conditions, in the 1v1 context. Material and Methods. Eight male soccer players participated in the study, integrating two groups, U-15 (n = 4) and U-12 (n = 4), monitored in different SSG models (2 minutes duration / 3 minutes interval rest, different pitch size SSG1 = 5 Ã--10 m; SSG2 = 10 Ã--15 m; SSG3 = 15 Ã--20 m). Soccer players carried GPS devices (WIMU PROTM, RealTrack System, Almería, Spain) operating at a sampling frequency of 10 Hz. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare groups in each SSG and the Kruskal-FWallis test was applied to compare the different SSGs. The significance level was adopted at p < 0.05. Results. Differences between the groups were observed mostly in HRmean and HR95-max. The distance covered (different between the groups, SSG1 197.7 ± ± 14.0 vs 162.3 ± 9.0 and SSG3 261.4 ± 10.6 vs 217.1 ± 27.4, respectively, for U-15 and U-12) and maximal velocity always increased with the increase of the pitch size. Explosive distance and accelerations were also different between the groups in SSG1 and SSG2, respectively. Differences throughout the SSGs were mainly recorded in terms of external load. Conclusions. This research suggests that the implemented 1v1 SSG model is relevant from the internal and external load perspective. Nevertheless, the internal and external loads in U-15 and U-12 soccer players present differences and specificities, which should be considered in exercise prescription and individualized evaluation of young soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]