{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,19]],"date-time":"2026-03-19T21:09:46Z","timestamp":1773954586356,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,17]],"date-time":"2022-01-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642377600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001711","name":"Swiss National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["51NF40-185901"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["51NF40-185901"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001711","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"LARSyS\u2014Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology (FCT) pluri-annual funding 2020\u20132023","award":["Reference: UIDB\/50009\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Reference: UIDB\/50009\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Small-sided games (SSGs) are a motivational strategy and effective training method to develop skills and physical fitness at optimal intensity. This study investigates the influence of variability in the number of players on the physiological response using SSGs. The sample was composed of 10 field players with an average age of 15.9 \u00b1 0.50 years old. Three sessions were held on 3 different days to collect information. The 10 min SSG exercise with temporal numerical variability was repeated twice on each day. The numerical ratio of players involved changed every 2 min without disrupting the practice. In a game space with 35 \u00d7 25 m, the exercise always started in a situation of 3 vs. 3. External training load metrics (i.e., physical activity counts, activity intensity, and energy expenditure) were assessed using Actigraph WGT3X accelerometers. The 3 vs. 3 format game had higher physical activity counts (i.e., higher vector magnitude) and requested more time spent in very vigorous physical activity intensity. Consequently, the 3 vs. 3 format in young football players had higher energy expenditure (i.e., a higher METs) than that in the other studied game formats. This study confirms the influence of SSGs with numerical variability in external training load.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su14021000","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,17]],"date-time":"2022-01-17T20:49:21Z","timestamp":1642452561000},"page":"1000","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["The Influence of Small-Sided Football Games with Numerical Variability in External Training Load"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7434-643X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Honorato","family":"Sousa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Coimbra, Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"\u00c9lvio R\u00fabio","family":"Gouveia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal"},{"name":"Interactive Technologies Institute, LARSYS, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal"},{"name":"Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9850-7771","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adilson","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance (CIPER), Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Instituto de Sa\u00fade Ambiental (ISAMB), University of Lisbon, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8681-0642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"Sarmento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Coimbra, Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5482-2275","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcelo","family":"Pestana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Tom\u00e1s","family":"Quintal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1388-9473","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Helder","family":"Lopes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal"},{"name":"CiTUR-Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o, Desenvolvimento e Inova\u00e7\u00e3o em Turismo, 9000-082 Funchal, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"Ihle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland"},{"name":"Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES\u2013Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1519\/R-17655.1","article-title":"Skill-based conditioning games as an alternative to traditional conditioning for rugby league players","volume":"20","author":"Gabbett","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. 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