The Effect of Bio-Banded Game Formats on Physiological, Physical, Technical, and Tactical Parameters in Youth...

Given the growing interest in Bio-Banding (BB) game formats, this review aimed to investigate its effects on physiological, physical, technical, and tactical parameters in youth soccer players.

A systematic search was conducted across 5 databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Studies with experimental or observational designs assessing the effects of BB formats on these parameters were included. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the version 2 of the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tools for quantitative studies and the Critical Appraisal Tool by the Johanna Briggs Institute for qualitative studies.

Ten studies (n = 591 players) were included, with 8 employing quantitative methods and 2 utilizing qualitative approaches. The results revealed variability in study designs, limiting cross-study comparability. Physical demands and physiological responses differed across maturational groups and game formats, while technical and tactical behaviors adapted to BB formats particularly for early and late-maturing players. Despite observed differences between BB and comparator games, conclusive evidence on BB's effectiveness is lacking due to methodological limitations and bias risk.

BB presents a promising approach to support player development and mitigate maturity-related selection bias. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of BB-implementations in youth soccer.