Fitness Foundations of Success: A Study on the Physical Fitness of Purulia District U-17 Champion Footballers

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@article{1720184,
      author = {Amrit Kumar Mahato, Biren Hansda},
      title = {Fitness Foundations of Success: A Study on the Physical Fitness of Purulia District U-17 Champion Footballers},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {3663-3672},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1720184.pdf},
      abstract = {Competitive youth football rewards players who can sprint, change direction, jump, and keep working as fatigue sets in. Yet fitness profiles of district level champion sides in eastern India remain thinly documented, which leaves selectors and coaches leaning on intuition rather than measured evidence. This study profiled the physical fitness of 22 male Under 17 footballers who won the Purulia District championship, and it tested how the separate fitness qualities hang together. Motor fitness was captured through the 50 m dash (speed), the standing broad jump (explosive leg power), and a zig zag run (agility). Body composition was indexed by Body Mass Index derived from height and weight, then sorted into World Health Organization categories. Cardiovascular efficiency was measured with the long form Harvard Step Test, from which the Physical Efficiency Index (PEI) was calculated using three post exercise recovery pulse counts. Descriptive statistics and Pearson product moment correlations were computed. On average the squad recorded a 50 m dash of 7.49 s, a broad jump of 1.88 m, a zig zag time of 24.83 s, a BMI of 18.62 kg/m2, and a PEI of 120.26. Every player scored in the “Excellent” PEI band, while BMI split between the normal (59.1%) and underweight (40.9%) ranges. Speed correlated with power and agility (p < .01), and agility tracked cardiovascular recovery (p < .01). The findings appear to indicate a fit but lean cohort whose fitness qualities are meaningfully interlinked, with practical value for talent screening and conditioning design.},
      keywords = {Motor Fitness, Youth Football, Harvard Step Test, Body Mass Index, Agility, Talent Identification, Physical Efficiency Index},
      month = {July},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1720184}
  }