Distance by position (90-min amateur 11-a-side match)
The amateur ranges below are scaled from elite positional data published in Bradley et al. (2009) and Di Salvo et al. (2007), both based on Premier League and La Liga match recordings. Goalkeeper data references Bloomfield, Polman & O’Donoghue (2007).
| Position | Amateur range | Elite reference |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | 2–3 km | ~4 km |
| Centre-back | 7–8 km | 9.4–9.7 km |
| Full-back / wing-back | 8–10 km | 10.3–10.6 km |
| Defensive midfielder | 8–10 km | 10.8–11.0 km |
| Box-to-box midfielder | 9–11 km | 11.5–12.0 km |
| Winger / wide midfielder | 9–10 km | 11.0–11.6 km |
| Striker | 8–9 km | 10.3–10.6 km |
Goalkeeper distance is the one number that is often overstated online. Even elite professionals in full-size matches average around 4 km, so amateur keepers — often on smaller pitches with fewer through-balls — realistically land at 2–3 km.
How amateur distances compare to Premier League
Premier League outfield players average 10.7 km per 90 minutes across positions, with central midfielders frequently exceeding 12 km in high-intensity fixtures. Amateur outfield distances run roughly 15–20% lower for two reasons: lower sustained match tempo, and lower aerobic capacity to maintain that tempo across the full 90.
The gap between you and the professionals is probably smaller than you think — for total distance. A fit amateur box-to-box midfielder covering 10 km is running ~85% of what a top-flight midfielder covers in a match. The real difference shows up in high-intensity running — distance covered above ~19.8 km/h. Elite players spend a far greater proportion of their total at that pace, and that is the gap that matters more than the headline km figure.
“Amateurs cover 80–90% of what professionals do in total distance. The gap is in how much of it is at pace.”
5-a-side vs 11-a-side distance
5-a-side involves more intense, repeated short sprints — but far less total ground covered. A typical 60-minute 5-a-side match produces 4–6 km of distance. The smaller pitch and constant ball involvement mean you are rarely jogging or recovering the way you do in 11-a-side.
7-a-side sits in between. Expect 5–8 km over 60–70 minutes, depending on pitch size and tempo.
| Format | Duration | Outfield distance |
|---|---|---|
| 5-a-side | 60 min | 4–6 km |
| 7-a-side | 60–70 min | 5–8 km |
| 11-a-side | 90 min | 7–11 km |
What affects how far you run
Distance is not just about how fit you are. Four things drive it:
- Position and tactical role — the biggest single factor. A striker pressing high covers very different ground from one holding the line.
- Match tempo — a competitive fixture drags you forward and back more than a friendly. A high-press system adds 10–15% to outfield distance vs a low-block.
- Your fitness level — players who train mid-week sustain higher tempo for longer, which directly adds to second-half distance.
- Substitution timing — if you come off at 70 minutes, your number drops proportionally. Worth knowing when comparing game to game.
Why most amateur players underestimate how far they cover
Human intuition for distance is poor. You remember the sprints because they are hard. You do not feel the 40 minutes of jogging, walking and repositioning that goes on between them. Most players, asked to guess their match distance before they have ever tracked it, guess low by 2–4 km.
This matters because if you do not know your baseline, you cannot improve it. You do not know whether you faded in the second half. You do not know whether the system you are playing in is demanding more from you than the previous one.
Why distance alone is not the whole story
Total km is the most visible metric, but it is a rough proxy for what actually happened in a match. Two players can both cover 10 km and have entirely different match experiences:
- One ran 9.5 km at jogging pace with 0.5 km of sprinting.
- The other ran 7 km of base movement and 3 km at high intensity.
The second player almost certainly had more impact on the match. Sprint count, high-intensity distance (above ~19 km/h) and how that effort distributed across the halves tells you far more than total distance alone. That is why Scorza tracks all of those layers alongside the headline km number.
How to track your own distance accurately
The only reliable way to track match distance is GPS on your body during the match — not in your kit bag, not on the bench, not estimated from a step count. The GPS needs line-of-sight to the sky throughout the 90 minutes.
If you already own an Apple Watch (Series 4 or later) or a compatible Garmin, Scorza gives you football-specific GPS tracking via the vest pocket on your back — processed through an algorithm built for football rather than the generic run profile your watch would otherwise use.
Sources
- Bradley, P.S. et al. (2009). High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(2), 159–168.
- Di Salvo, V. et al. (2007). Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 28(3), 222–227.
- Bloomfield, J., Polman, R. & O’Donoghue, P. (2007). Physical demands of different positions in FA Premier League soccer. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 6(1), 63–70.
- Bangsbo, J., Mohr, M. & Krustrup, P. (2006). Physical and metabolic demands of training and match-play in the elite football player. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24(7), 665–674.