Abstract

Context: Small-sided soccer games (SSSG) have been proposed as a strategy to promote the health of children and adolescents. Understanding training loads has a strong influence on program effectiveness. Objective: This systematic review aimed to describe the training load and perception of enjoyment during SSSG in untrained children and adolescents. Data Sources: A systematic search on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo databases was performed. Study Selection: Experimental or observational studies conducted in untrained children or adolescents (6 to 18 years) that analyzed internal loads, external loads, or perceived enjoyment during 1 or more SSSG were included. Study Design: Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Data Extraction: Information on publication type, participants, SSSG characteristics, and main results of the internal and external load and perceived enjoyment was extracted. Results: A total of 15 articles (n = 539 participants, aged 8-18 years) were included. Twenty-one SSSG designs were identified, and the format used most was 3v3. Heartrate (HR) (range 71%-88% of maximum HR) and rate of perceived exertion (range 3-7 of 10 or 12-15 of 20) were the primary measures of internal load, while distance traveled, average speed, and number of accelerations were used to assess external load. Perceived enjoyment was reported using mainly the 16-item PACES or 18-item PACES scale (59.14 or 88.67, respectively). The structural aspects of the game were evaluated in 6 studies, suggesting that the number of players, pitch size, man-marking, and restricting the type of locomotion may affect workload. Contextual factors, such as verbal motivation or sex, can also influence workload. Conclusion: SSSG is associated with moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise and high enjoyment perception. Workload can be affected by structural (number of players, pitch size, man-marking) and contextual factors (verbal encouragement, sex composition), although evidence is still limited. © 2025 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Lficense (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).