Background: The purpose of the present study was to analyze the internal and external loads on regular and floater players during standardized small-sided games (SSGs) with different numbers of players (teams of 3, 5, or 7 players).
Methods: Fifteen male semi-professional football players played different SSGs maintaining the same relative area per player. Total distance (TD), distance covered at different speeds (DC), the number of accelerations and decelerations, maximal (HR<inf>max</inf>) and mean (HR<inf>mean</inf>) heart rate and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) were registered.
Results: Regular players showed greater internal and external loads in SSGs with 3 and 5 players without floaters than with floaters (ES 0.60-to-1.27). Likewise, with floaters, regular players in the SSGs with 3 performed more accelerations (ES 1.40 and 1.17) and with 7 achieved higher TD, DC>14 km·h-1, HR<inf>max</inf> and HR<inf>mean</inf> (ES 0.66-to-2.79) than any other. During SSGs with 7 players the floaters showed a higher TD and decelerations than in other SSGs (ES 0.47-to-1.70), and a higher DC (0-6.9 km·h-1,14-17.9 km·h-1) and RPE than in SSGs with 3 players (ES 0.59-to-0.89). During SSGs with 5, the floaters showed a higher TD, HR<inf>max</inf>, HR<inf>mean</inf> and RPE than in SSGs with 3 (ES 0.86-to-1.45). In all SSGs, regular players showed higher TD, DC (14-17.9 km·h-1), accelerations, decelerations and HR<inf>mean</inf> than floaters (ES 1.24-to-6.23).
Conclusions: Coaches must carefully design SSGs because the number of players and the presence or absence of floaters can affect the external-internal load expressed.