Influence of match location proximity on external load indicators in elite football

This study examined whether away match proximity was associated with external load in elite football players from an island-based team. Given the travel demands in such teams, clarifying whether distance-based proximity is associated with external-load variation is relevant. Data from 22 elite male players across 17 official away matches were analysed. External load metrics were obtained via GPS, including total distance, high-speed running (HSR), sprint distance, and the number of accelerations and decelerations. Match proximity was grouped into three clusters using a two-step clustering algorithm. Linear mixed-effects models were applied with the player as a random effect and the clusters as a fixed effect. Cluster analysis identified three distinct groups (average silhouette width = 0.8): Closer (333 ± 41.6 km), Medium (701 ± 32.3 km), and Longer (967 ± 153.0 km). Significant effects were observed for HSR (F(2,154) = 5.25, p = .006), sprint distance (F(2,154) = 4.63, p = .011), and accelerations (F(2,162) = 4.61, p = .011). Medium and Longer matches showed reduced HSR and sprint outputs compared with Closer ones, with moderate to large effect sizes. Marginal R2 values were low, while conditional R2 values were higher, reflecting substantial between-player variability. Distance-based match proximity was associated with high-intensity activity, supporting its use as a contextual flag when planning training, recovery and match logistics for island-based teams.