DIFFERENCES IN BODY COMPOSITION BETWEEN YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF FOOTBALL CLUBS IN MONTENEGRO, BOSNIA AND KOSOVO

The aim of this research was to determine the differences between the young football players (U19) in terms of anthropometric characteristics and body composition of three the most successful clubs in three countries of the southern region of the Balkan Peninsula. These are FC Sutjeska from Montenegro, CSC Zrinjski from Bosnia and Herzegovina and FC Prishtina from Kosovo. This survey involved a sample of fifty-three young football players. In Montenegro, the measures have been established for thirteen young football players of FC Sutjeska of the average age 17.62 +/-.87, in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 27 players of CSC Zrinjski of the average age of 17.33 +/-.78, and in Kosovo for 13 players of FC Prishtina of the average age 17.77 +/-.59. Football players were tested immediately after the end of the competition season 2018/19. Anthropometric characteristics and the body composition were evaluated by a battery of 11 variables: body height, body weight, triceps skinfold, biceps skinfold, skinfold of the back, abdominal skinfold, upper leg skinfold, lower leg skinfold, body mass index, fat percentage and muscle mass. The significance of the differences between the young football players of the three the most successful football clubs in their countries in the anthropometric characteristics and variables for assessing body composition were determined by ANOVA test. ANOVA test found that the young football players of the three mentioned clubs don't have statistically significant differences by the variables.