How to Last 90 Minutes in Football: Tips to Endure the Full Match

The Importance of Fitness in Football: Why Stamina Matters

Let’s face it: surviving 90 minutes on the football field isn’t just about skill—it’s about stamina. I remember chatting with a friend, an ex-player, who told me, “If you can’t last the full game, your talent doesn’t matter.” Harsh, right? But it’s true. You can have the best footwork, the slickest passes, but if you’re gasping for air by the 60th minute, it’s going to show.

Football is a dynamic sport with constant motion. You’re sprinting, stopping, changing direction, and covering distances that can add up to several kilometers per match. If you're not in shape, it’ll quickly catch up with you. Your body needs to be trained to handle these demands, and here's where fitness comes in.

Building Endurance for 90-Minute Matches

To make it through a full match, you need to build endurance over time. Simple, right? Well, sort of. It’s not just about running endless laps around a track. You’ve got to simulate match conditions—short bursts of sprinting, stopping, and quick changes of direction. Interval training works wonders for this. It's also essential to work on aerobic fitness because that’s what keeps you going in those last 20 minutes when everyone else starts to flag.

Fueling Your Body: Nutrition and Hydration Tips

Here’s a mistake I made early on in my football journey: I thought I could get through a game on a simple pre-match snack. Spoiler alert: I was wrong. What you eat and drink before and during a match makes a huge difference. You need the right fuel to keep your body going.

What to Eat Before the Match

A balanced pre-game meal is essential. Avoid anything too heavy, but make sure you’re getting enough carbs to fuel those muscles. Think pasta, rice, or a good portion of whole grains. You also want some protein—chicken, turkey, or beans will do the trick.

But here’s the thing I didn’t realize at first: timing is everything. You want to eat your pre-game meal around 2-3 hours before kickoff. That gives your body time to digest, and trust me, you don’t want to be running on a full stomach!

Hydration: The Game Changer

Ever felt like you’re running on empty halfway through a game? It might be dehydration, not fatigue. I learned the hard way. Dehydration affects your performance in so many ways: reduced stamina, muscle cramps, and mental fog. Drink water consistently leading up to the match. And during the match, try to stay hydrated with water or sports drinks that contain electrolytes to replace lost minerals.

The Mental Game: How to Stay Focused for 90 Minutes

Now, let’s talk about the mental side. It’s easy to think of football as just a physical game, but your mind plays a massive role in how long you last. Staying mentally focused for the entire 90 minutes is just as important as physical endurance.

Staying Sharp in the Final Minutes

Here’s something that has tripped me up more times than I care to admit: losing focus in the last 20 minutes. That’s when the game can be won or lost. I spoke to an old coach about this, and he gave me a piece of advice I’ll never forget: “It’s not about staying physically strong—it’s about staying mentally tough when you’re tired.” He’s right, of course. As you get tired, you tend to lose concentration, and that’s when mistakes happen.

Mental Preparation and Visualization

Visualization is a technique that helps a lot with focus. Before a match, take a few minutes to visualize yourself running the full 90 minutes, making key plays, and staying sharp. It’s not some "mystical" stuff—it helps your brain adjust to the physical stress and prepares you to push through the tough moments.

Recovery: How to Prepare Your Body for the Next Game

Alright, so you’ve survived the match. You’re probably exhausted, sore, and maybe even a little proud of yourself (you should be!). But here’s the thing—how you recover can impact your ability to last another 90 minutes next time.

Active Recovery: More Than Just Rest

I used to think that after a match, the best thing I could do was crash on the couch with a pizza. Well, yeah, pizza’s great, but recovery is more complex than that. Active recovery—gentle jogging, cycling, or swimming—helps to clear lactic acid from your muscles and reduces soreness.

Stretching and Foam Rolling: Don’t Skip It

Another thing I learned the hard way: stretching and foam rolling after a match. It feels like a chore, but trust me, your muscles will thank you the next day. It helps with flexibility, reduces stiffness, and speeds up muscle recovery, so you're ready to get back out there sooner.

In the end, making it through 90 minutes in football isn't just about being the fastest or the strongest—it’s about being smart. Build your endurance, fuel your body correctly, stay mentally tough, and don’t neglect recovery. Oh, and don’t forget to have fun! After all, it's football.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.