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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>
<jats:p>Martone, D, Giacobbe, M, Capobianco, A, Imperlini, E, Mancini, A, Capasso, M, Buono, P, and Orrù, S. Exercise intensity and technical demands of small-sided soccer games for under-12 and under-14 players: Effect of area per player. <jats:italic toggle="yes">J Strength Cond Res</jats:italic> 31(6): 1486–1492, 2017—The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 6 different areas per player (A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub>) on exercise intensity (EI) measured during small-sided games (SSGs) and expressed as percentage of maximal heart rate (%MHR) and technical actions (TAs) involvement with the ball, crosses, headers, tackles, shots on goal, dribbling, passing, and target passing-in U-12 and U-14 soccer players during SSGs. Seventeen male U-12 soccer players (age 10.0 ± 0.5 years, body mass 39.3 ± 5.3 kg, and height 143.8 ± 4.6 cm) and 16 male U-14 soccer players (age 13.2 ± 0.3 years, body mass 46.6 ± 11.9 kg, and height 154.8 ± 8.5 cm) performed SSGs with different A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub>: 40, 50, 66.7, 90, 112.5, and 150 m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>. Our results indicate that at larger A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub>, the U-12 group's mean EI values were significantly higher than those at smaller A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub> (<jats:italic toggle="yes">p</jats:italic> ≤ 0.05); in addition, intergroup comparison showed that EI was higher in U-12 than that in U-14 players when A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub> of 112.5 and 150 m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> were considered (<jats:italic toggle="yes">p</jats:italic> ≤ 0.05). Technical action analysis evidenced that moving from smaller to larger A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub>, U-14 players adapted better to A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub> changes. In conclusion, these results suggest that A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub> influences differently EI and TAs in U-12 and U-14 players. Our results could be taken into account by conditioning coaches to better tailor the physiological and technical training in young players through the modulation of A<jats:sub>P</jats:sub>.</jats:p>