Hartpury University Repository

Bateman, J. E.

Lovell, Geoff

Burke, K. J.

Lastella, Michele

English

Coach education and positive youth development as a means of improving Australian Sport

Garrett, Lucy J. H.

Myatt, Julia P.

Sadler, Jon P.

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Hipperson, Helen

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Drury, Ben

The influence of maturation on the reliability of the Nordic hamstring exercise in male youth footballers

Escobar, L.

Scanlan, Aaron T.

McGowan, L.

Guy, J. H.

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SHORT COMMUNICATION  
 
An exploration of goal scoring strategies in an elite beach soccer tournament  
Lastella, M 1, Escobar, L2, Lovell GP3,4, Scanlan AT5, Ellison E6, McGowan L7, Guy JH5 
1Appleton Institute for Behavioural Science, Central Queensland University, Adelaide, Australia 
2 Bahamas Beach Soccer National Team, Nassaau, Bahamas 
3 University of the Sunshine Coast, School of Social Sciences, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia 
4Department of Sport, Hartpury University, United Kingdom 
5 School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Queensland, 
Australia 
6 School of Education and the Arts, Central Queensland University, Noosa, Australia  
7School of Creative Industries, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland, 
Australia. 
 
 
Address for correspondence: Michele Lastella, Central Queensland University, Appleton 
Institute, 44 Greenhill Road, Wayville 5034; Phone: (0061) 413407956; Email: 
m.lastella@cqu.edu.au 
 
 
Orchid ID:  
Michele Lastella – 0000-0003-1793-3811 
Geoff Lovell – 0000-0002-1432-9873 
Aaron Scanlan - 0000-0002-0750-8697 
Elizabeth Ellison - 0000-0002-0865-950X 
Lee McGowan - 0000-0003-1255-453X 
Joshua Guy - 0000-0003-3000-2747 
 
 
Keywords: beach, beach soccer, goals, football, performance  
2 
 
Abstract 
Despite the increasing popularity of beach soccer, few studies have examined goal scoring 
strategies during match-play. The aims of this study were to examine the different types of 
goals scored during an international tournament and determine what type of goals were 
associated with team performance. Twelve national teams were analysed across 52 matches in 
all phases of the European Beach Soccer League (2018) tournament. Observational data 
collection was conducted through video analysis of all 422 goals scored throughout the 
tournament. Chi square analyses revealed a significance difference in the type of goals scored 
x2 (72) = 102, p = 0.01. Further, the amount of goals scored from a set-play were significantly 
higher than all other goal scoring strategies (p = 0.001). The amount of goals scored from 
goalkeeper-line defence were significantly lower than all other goal scoring strategies (p = 
0.001). The percentage of goalkeeper-line goals was significantly related to total tournament 
points [F(2, 10) = 7.242, p = 0.023, R
2 = 0.42]. These data indicate that teams employing the 
goalkeeper-line strategy, where the goalkeeper plays outfield to serve as a numerical 
advantage, was associated with increases in scoring opportunities and team performance.  
  
3 
 
Introduction  
The popularity of beach soccer has grown substantially since the first official tournament held 
in Los Angeles by the Beach Soccer World Wide (BSWW) in 1992 (McGowan, Ellison, & 
Lastella, 2019). Despite this increasing popularity, a limited number of applied studies have 
examined beach soccer, with existing data restricted to the physiological demands of players 
(Castellano & Casamichana, 2010; Scarfone, Tessitore, Minganti, Capranica, & Ammendolia, 
2015) and goal scoring strategies observed during matches (Leite, 2016; Musa et al., 2019). 
For example, Leite (2016) revealed that most goals were scored in the final (third) period of 
play and that the first goal of the game increased a team’s winning probability to 60% (Leite, 
2016). Likewise, Musa et al. (2019) examined the impact of tactical performance indicators 
such as shots from the back, middle and front third of the field as well as complete and 
incomplete saves associated with winning and losing teams. However, there were no analyses 
conducted on the importance of the goalkeeper in relation to goal scoring in previous work 
(Musa et al., 2019). Given beach soccer is one of the world’s fastest growing sports (Musa et 
al. 2019), it is important to provide insight into goal scoring strategies for coaches and 
performance analysts to enable optimal tactical preparation leading into tournaments.  
Beach soccer is differentiated from regular 11 v 11 soccer in that there are four outfield players 
and a goalkeeper, unlimited player substitutions to facilitate sustained high movement 
intensities, and a smaller field of play (35-37 m long and 26-28 m wide) of at least 40-cm deep 
sand. Matches are divided into three periods of 12 minutes with 3-minute rest intervals between 
periods, interrupted only via refereeing interventions (e.g., penalties or goals), or calling for 
medical assistance (Musa et al., 2019). The smaller field and subsequent closer proximity of 
players to the goal enables a higher frequency of shots on goal and scoring.  
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) technical report of the Beach Soccer Championship 
in Malaysia (2017) indicated 199 goals were scored in 23 matches (8.6 goals per match). This 
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figure was significantly higher than the average 2.6 goals scored per game during the FIFA 
2018 World Cup in Russia (Statista, 2019). The AFC report demonstrates 39% of goals at the 
Beach Soccer Championship were scored through open or what is referred to as combination 
play and 15% of goals were scored by the goalkeeper via a direct shot. While the report offers 
general statistics on goal frequency and the way goals were scored, no in-depth analysis of the 
tactical aspects related to the positional offense, transition, set-play goals or employment of the 
goalkeeper during offensive play is provided. Given the differences between disciplines, 
existing findings regarding tactical aspects for goal scoring evident for regular soccer cannot 
be simply translated to beach soccer (Ali, Katis, Patsika, & Kellis, 2015; Tenga, Holme, 
Ronglan, & Bahr, 2010), indicating further research is needed on this topic specifically in beach 
soccer.  
Novel data examining the tactical aspects specifically related to positional offense, transitions 
moments, set-plays and using the goalkeeper during offensive play will provide insights to the 
most effective strategies to win games. For example, if findings indicate that using the 
goalkeeper as part of the build-up phase associates with a greater number of goals or success 
for the team in possession, coaching staff could utilize this information in designing team 
tactical approaches that enhance performance.  To date, a limited number of studies have 
empirically examined the different types of goals scored during in beach soccer and if different 
types of positional offence results in greater success. Therefore, the aims of this study were (1) 
to examine the different types of goals scored during an international tournament and (2) to 
determine what type of goals were associated with higher tournament points. 
Methods 
Participants 
Twelve international teams (Azerbaijan, Belarus, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, 
Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine) were analysed across 52 matches in all phases 
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of the European Beach Soccer League (2018), including 12 matches from the group stage and 
4 matches from the play-offs phase.  
Video Analysis 
Data collection was conducted via video analysis of all the 422 goals scored throughout the 
competition, where footage was downloaded via the official website of BSWW 
(www.beachsoccer.com). Video footage used multiple camera angles with the fixed panned 
widescreen angle used for data analysis. Two professional coaches with an average coaching 
experience of 10 years validated the tactical aspects classified using Windows Media Player 
(version 12, Microsoft, Washington, U.S.). The interrater reliability between the raters was 1.0.  
The tactical aspects were examined by analyzing how goals were scored, operationalized into 
the following five categories: positional attack, counterattack, set-play, goalkeeper-line and 
goalkeeper-line defence, defined as:  
a) Positional attack: where the team in possession is confronted with an organized defence 
usually a 4 v 4 confrontation in the final third of the pitch (Junior & Cavalcanti, 2013). 
b) Counterattack: where the defending team gains possession of the ball and quickly 
executes a quick transition to score a goal.  
c) Set-play: scoring from penalty kicks, corners-kicks, throw-ins, kick-off and fouls. In 
the specific case of beach soccer, every foul creates a possibility of shooting at the 
opponent's goal. The team that received the foul will be given the possibility to perform 
the direct shot because during the foul the players will not be able to form a wall. The 
player who received the foul must take the free-kick unless they are injured, in which 
case a substitute takes the free-kick (Pedroza, 2012). 
d) Goalkeeper-line: where the goalkeeper steps over his boundary line to serve as a 
numerical advantage over the opponent. In practice, 5 v 4 is played on the line, since 
the team uses the goalkeeper outside the goal area, giving them the possibility to finish 
the goal or make passes with line players to obtain numerical superiority over the 
opponent to score the goal (Ganef, Reis, de Almeida, & Navarro, 2009). 
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e) Goalkeeper-line defence: occurs when the opposing team uses the goalkeeper-line 
attack and the defending team recovers the ball and executes the goal quickly in the 
absence of the goalkeeper. 
 
Statistics Analysis  
The observed data were recorded in a spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel, version 16.0; Microsoft) 
prepared specifically for the collection of this work. Statistical Package for Social Sciences 
(Version 25.0 IBM, USA) was used for inferential statistics. To assess the first research aim, 
Chi square (x2) analyses were conducted to examine the differences in the frequency of goal 
types (set-play, positional attack, counter-attack, goalkeeper-line, and goalkeeper-line defence 
goals). To further examine the first research aim, a one-way between groups Analysis of 
Variance (ANOVA) was conducted upon the number of set-play, positional attack, counter-
attack, goalkeeper-line, and goalkeeper-line defence goals scored across the tournament. 
Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post hoc tests were used to determine where 
significant differences between goal types existed. Effect sizes were calculated as Cohens’ d 
with 95% confidence intervals, with the effect magnitude interpreted as: trivial, <0.20; small, 
0.2-0.59; moderate, 0.60-1.19; large, 1.20-1.99; and very large, >2.0 (Hopkins, Marshall, 
Batterham, & Hanin, 2009). Regarding the second research aim, a backwards stepwise multiple 
linear regression was conducted to determine the strongest predicter of total tournament points 
based on the percentage of successful goals from each of the goal scoring strategies. The 
dependant variable for regression analysis was total tournament points (e.g., 3 points = win, 1 
point = draw) and the independent variables included were the percentage of different types of 
goals.   
 
 
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Results  
With regard to the first research aim, results to Chi Square analyses revealed a significant 
difference in the type of goals scored x2 (72) = 102, p = 0.01. Further examination of the first 
research aim conducted via the one-way between groups ANOVA demonstrated a significant 
difference in the type of goals scored (p = 0.001) throughout the tournament (Table 1). The 
amount of goals scored from a set-play were significantly higher than counterattack goals (p = 
0.032), goalkeeper-line goals (p = 0.001), and goalkeeper-line defence goals (p = 0.001). No 
differences were observed between set-play and positional attack goals (p = 0.125). In contrast, 
goals scored from goalkeeper-line defence were significantly lower than all other goal scoring 
strategies (p = 0.001).  
 
Figure 1. Total goal scoring count categorized by type of goal during the European 
Beach Soccer League (2018). Note: * Significantly different from all other goal scoring 
strategies. 
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In terms of the second research aim, normality testing indicated that required data assumptions 
for the multiple regression were intact (Kolmorov-Smirnov, p = 0.20). The regression model 
determined that the percentage of goalkeeper-line goals was significantly related to total 
tournament points [F(2, 10) = 7.242, p = 0.023, R
2 = 0.42], yielding a regression equation to 
predict team tournament goals as: 0.532 x percent goalkeeper-line goals + 1.680. All other goal 
scoring strategies were non-significant. 
Discussion  
Despite the rapid global growth of beach soccer, few investigations have examined the tactical 
aspects related to goal scoring strategy and winning in the sport (Musa et al., 2019). To date, 
only the study of Musa et al. (2019) has examined performance predictors for winning and 
losing matches in beach soccer, where shots in the front third, passes in the front third and 
chances created were identified as key predictors for winning matches. However, Musa et al. 
(2019) provided no data regarding the tactical strategy of using the goalkeeper as a numerical 
advantage (e.g. 5 v 4) nor the percentage of goals scored via set-plays. Therefore, the aims of 
this study were to examine the different types of goals scored during the regular tournament 
phase and determine what type of goals result in higher tournament points.      
The main findings of this study were that: (1) there was marked differences between type of 
goals scored during the tournament such that the number of goals scored from a set-play were 
9 
 
considerably higher than any other goal scoring strategy; (2) the number of goals scored when 
the goalkeeper in possession loses the ball was significantly lower than any other scoring 
method; and (3) teams who scored using the goalkeeper-line goals explained 42% of 
tournament points. 
The percentage of goals scored from a set-play (39%) was higher than any other goal scoring 
strategy. This percentage for set-plays are slightly higher compared to previous data in regular 
11 v 11 soccer, where studies show the percentage of goals scored from set-plays range between 
27-36% (Ali et al., 2015; Armatas, Yiannakos, Papadopoulou, & Skoufas, 2009). Plausible 
explanations this higher percentage of goals scored from set-plays in beach soccer include the 
size of the field (~35-37 m) which potentially enables a higher frequency of shots from a set-
play. A second potential explanation is that beach soccer match rules are designed to increase 
the number of shots on goal, for example a free kick is awarded when a player impedes an 
opposition player attempting a bicycle kick. A third explanation pertains to free kicks; when a 
free kick is awarded, teams are not allowed to set-up a wall or block a direct shot at goal. The 
increased likelihood of free kicks awarded with no wall and players capable of shooting from 
any area of the field typically results in a higher frequency of direct shots on goal.  
Practical Implications  
Taking into consideration the amount of goals scored from set-plays, it is important for 
professional beach soccer players to practice isolated free-kick taking from various parts of the 
field. This finding further highlights the importance for coaching staff to allocate time 
throughout the training schedule for specific set-play practice.        
In this study, teams employing the goalkeeper-line strategy, where the goalkeeper plays 
outfield to serve as a numerical advantage (e.g., 5 v 4) resulted in higher tournament points. In 
support of the numerical advantage, only 2% of all goals conceded were a result of goalkeepers 
10 
 
losing possession using the goalkeeper-line strategy. The practical implications of this finding 
are that beach soccer coaching staff may utilize the goalkeeper-line strategy with greater 
confidence as very few goals are conceded with the goalkeeper losing possession and likewise, 
there is a greater chance of the team progressing to later stages of the tournament. These data 
inform coaching staff to consider the goalkeepers’ technical ability when making team 
selections to optimize the goal scoring potential of the team during matches.     
Disclosure statement 
The authors would like to thank Beach Soccer Worldwide for its continued dedication to the 
development and growth of beach soccer globally.  
Disclosure statement 
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.  
  
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