Football sprint times by age
How fast should a footballer be at 10, 12, 14 or 16? These 10m, 20m and 30m benchmarks for boys and girls aged 8–18 show where a player sits — from grassroots to academy and elite level — and what it takes to move up a band.
Book a timed speed session Football speed coaching Written by Allan Smith, head coach at Edinburgh Sprint Coach: 4× British Champion, GB International and UKA Level 3 coach.The short answer
For a 14–15-year-old boy, a 20m sprint of 3.15–3.26 seconds is academy level and anything under 3.15s is elite. For girls of the same age, 3.45–3.60s is academy level and under 3.45s is elite. By 16–18, academy boys typically run 10m in 1.72–1.80s and 30m in 4.15–4.30s. All times are electronic, from a standing start 0.5m behind the line.
Football sprint times by age: boys and girls
Choose boys or girls, then find the player's age. Each row shows four bands for 10m, 20m and 30m. Find the band that contains the player's time — the gold column is elite for that age.
Boys — 10m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 2.41+ | 2.23–2.40 | 2.10–2.22 | Under 2.10 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 2.28+ | 2.11–2.27 | 2.00–2.10 | Under 2.00 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 2.16+ | 2.01–2.15 | 1.90–2.00 | Under 1.90 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 2.04+ | 1.89–2.03 | 1.80–1.88 | Under 1.80 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 1.96+ | 1.81–1.95 | 1.72–1.80 | Under 1.72 |
10m is the first-step and acceleration test: winning the ball, getting across your marker, closing down.
Boys — 20m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 4.23+ | 3.93–4.22 | 3.75–3.92 | Under 3.75 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 3.99+ | 3.71–3.98 | 3.55–3.70 | Under 3.55 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 3.74+ | 3.49–3.73 | 3.35–3.48 | Under 3.35 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 3.52+ | 3.27–3.51 | 3.15–3.26 | Under 3.15 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 3.36+ | 3.11–3.35 | 3.00–3.10 | Under 3.00 |
20m is the most common academy test distance and the best single measure of football speed.
Boys — 30m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 5.96+ | 5.51–5.95 | 5.30–5.50 | Under 5.30 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 5.63+ | 5.21–5.62 | 5.00–5.20 | Under 5.00 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 5.29+ | 4.89–5.28 | 4.70–4.88 | Under 4.70 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 4.94+ | 4.56–4.93 | 4.40–4.55 | Under 4.40 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 4.66+ | 4.31–4.65 | 4.15–4.30 | Under 4.15 |
30m adds the transition towards top speed: breakaways, recovery runs and runs in behind.
Girls — 10m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 2.49+ | 2.31–2.48 | 2.15–2.30 | Under 2.15 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 2.38+ | 2.21–2.37 | 2.05–2.20 | Under 2.05 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 2.27+ | 2.11–2.26 | 2.00–2.10 | Under 2.00 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 2.20+ | 2.04–2.19 | 1.95–2.03 | Under 1.95 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 2.15+ | 1.99–2.14 | 1.90–1.98 | Under 1.90 |
10m is the first-step and acceleration test: winning the ball, getting across your marker, closing down.
Girls — 20m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 4.36+ | 4.06–4.35 | 3.85–4.05 | Under 3.85 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 4.16+ | 3.86–4.15 | 3.65–3.85 | Under 3.65 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 3.99+ | 3.71–3.98 | 3.55–3.70 | Under 3.55 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 3.88+ | 3.61–3.87 | 3.45–3.60 | Under 3.45 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 3.76+ | 3.49–3.75 | 3.35–3.48 | Under 3.35 |
20m is the most common academy test distance and the best single measure of football speed.
Girls — 30m sprint
Seconds · electronic timing| Age | Developing | Good club level | Academy level | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–9U9 / U10 | 6.26+ | 5.81–6.25 | 5.55–5.80 | Under 5.55 |
| 10–11U11 / U12 | 5.91+ | 5.46–5.90 | 5.15–5.45 | Under 5.15 |
| 12–13U13 / U14 | 5.58+ | 5.16–5.57 | 4.95–5.15 | Under 4.95 |
| 14–15U15 / U16 | 5.36+ | 4.96–5.35 | 4.80–4.95 | Under 4.80 |
| 16–18U17 / U18 | 5.23+ | 4.83–5.22 | 4.65–4.82 | Under 4.65 |
30m adds the transition towards top speed: breakaways, recovery runs and runs in behind.
Hand-timed? A stopwatch usually reads quicker than timing gates — often by a tenth of a second or more — because the timer reacts late to the start and early to the finish. Compare hand times with hand times, and treat a hand-timed result near a boundary as the band below.
What each band means
The bands are based on published testing of academy and talent-centre players in the UK and Europe. They assume the conditions academies use: electronic timing gates, a standing start 0.5m behind the first gate, the best of three runs, on a firm surface. Run from a different start or on a muddy pitch and the numbers will move.
These are football-specific bands. For general sprint standards for any sport, including 40m, see our sprint time standards by age, or put your exact time into the sprint standards calculator.
Why two players the same age can be half a second apart
Age groups are set by birth date, but speed follows biological age. A 13-year-old who has had their growth spurt can be bigger, stronger and much quicker than a team-mate born in the same month who hasn't — and that gap usually closes by 16 or 17.
Boys: the big jump comes at 12–15
Sprint times improve fastest around the growth spurt, when strength and muscle mass rise sharply. Expect the biggest year-on-year drops in 20m and 30m times between U13 and U16.
Girls: earlier, then steadier
Girls' growth spurt comes earlier, so times improve sharply around 10–13 and then more gradually. Strength training and good technique keep that progress going through the teens.
Born late in the year?
Players born near the end of the selection year are up to a year younger than some team-mates. Compare them with their real age, not just their age group, before deciding they're slow.
Track the trend, not one test
One time on one day says little. Test every 6–8 weeks under the same conditions. A player steadily moving up the bands is on the right path, whatever band they started in.
Which sprint matters most in your position
Every outfield player needs a sharp first 10 metres. Beyond that, positions ask for different kinds of speed — so test and train the distances your position is actually played at.
Top speed, again and again
The longest sprints on the pitch, often 30m and beyond, repeated up and down the flank.
Key test: 30m and repeat sprintsThe first two steps
Getting across the defender, spinning in behind and attacking the near post — usually inside 10m, often on a curve.
Key test: 5–10m accelerationAccelerate, stop, turn
Constant short accelerations from a moving start, with lots of changes of direction and very little recovery.
Key test: 10–20m plus agilityTurn and recover
Turning from a back-pedal and chasing a runner over 20–30m. Losing a step on the turn is losing the race.
Key test: 20–30m from a turnExplosive in two metres
Power off the line, lateral push-offs and rushing out at one-v-ones. Distance is short; force is everything.
Key test: 5m and jump powerWhat academies test — and how speed fits in
Speed alone won't get a player signed. But a slow 10m or 20m can get a talented player overlooked, and a quick one makes coaches look twice. Most academy and talent-centre testing days include:
- Linear sprints — usually 10m and 20m or 30m, on timing gates, best of two or three runs.
- Change of direction — a short agility test such as a 5-0-5 or an arrowhead course.
- Jump power — usually a countermovement jump, a good marker of lower-body power.
- Fitness — an intermittent running test such as the Yo-Yo or the 30-15, for repeat-sprint ability.
Got a trial coming up? Six to eight weeks of focused acceleration work is enough to make a measurable difference to a 10m or 20m time. Our football trial preparation and academy preparation programmes are built for exactly that.
How to test your sprint times properly
Small changes to how you test can move a time by a tenth of a second — the gap between two bands. Test the same way every time:
Warm up properly
Ten minutes of jogging, mobility and drills, then two or three build-up runs. Cold sprints are slow sprints — and a hamstring risk.
Same start, every time
Stand with the front foot 0.5m behind the start line in a split stance. No rocking back, no rolling start. Go in your own time.
Mark 10, 20 and 30m
Measure with a tape, not paces. Gates or cones at each split let you time all three distances in one run.
Best of three, full rest
Two to three minutes' walk-back recovery between runs. Record the best time at each distance.
Note the conditions
Surface, footwear, wind and timing method. Re-test in the same conditions every 6–8 weeks.
How footballers get faster
Most young footballers have never been taught how to accelerate. That's good news: technique, strength and well-planned sprint work can move a player up a band, usually within a few months.
Acceleration technique
Body lean, shin angles and pushing the ground backwards, not reaching forwards. The fastest route to a better 10m.
Strength
Single-leg strength and a strong posterior chain let a player put more force into the ground with every step.
Elastic power
Plyometrics — hops, bounds and jumps — train the quick, springy ground contacts that sprinting needs.
Top-speed mechanics
Posture, foot strike and arm action for the 20–30m+ runs wingers and full-backs make every game.
Speed with the ball
Carrying the ball, reacting to a pass or a defender, and accelerating out of a turn — so the speed shows up in matches.
Speed work fits around club football with one or two short sessions a week, kept at least 48 hours away from match day. See how we plan it on our football speed coaching page.
Get timed — then get faster
Every first session at Edinburgh Sprint Coach includes a full movement and technique assessment. We time every athlete, so you'll know exactly which band you're in and what's holding your speed back.
Meadowbank Sports Centre, or another Edinburgh location that suits you.
Ages 8–15, every Monday at 6pm. The Meadows in summer, Peffermill in winter.
More speed standards and guides
Football sprint times: common questions
What is a good 10m sprint time for a footballer?
It depends on age and sex. For boys aged 16–18, 1.72–1.80 seconds is academy level and under 1.72s is elite. For boys aged 12–13, 1.90–2.00s is academy level. For girls aged 14–15, 1.95–2.03s is academy level. These are electronic times from a standing start 0.5m behind the line.
What is a good 20m time for a 14-year-old footballer?
At 14–15, a boy running 20m in 3.15–3.26 seconds is at academy level, and under 3.15s is elite. For a girl of the same age, 3.45–3.60s is academy level and under 3.45s is elite. Good club players are usually within about a quarter of a second of the academy range.
What 30m sprint time do football academies look for?
Academy boys aged 16–18 typically run 30m in 4.15–4.30 seconds, and at 14–15 around 4.40–4.55s. Academies rarely select on speed alone, but a time in or close to these ranges means speed won't count against a player.
Are boys' and girls' sprint times different?
They're very similar up to about age 11. From around 12–13 boys' times improve faster as they go through their growth spurt, so the girls' tables use separate bands from that age.
Do academies use stopwatches or timing gates?
Most academies and talent centres use electronic timing gates, with players starting just behind the first gate. Stopwatch times usually read quicker than gates, so compare hand times with hand times.
My child is small for their age. Are they just slow?
Not necessarily. Sprint speed follows biological age, and players who haven't had their growth spurt are often slower than early developers in the same age group. Good technique keeps them competitive now, and many late developers catch up or overtake by 16–17.
How much faster can a footballer get?
With coaching, a few tenths of a second over 20m is realistic for most young players. Our athletes' average 20m improvement is around 0.2 seconds in six weeks, with the biggest gains in players who have never been taught to accelerate.
How often should footballers do speed training?
One session a week is enough in season and two a week in the off-season or pre-season. Keep speed work at least 48 hours away from match day so players arrive fresh.
Want to move up a band?
Book a session and we'll time your 10m and 20m, show you what's slowing you down, and build a plan around your football.
Book a session Ask a question