Despite being one of the most popular spectator sports worldwide, there’s no reason not to get involved in playing the 'beautiful game'. Even if 90 minutes of soccer may at first seem well beyond your current fitness capabilities, there’s also the shortened but high-intensity versions of the game, such as indoor soccer, to get you out playing.

The best thing about soccer is that pretty much anyone can have a go, but playing it well requires not only the skills and knowledge of the game, but also the physical fitness to compete well.

Soccer demands both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. During games, players must be able to sprint hard, recover quickly by jogging, and then sprint hard again. This is a very effective way of burning calories and lowering body fat.

Top class soccer pros can be expected to burn in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 calories in the course of a 90 minute match and will cover approximately 8km to 11km (5-7 miles), depending on their position and the level of competition, so it’s clear the level of fitness required for matches is high.

Because of the stop-start and explosive nature of soccer, players are prone to injury, particularly in the hamstring, calf, and achilles, so it’s important to warm up. Soccer players also require good flexibility to prevent such injuries, so including stretching is a must and should form a part of every players training regime

But we’re not saying that you have to be a supreme athlete to play soccer, because just about anyone can (and does) turn out regularly, whether it’s a kick about with work colleagues or at a more serious competitive level.

So why not use soccer as your way back into fitness? As a team sport it might just give you all the motivation you need to get yourself back into shape.