Match Exposure, Consecutive Match Number, and Recovery Days Affect Match Running During International Women's Soccer Tournaments.

ABSTRACT: Brown, G, Massard, T, Wignell, T, McCall, A, and Duffield, R. Match exposure, consecutive match number, and recovery days affect match running during international women's soccer tournaments. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): 577-583, 2024-To determine the influence of tournament-specific factors (match exposure, consecutive matches, and days between matches) on match running in women's international soccer players (footballers), 28 players from 1 national team were observed over 4 international tournaments using 10 Hz global positioning system units. Linear mixed models with a forward selection approach were used to analyze the collective effect of tournament-specific factors of match exposure (playing time), consecutive matches (count), days between matches (count) and time on pitch on relative (min -1 ) match running metrics (total distance, high-speed running, very high-speed running, accelerations, and decelerations), and the change in these metrics between halves. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Days between matches were included in the final models for total distance ( p < 0.0001), high-speed running ( p = 0.002), very high-speed running ( p = 0.025), and change in accelerations ( p < 0.0001) and decelerations ( p = 0.002). Prior match exposure was included in the models for total distance ( p = 0.021), change in total distance ( p < 0.0001), and change in high-speed running ( p = 0.0008). Consecutive match number was included in the model for deceleration ( p = 0.030), change in very high-speed running ( p = 0.016), change in acceleration ( p < 0.0001), and change in deceleration ( p < 0.0001). Time on pitch was included in the final total distance ( p = 0.044), high-speed running ( p < 0.0001), acceleration ( p < 0.0001), and deceleration ( p = 0.0003) models. Overall, reduced match running throughout tournaments was associated with increased time on pitch and ≤3 days between matches. Increasing match exposure and more time between matches minimizes reductions in match running between halves. Practitioners can use these variables to inform player monitoring during international soccer tournaments and on return to clubs.

Monitoring Training Load and Wellness of Female Footballers Transitioning Between Club and National Teams.

ABSTRACT: Brown, GA, Massard, T, Wignell, T, McCall, A, and Duffield, R. Monitoring training load and wellness of female footballers transitioning between club and national teams. J Strength Cond Res 37(11): 2235-2240, 2023-This study described the change in training and match internal loads, plus perceptual wellness during the transition between club and national teams (NTs) for female international footballers (soccer). Session count, session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE), and perceptual wellness data were collected from 42 players from 1 NT between 2019 and 2021 for 7 NT tournaments. Data were collated into 7-day (1 week) microcycles to compare the 2 weeks before the first week of NT (transition in: NT-2, NT-1, NT1); and separately from the final NT week to the next 2 weeks in clubs (transition out: NTFinal, NT+1, NT+2). Data were analyzed using linear mixed-models, with session count, s-RPE or wellness as the outcome variable, week as the fixed effect, player name, and tournament as random effects. Tukey's adjusted post-hoc comparisons and Cohen's d effect sizes (ES) were compared between weeks. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. During the transition into NT, training and total session counts increased (p < 0.0001, ES > 0.67), training s-RPE increased (p = 0.012, ES = 0.35), whereas match count and s-RPE decreased (p < 0.05, ES < -0.34). During the transition out of NT, there were decreases in training session count (p < 0.05, ES < -0.37), match count, and total session count (p < 0.0001, ES < -0.86), and match and total s-RPE (p < 0.0001, ES < -0.63). Perceived wellness was not significantly different throughout (p > 0.05, ES = -0.34 to 0.35). Thus, training and match exposures differ between club and NTs, demonstrating these unique transitional periods require simple and effective load monitoring to inform training and recovery prescription when changing between club and NTs.

A pragmatic strength and conditioning intervention for firefighters: Feasibility of the Tactical Athlete Resilience Program (TARP).

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Firefighting is physically and mentally taxing and recruits are expected to have optimal health and fitness. However, physical fitness tends to decline following initial training, placing firefighters at an increased risk for stress and injury. Efforts are needed to engage and support firefighters in maintaining adequate health and fitness to withstand the rigorous demands of their occupation. This study examined the feasibility of TARP, a pragmatic strength and conditioning intervention for metropolitan-based firefighters, delivered in collaboration with a professional National Rugby League club. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was utilised to examine program implementation, recruitment and sample characteristics, intervention satisfaction and acceptability, and participants' response to the intervention. Evaluation measures included field notes taken during steering committee meetings, participant flow data, baseline and follow-up outcome measures, self-report questionnaires, and telephone interviews with a sample of participants. RESULTS: Participants (N = 113) were predominantly men (82%) with a mean age of 43 ± 9.3 years and BMI of 26.6 ± 2.9 kg/m2 . Program satisfaction was high (95% very satisfied or somewhat satisfied) among program completers (42% retention). Key strengths of the program included delivery through the professional sports club, quality of facilities and equipment, and scheduling flexibility. Future programs should consider incorporating education or training to support behaviour change maintenance and strategies to retain participants at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide valuable insights into the design and delivery of interventions for firefighters and demonstrate the importance of strong partnerships between community stakeholders.

Influence of Training Schedules on Objective Measures of Sleep in Adolescent Academy Football Players.

Brown, GA, Veith, S, Sampson, JA, Whalan, M, and Fullagar, HHK. Influence of training schedules on objective measures of sleep in adolescent academy football players. J Strength Cond Res 34(9): 2515-2521, 2020-Football academy settings may pose risks to adolescent athletes achieving sufficient sleep because of the contextual challenges these players face (e.g., psychosocial pressure, changes in training, competition, and academic stress). Given the importance of sleep to overall health as well as physical athletic development and injury risk, this study aimed to investigate whether differences in training schedules (morning vs. evening training sessions) affected objective measures of sleep in adolescent academy football (soccer) players. Twelve academy players (mean age 14.18 ± 1.36 years) wore an ActiGraph accelerometer on nights before, and nights of, training days in 2 separate weeks where morning (09:00-11:00 hours) and evening (18:00-20:00 hours) training occurred. Objective sleep parameters and training load data were collected. Night-time sleep periods were categorized as sleep preceding morning training, preceding evening training, or after evening training. One-way univariate and multivariate analyses of variance for repeated measures were performed to determine the impact of the training schedule on sleep. Significance levels were set at p < 0.05. The total sleep time was below the recommended guidelines (<8 hours) across conditions. A large significant effect of the training schedule on time attempted to fall asleep (p = 0.004, effect size [ES] = 0.40) and time of sleep (p = 0.003, ES = 0.41) was present, with post-evening sessions resulting in the latest times. Overall, the players' sleep behavior was resilient to changes in training schedules. However, the low sleep durations (and potential risks to physical performance/injury) suggest that sleep education coupled with practical interventions are required in this cohort.