Antisocial behavior in football matches: Do changes in alcohol sales policy increase violent acts?

BACKGROUND: The violent behavior of football fans is constantly associated with their drinking habits. Aiming to reduce its impact, policy makers often ban the sales and consumption of alcohol beverages during matches. Nonetheless, there are few papers that empirically analyzed such relationship, and our paper aims to shed light on this question. METHODS: Out dataset comprises 4,560 matches from the first and second tiers of the Brazilian League, where 245 exhibited at least one antisocial behavior from fans. Ordered logistic regressions are used as method. RESULTS: Our empirical findings evidence that the sales of alcoholic drinks do increase the likelihood of severe antisocial behavior. We also observed a higher likelihood of violent cases when the home club loses its match as well as during crowded matches. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the change in the alcohol police in Brazil did show a significant association with the likelihood of antisocial behavior among football fans. However, since the magnitude of such effect is small, further research is needed to examine the potential benefits of this policy change.

Incidencia de lesiones deportivas en futbol base durante una temporada / Incidence of sports injuries in academy football during a season

Antecedentes El fútbol constituye una práctica deportiva que empieza a edades tempranas y exige una gran demanda física, sobre todo de los miembros inferiores. Objetivo Determinar la incidencia de lesiones, así como su naturaleza y relación con la posición de juego y categoría en una población de futbolistas federados masculinos jóvenes en sus diferentes categorías no seniors durante una temporada deportiva. Material y método Se realizó un estudio observacional retrospectivo mediante cuestionarios autorrellenables en 128 futbolistas pertenecientes a los equipos del fútbol base del Marbella club de fútbol. Resultados Se registraron un total de 254 lesiones. La categoría juvenil presenta una incidencia más alta (p=0,002). Las lesiones más numerosas fueron los esguinces de tobillo y las lesiones musculares de gemelos. Conclusiones La incidencia lesional guarda una relación directa con la categoría no siendo así con la posición de juego. Los programas de prevención de lesiones deben adecuarse a las exigencias de cada categoría en futbol base (AU)

Background Soccer is a sports practice that begins at an early age and requires a great physical demand, especially of the lower limbs. Objective To determine the incidence of injuries, as well as their nature and relationship with the game position and category in a population of young male federated soccer players in their different non-senior categories during a sports season. Material and method A retrospective observational study was carried out using self-filled questionnaires in 128 soccer players belonging to the base soccer teams of the Marbella soccer club. Results A total of 254 injuries were recorded. The juvenile category presents a higher incidence (P=.002). The most numerous injuries were ankle sprains and calf muscle injuries. Conclusions The incidence of injuries is directly related to the category, not being so with the playing position. Injury prevention programs must be adapted to the demands of each category in youth soccer (AU)

Sport-related concussion return-to-play practices of medical team staff in elite football in the United Kingdom.

INTRODUCTION: This study explored sport-related concussion (SRC) return-to-play (RTP) behaviours and attitudes of medical team staff working in elite football in the United Kingdom. Usage and awareness of The Football Association (FA) guidelines, concussion education rates of players and coaching staff, and collection of baseline concussion assessments. Additionally, confidence in managing RTP post-SRC, perceived player under-reporting of symptoms, use of enhanced RTP pathways, and coaching pressure on RTP were investigated. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was distributed online by organisations including or representing medical staff working in elite football in the United Kingdom. RESULTS: A total of 112 responses were gathered. High awareness rates of the FA guidelines were found (96%) with variable rates of player and coaching staff concussion education. Baseline concussion assessments were collected by 80% of respondents with 93% feeling very confident or confident in managing the RTP of a player with a SRC. 60% rarely or never experienced coaching pressure around player RTP, and 24% felt players always or very often under-reported symptoms to expedite their return. 90% had a moderate to high confidence in the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-5 (SCAT-5) as a RTP decision tool, and 66% always or very often used an enhanced RTP pathway. CONCLUSION: Confidence in managing player RTP post SRC and use of enhanced RTP pathways were high, as was confidence in the SCAT-5 as a RTP decision tool. Respondents raised concerns around player under-reporting of symptoms to accelerate RTP post-SRC, and perceived coaching pressure around decision making.

Incidence and characteristics of COVID-19 in French professional football players during the 2020-2021 season.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of COVID-19 in French professional football players, and to compare the infection incidence with the general population across the first three waves. METHODS: During the 2020-2021 season, all professional football players (n = 1217) in the two primary French leagues underwent weekly testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection by nasopharyngeal PCR, in combination with rigorous infection control measures. RESULTS: Among all players, 572 (47%) tested positive at least once, with no COVID-19-related death or hospital admission. Monthly incidence estimates in players ranged from 1486 to 6731 per 100,000 individuals, i.e. 2-17 times higher than incidence estimates in the general population in France during the study period. CONCLUSION: Almost 50% of professional football players developed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the 2020-2021 season in France, with no severe complication.

Playing at altitude. Performance of a Mexican professional football team at different level of altitude

Background: Football is the most popular sport in the world, and matches are commonly played at different levels of altitude. As the altitude increases, the availability of oxygen decreases. The dynamics of the ball will be altered due to the decrease in air resistance. These conditions can affect the physical and/or sports performance of football players.The objective of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between altitude and performance of a professional football team.MethodsA total of 130 matches of a Mexican professional football team were analyzed. Physical performance was measured by Match Analysis®, a video and statistical analysis; sports performance was measured according to the score. Altitude was measured with Geo Elevation.ResultsNo relationship was found between altitude and total distance covered (p=0.165), Distance in first half (p=0.441) sprints number(p=0.115) and time between sprints (p=0.237)There was a significant increase between total distance covered during the second half (p=0.009) and mean speed on "Low altitude' (p=0.000)We found no relation between the altitude level and the obtained result (p=0.28) number of goals in favour (p=0.209) and against (p=0.629).ConclusionWe found no relationship between the altitude level and physical and sports performance of a professional football team. (AU)

A retrospective analysis of all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in French male professional footballers.

This study retrospectively compared all-cause and cause-specific mortality in French male professional football players with data from France's national population. Altogether, 6114 individuals born in Metropolitan France or in one of its overseas territories who played at least one competitive match in France's professional football championships between January 1, 1968 and December 31, 2015, were identified and followed up for vital status obtained from a national reference database until December 31, 2015. Data on all-cause and cause-specific mortality were subsequently compared to the expected number of deaths for the national population after standardization for the year, age, and sex. Ratios between observed and expected deaths provided standardized mortality ratios (SMR) along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Linear trends were investigated using the Poisson trend test. Altogether, 662 player deaths were observed. All-cause mortality overall was lower than that of the national population (SMR: 0.69, 95% CI 0.64-0.75). An excess of deaths from dementia was observed in the players (SMR: 3.38, 95% CI: 2.49-4.50) whereas mortality from diseases of the nervous (SMR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.35-1.08) and cardiovascular systems (SMR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70-0.96), and cancer (SMR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.58-0.76) was lower. Lower overall mortality and that owing to common cardiovascular and cancer-related diseases were reported in French professional football players compared to France's national population. In line with previous studies, however, excess mortality from dementia was observed in the players. Career length was not associated with all-cause or cause-specific mortality. Prospective matched-cohort studies are necessary to identify the neurologic impact of participation in professional football.

Soccer in the time of COVID-19: 1 year report from an Italian top league club, March 2020-February 2021.

We report the events of an Italian top league soccer club that took place in 1 year (from March 2020 to February 2021) at the time of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In early March 2020, just before sport competitions were called off due to the national lockdown in Italy, the team, which included 27 players and 26 staff at the time, faced a COVID-19 outbreak, with 16 confirmed and seven probable cases, including three staff members who had to be hospitalised. In May 2020, at the resumption of the training sessions, a high prevalence of anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin G positivity (35/53, 66%) was detected among the members of the group. In the following months, sport activities were organised behind closed doors with stringent risk mitigation procedures in place. As of February 2021, only two new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were detected within the group, against more than 3500 nasopharyngeal swabs and 1000 serological tests.

Simple and reliable protocol for identifying talented junior players in team sports using small-sided games.

We designed and tested a protocol for measuring the performance of individuals in small-sided soccer games. We tested our protocol on three different groups of youth players from elite Brazilian football academies. Players in each group played a series of 3v3 games, in which individuals were randomly assigned into new teams and against new opponents for each game. We calculated each individual's average individual goals scored, goals scored by teammates, goals conceded, and net team goals per game. Our protocol was consistent across days and repeatable across groups, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.57-0.69 for average net goals per game across testing days. Players could achieve high success by scoring goals or ensuring their team concede few goals. We also calculated the first and second dimension of a principal component analysis based on each player's number of goals scored, goals scored by teammates, and number of goals conceded per game. Players that were overall high performers had higher PC1 scores, while PC2 scores represented the type of contribution made by a player to overall performance. Positive PC2 values were indicative of high number of individual goals while negative values were associated with more goals from teammates and fewer conceded goals. Our design allows coaches and scouts to easily collect a robust metric of individual performance using randomly designed, small-sided games. We also provide simulations that allow one to apply our methodology for individual talent identification to other small-sided games in any team sport.

Effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ Referees Injury Prevention Program in reducing injury rates in male amateur soccer referees.

OBJECTIVE: The Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ Referees Injury Prevention Program (FIFA 11+ Referees Program) is a structured warm-up program specially designed to prevent injuries in soccer referees. However, its effectiveness has yet to be fully documented in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ Referees Program in reducing injury rates among soccer referees. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Two hundred male amateur soccer referees (mean ± SD age, 31.6 ± 4.1 years) participated in this study. Participants were randomly allocated to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed the FIFA 11+ Referees Program as a warm-up during training sessions at least twice a week, and the control group performed their usual warm-ups. The participants were followed up for one season. The outcome measures were the incidence of overall injury, initial injury, recurrent injury, injury mechanism, and injury severity (primary), and the rate of adherence to the intervention program (secondary). RESULTS: A total of 24 injuries were reported among 100 referees in the control group in 16 606 h of exposure (1.45 injuries/1000 exposure h), and a total of nine injuries were reported across 100 referees within the experimental group in 17 834 exposure h (0.50 injuries/1000 exposure h). The Injury Risk Ratio (IRR) was 0.35 (95% CI 0.26-0.45). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the FIFA 11+ Referees Program effectively reduced injuries in the experimental group by 65% compared to the control group.

Motor performance is not related to injury risk in growing elite-level male youth football players. A causal inference approach to injury risk assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the causal relation between growth velocity and injury in elite-level youth football players, and to assess the mediating effects of motor performance in this causal pathway. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: We measured the body height of 378 male elite-level football players of the U13 to U15 age categories three to four months before and at the start of the competitive season. At the start of the season, players also performed a motor performance test battery, including motor coordination (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder), muscular performance (standing broad jump, counter movement jump), flexibility (sit and reach), and endurance measures (YoYo intermittent recovery test). Injuries were continuously registered by the academies' medical staff during the first two months of the season. Based on the causal directed acyclic graph (DAG) that identified our assumptions about causal relations between growth velocity (standardized to cm/y), injuries, and motor performance, the causal effect of growth velocity on injury was obtained by conditioning on maturity offset. We determined the natural indirect effects of growth velocity on injury mediated through motor performance. RESULTS: In total, 105 players sustained an injury. Odds ratios (OR) showed a 15% increase in injury risk per centimetre/year of growth velocity (1.15, 95%CI: 1.05-1.26). There was no causal effect of growth on injury through the motor performance mediated pathways (all ORs were close to 1.0 with narrow 95%CIs). CONCLUSIONS: Growth velocity is causally related to injury risk in elite-level youth football players, but motor performance does not mediate this relation.

Traumatismos deportivos en oftalmología. Un estudio descriptivo en un hospital terciario / Sports injuries in opthalmology. A descriptive study in a tertiary hospital / Lesões esportivas em oftalmologia. Estudo descritivo em hospital terciário

OBJETIVO: Determinar las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los traumatismos deportivos oculares de la población asistencial de un hospital terciario de Madrid. MÉTODO: Recopilación retrospectiva de los datos clínicos de los pacientes que acudieron al servicio de urgencias del Hospital Clínico San Carlos en el periodo enero 2015-diciembre 2017 y que habían sufrido un traumatismo ocular durante la práctica de algún deporte. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron en el estudio un total de 54 pacientes. 47 (87.04%) fueron hombres. La edad media fue de 27.26 años ± 13.01 años de desviación estándar. El deporte que causó más traumatismos entre los pacientes incluidos en el estudio fue el fútbol, seguido de deportes de raqueta, fuerza y combate y baloncesto. La iritis traumática fue el diagnóstico más frecuente, seguido de lesión periocular, lesiones de polo anterior, conmoción retiniana, lesiones regmatógenas, fractura orbitaria y desprendimiento de retina. El 87.04% de los cuadros se resolvieron con tratamiento médico. CONCLUSIONES: La mayoría de los traumatismos oculares deportivos son leves y se resuelven apenas con tratamiento médico. Se deben excluir diagnósticos más graves que requieran de un tratamiento más específico. Las campañas de prevención de daños deben ir encaminadas a los grupos con mayor riesgo de presentarlos

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to determine the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of ocular sports injuries in a tertiary hospital of Madrid. METHOD: The study was based on a retrospective record of clinical data of patients who underwent clinical exploration after ocular sport injury between January 2015 and December 2017 in Clinic Hospital San Carlos. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were recruited from which 47 (87.04%) were males. The mean age was 27.26 years ± 13.01 years Standard Deviation. The sport with the most frequent cause of ocular injury was soccer, followed by racket sports, fight sports and basketball. Traumatic iritis was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by periocular lesions, anterior segment lesions, conmotio retinae, rhegmatogenous lesions, orbital fracture and retinal detachment. Medical treatment solved 87.04% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the sports related to ocular injuries were minor cases and they could be solved with only medical treatment. More severe diagnosis must be investigated for more specific treatments, thought. Prevention strategies must be focused in higher risk groups

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste artigo é determinar as características clínicas e epidemiológicas das lesões oculares desportivas num hospital terciário de Madrid. MÉTODO: O estudo foi baseado num registo retrospectivo de dados clínicos de doentes que foram submetidos a exploração clínica depois duma lesão desportiva ocular entre Janeiro de 2015 e Dezembro de 2017 no Hospital Clínico San Carlos. RESULTADOS: Foram recrutados 54 doentes, dos quais 47 (87.04%) eram do sexo masculino. A idade média foi de 27.26 anos ± 13.01 anos de desvio padrão. O desporto que mais frequentemente causou lesões oculares foi o futebol, seguido dos desportos de raquete, luta desportiva e basquetebol. A irite traumática foi o diagnóstico mais frequente, seguida de lesões perioculares, lesões do segmento anterior, conmotio retinae, lesões regmatogénicas, fractura orbital e descolamento da retina. O tratamento médico resolveu 87.04% dos casos. CONCLUSÕES: A maioria dos desportos relacionados com lesões oculares foram casos menores e só puderam ser resolvidos com tratamento médico. É necessário investigar um diagnóstico mais rigoroso para tratamentos mais específicos. As estratégias de prevenção devem ser centradas nos grupos de maior risco

Resuming professional football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The risk of viral transmission associated with contact sports such as football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the infective and immune status of professional football players, team staff and league officials over a truncated football season resumed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates and to investigate the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infection in professional football players. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 1337 football players, staff and officials during a truncated football season (9 weeks) with a tailored infection control programme based on preventive measures and regular SARS-CoV-2 PCR swab testing (every 3-5 days) combined with serology testing for immunity (every 4 weeks). Clinical symptoms in positive participants were recorded using a 26-item, Likert-Scale-based scoring system. RESULTS: During the study period, 85 subjects returned positive (cycle threshold (cT) ≤30) or reactive (30

Mortality of Spanish Former Elite Soccer Players and Coaches.

We analyzed whether male Spanish elite soccer players live longer than the general population. Secondly, we compared their mortality with a cohort of soccer players who continued working as soccer elite coaches after retirement. Using age and calendar-date adjusted life tables, we analyzed the mortality hazard ratio of 1333 Spanish male players born before 1950, and who played in elite leagues from 1939, compared with the Spanish population. Using Cox proportional hazards model we compared their mortality with a cohort of 413 players who continued as coaches. Players showed significantly lower mortality than the general population, but this advantage decreased with advanced age, disappearing after 80 years. Coaches showed a similar pattern. Comparing players versus coaches, date of birth and years as professional were associated with survival, but debut age and player position were not. Unadjusted median survival time was 79.81 years (IQR 72.37-85.19) for players and 81.8 years (IQR 74.55-86.73) for coaches. Kaplan-Meier estimator adjusted for covariables showed no difference between cohorts (p=0.254). In conclusion, former Spanish male players showed lower mortality than the general population, but this effect disappeared after 80 years of age. Continuing their career as coaches after retirement from playing did not confer major benefits.

Is impaired coordination related to match physical load in footballers with cerebral palsy of different sport classes?

Impaired coordination is a characteristic feature in cerebral palsy (CP) football players. This study aimed to determine the relationships of three coordination tests with match physical load during competition of para-footballers from different sport classes. Records from 259 para-footballers from 25 national teams were obtained in four international competitions held in 2018 and 2019. The three coordination tests were conducted prior to competition (i.e., rapid heel-toe, side-stepping, and split jumps), and physical match load was recorded by GPS devices during the real game: i.e., maximum/mean, total distance, distance covered at different speed zones, number of accelerations/decelerations at different intensities, and player load. FT1 and FT3 players have the lowest and highest performance in all the coordination tests, respectively, but inconclusive between-groups differences were obtained (p=0.022‒0.238). Split jumps and side-stepping tests are associated with the performance of moderate and high accelerations during competition (r = -0.20‒0.71; p<0.01). Significant correlations (r = 0.36‒0.71; p<0.01) were obtained between all the coordination measures. Coordination tests better discriminate those with more severe impairments and some evidence for the validity of the new CP football sport classes is provided. Further research is necessary to identify the portion of the variance in sports performance that coordination explains.

Injuries in youth football and the relationship to player maturation: An analysis of time-loss injuries during four seasons in an English elite male football academy.

A better insight into injuries in elite-youth football may inform prevention strategies. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the frequency, incidence, and pattern of time-loss injuries in an elite male football academy, exploring injuries in relation to age and maturation status. Across four consecutive playing seasons, playing exposure and injuries to all academy players (U'9 to U'21) were recorded by club medical staff. Maturation status at the time of injury was also calculated for players competing in U'13 to U'16 aged squads. Time-loss injury occurrence and maturation status at time of injury were the main outcome measures. A total of 603 time-loss injuries were recorded, from 190 different players. Playing exposure was 229 317 hours resulting in an overall injury rate of 2.4 p/1000 h, ranging from 0.7 p/1000 h (U'11) to 4.8 p/1000 h (U'21). Most injuries were traumatic in mechanism (73%). The most common injury location was the thigh (23%), and the most common injury type was muscle injury (29%) combining to provide the most common injury diagnosis; thigh muscle injury (17%). In U'13-U'16 players, a higher number of injuries to early-maturing players were observed in U'13-U'14 players, while more injuries to U'15-U'16 players occurred when classed as "on-time" in maturity status. Maturation status did not statistically relate to injury pattern; however, knee bone (not-fracture) injuries peaked in U'13 players while hip/groin muscle injuries peaked in U'15 players.

The incidence and characteristics of purposeful heading in male and female youth football (soccer) within Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the incidence and characteristics of purposeful headers and unintentional head impacts during male and female youth football (soccer) games in Australia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. METHODS: Ten match-videos (total n=110) per playing age (under 13-20 males; under 13-17 females) from the 2019 National Premier League season were coded for purposeful headers and unintentional head impacts. Total headers and head impacts as well as incidence rate (IR) per 1000 match-hours for different match characteristics were calculated. RESULTS: Purposeful headers accounted for 99% (n=4615, IR:1618) of total head impacts. The IR of purposeful headers per 1000 match-hours was highest for under-15 males (IR:2117) and under-17 females (IR:2090) followed by under-20 males (IR:1761). Midfielders completed the most headers in all female age groups (mean IR:713) and under 13-14 males (mean IR:891), with defenders completing the most headers in under 15-20 males (mean IR:760). Heading duels accounted for 16% of total headers with most headers performed during free play (68%), throw-ins (15%), free kicks (12%) and corner kicks (5%). Only 57 head impacts (IR:20) were coded as unintentional head impacts resulting from being struck by the ball or opponent body part with 4 (IR:1.4) requiring medical attention. CONCLUSIONS: Heading is a complex skill. Given the propensity of youth players of all ages to purposefully head the ball, consideration should be given to coaching heading technique based on specific game scenarios for their playing position and age group. The findings of this study can be used to inform heading guidelines.

Playing Non-Professional Football in COVID-19 Time: A Narrative Review of Recommendations, Considerations, and Best Practices.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 resulted in widespread interruption of team sports training and competitions. Our aim was to review the recommendations and best practices in return to play in non-professional football after activity lockdown. The authors searched two electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science) to extract studies published before September 15 2020. Twenty studies explained recommendations, considerations, or best practices in return to play in football, and all of them were clustered into three groups: (1) training load management (n = 10), (2) medical recommendations (n = 9), and (3) recovery related issues (n = 5). The way to establish a progression in training process should be based on training load management and managing the number of stimuli per time. Following the studies, this training process should be divided into three phases: phase 1-physical distancing should be maintained; phases 2 and 3-group training should start. Medical considerations were clustered into different groups: general, pre- and post- training, during training, education, planning to return to competition, and suggestions for post confinement weeks. In particular, social issues, strict hygiene questions, and continuous PCR testing should be considered in return to play over football season. Finally, since a correlation has been found between high-intensive training loads and immunoglobulin A, nutritional and lifestyle recovery strategies should be performed. Moreover, since immunosuppression has been related to congested schedules (<72 h between matches), football federations should avoid this situation.

Injury prevention knowledge, beliefs and strategies in elite female footballers at the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed knowledge, beliefs and practices of elite female footballers regarding injury prevention. METHODS: A survey was sent to players participating in the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019. Questions covered three injury prevention domains: (1) knowledge; (2) attitudes and beliefs; (3) prevention practices in domestic clubs. Additionally, ACL injury history was assessed. RESULTS: Out of 552 players, 196 women responded (35.5%). More than 80% of these considered injury risk to be moderate or high. Players listed knee, ankle, thigh, head and groin as the most important injuries in women's football. The most important risk factors identified were low muscle strength, followed by poor pitch quality, playing on artificial turf, too much training, reduced recovery and hard tackles. In these elite players, 15% did not have any permanent medical staff in their domestic clubs, yet more than 75% had received injury prevention advice and more than 80% performed injury prevention exercises in their clubs. Players identified the two most important implementation barriers as player motivation and coach attitude. Two-thirds of players used the FIFA 11+ programme in their clubs. CONCLUSIONS: This diverse group of elite players demonstrated good knowledge of risk level and injury types in women's football. Of the risk factors emphasised by players, there was only one intrinsic risk factor (strength), but several factors out of their control (pitch quality and type, training volume and hard tackles). Still players had positive attitudes and beliefs regarding injury prevention exercises and indicated a high level of implementation, despite a lack of medical support.

High training/competition ratio, less incidence of injury? Professional football calendar exploration

Objectives: This study theorizes that a high training/competition ratio predisposes to fewer injuries in professional footballers. This has not been studied in elite professional players. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of injuries in professional players who had a frequency of one competition per week for twelve seasons. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of recovery-training cycles lasting from five to eight days between competitions.MethodThis research is an analysis of prospectively recorded data on injuries in an Argentine professional football team. Data was collected throughout twelve seasons and on a daily basis.ResultsThe evaluated team had a frequency of 3.85 competitions per month and the ratio was 8.4 training hours per match hour throughout this twelve-year study. The injury incidence rate obtained in this investigation was 4.2 per 1000 training and competition hours. The injury incidence rate in training sessions was 2.3 injuries per 1000 training hours. The injury incidence rate in competition was 20.5 injuries per 1000 competition hours. Of 65% of all injuries, players returned to play (RTP) within seven days, with medical and kinesiological treatment customized for each athlete. Comparison tables with European Football are shown.ConclusionsSports calendars with a high training/competence ratio and a recovery/training period lasting from 5 to 8 days between competitions could cause a decrease in injuries requiring longer RTP time and result in a relatively low injury incidence rate in professional footballers. (AU)

Does load management using the acute:chronic workload ratio prevent health problems? A cluster randomised trial of 482 elite youth footballers of both sexes.

BACKGROUND: The acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) is commonly used to manage training load in sports, particularly to reduce injury risk. However, despite its extensive application as a prevention intervention, the effectiveness of load management using ACWR has never been evaluated in an experimental study. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of a load management intervention designed to reduce the prevalence of health problems among elite youth football players of both sexes. METHODS: We cluster-randomised 34 elite youth football teams (16 females, 18 males) to an intervention group (18 teams) and a control group (16 teams). Intervention group coaches planned all training based on published ACWR load management principles using a commercially available athlete management system for a complete 10-month season. Control group coaches continued to plan training as normal. The prevalence of health problems was measured monthly in both groups using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems. RESULTS: The between-group difference in health problem prevalence (primary outcome) was 1.8%-points (-4.1 to 7.7 %-points; p=0.55) with no reduction in the likelihood of reporting a health problem in the intervention group (relative risk 1.01 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.12); p=0.84) compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: We observed no between-group difference, suggesting that this specific load management intervention was not successful in preventing health problems in elite youth footballers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN18177140.