Associations between injury occurrence and environmental temperatures in the Australian and German professional football leagues.

A cross-sectional analysis was performed to investigate associations between environmental temperatures and injury occurrence in two professional male football (soccer) leagues. Data from seven seasons of the German Bundesliga (2142 matches) and four seasons of the Australian A-League (470 matches) were included. Injuries were collated via media reports for the Bundesliga and via team staff reports in the A-League and comprised injury incidence, mechanisms (contact, noncontact), locations (e.

Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Sleep Before and After Matches for Professional Footballers.

This study investigated the association of menstrual cycle phase and symptoms with objective and subjective sleep measures from professional footballers before and after matches. Twenty-three non-hormonal contraceptive-using professional footballers (from four clubs) were monitored for up to four menstrual cycles during a domestic league season. Menstrual phases (menstruation, mid-late follicular, luteal) were determined using calendar counting and urinary hormone tests (luteinizing hormone and pregnandiol-3-glucuronide).

Injury epidemiology in Australian women's professional football.

Objective: To describe the injury epidemiology of the Australian women's professional football (soccer) league (A-League W) over 7 consecutive seasons.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Methods: Match-loss injury data was collected from each A-League W club (n = 8-9) for each competition round (n = 12/season) over 7 seasons (2013/14-2019/20).

Effects of Prematch Travel and Training on Physical and Technical Performance in International Football Matches.

Purpose: This study examined the relationship of prematch travel and in-camp training on ensuing physical and technical match performance of footballers (soccer) competing for a national team.

Methods: Match running and technical performance data were obtained from 68 national-team footballers competing in international matches (N = 108). Match performance data were aligned with the confirmed travel durations, time-zone change, travel direction, and time between arrival and kickoff for the travel to the match.

Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Match Running in Professional Footballers.

This study examined the effects of menstrual cycle phases and symptoms on match running performance in football (soccer) players. Twenty-one nonhormonal contraceptive using football players from four professional teams were monitored for up to four menstrual cycles during a domestic league season. Menstrual phases, classified as early-follicular phase (EFP), mid-late follicular phase (MFP), and luteal phase (LP), were determined by self-reporting of menstruation and urinary hormone tests (luteinizing hormone and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide).

Quantifying the training demands of a highly trained male youth basketball players by year, term and position.

This study describes the training demands of highly trained male youth basketball players, based on training year, term and playing position. Data was collected from 41 male youth basketballers over two seasons from all on-court coach-led training sessions utilising an LPS. Linear mixed-models and pairwise comparisons were used to analyse by training year (Y1, Y2 and Y3), term (T1, T2, T3 and T4) and playing position (Backcourt, Frontcourt).

Self-Reported Menstrual Health, Symptomatology, and Perceived Effects of the Menstrual Cycle for Elite Junior and Senior Football Players.

Purpose: To describe the self-reported menstrual health, symptomatology, and perceived effects of the menstrual cycle on athletic performance for national and international Australian football (soccer) players.

Methods: Players from national and domestic teams were invited to complete an online questionnaire regarding menstrual health, use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs), negative symptomatology, and perceived disruption of the menstrual cycle to performance. Descriptive statistics and binomial regressions with odds ratios (OR) were used to report the relationship of menstrual-related variables with perceived performance disruption.

Longitudinal Internal Training Load and Exposure in a High-Performance Basketball Academy.

Lever, JR, Duffield, R, Murray, A, Bartlett, JD, and Fullagar, HHK. Longitudinal internal training load and exposure in a high-performance basketball academy. J Strength Cond Res 38(8): 1464-1471, 2024-This study describes the longitudinal training exposure (session counts) and internal training load (Rating of Perceived Exertion [RPE] and Session Rating of Perceived Exertion [sRPE]) of youth basketball players at a high-performance academy, based on the training year, training term, and playing position.

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

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.

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

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).

Intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers in cricket: a systematic review.

Background: Lumbar spine injuries in fast bowlers account for the greatest missed playing time in cricket. A range of extrinsic and intrinsic variables are hypothesised to be associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers, and an improved understanding of intrinsic variables is necessary as these may alter load tolerance and injury risk associated with fast bowling. This review critically evaluated studies reporting intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers and identified areas for future investigation.

Protective guidelines and mitigation strategies for hot conditions in professional football: starting 11 Hot Tips for consideration.

Elevated heat, humidity and solar load combined with low air movement independently and additively impair performance, increase the perception of effort and the risk of heat-related illnesses. For the specific context of professional football, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) heat guidelines are often used as the default policy. Still, these seem less protective than guidelines in other sports or from countries traditionally exposed to extreme hot conditions.

The type and extent of travel for professional footballers undertaking national team duties for a national football federation.

Elite football (soccer) involves club, continental and international fixtures, requiring players to undertake extensive travel [1]. For a national football federation, this includes the transport of players between club and camp/tournament commitments, which is often a point of contention between respective organisations [2]. Partly this contention results from the effects of travel, whereby jet lag and travel fatigue can negatively affect physical performance [3-5] and athlete wellbeing [6, 7].

Flight Path and Scheduling Effects on Perceived Jet Lag, Fatigue, and Sleep in Footballers Traveling to and From National Teams.

Purpose: This study examined posttravel perceptual responses of national-team footballers (soccer) following different flight paths, arrival/departure times, and trip contexts.

Methods: Details of 396 flights from national-team players (N = 68) were obtained and verified via an online flight database. Each player provided ratings of perceptual fatigue, sleep, soreness, stress, and jet lag for 2 days before and after each trip.

Where are We Headed? Evidence to Inform Future Football Heading Guidelines.

Given the scientific and public concern regarding the short-, medium- and long-term consequences of heading on brain health, being proactive about developing and implementing guidelines that help reduce the burden (volume, impact magnitude and injury risk) of heading in young and beginner players appears justified. This narrative review explores the evidence underpinning strategies that could be incorporated into future heading guidelines to reduce heading burden in players across all levels of football. A four-step search strategy was utilised to identify all data-based papers related to heading in football.

The prevalence of relative age effects and the influence of the talent pool size on Australian male and female youth football.

The current study explored the association between talent pool size and relative age effects in Football Australia's talent pathway. It also compared relative age effects between male and female players. Participants were 54,207 youth football players (females:  = 12,527, age-range = 14.

Travel Across More Time Zones Results in Worse Perceived Fatigue and Sleep in National-Team Footballers.

Purpose: This study investigated the association between (1) time zone difference and (2) travel direction (east vs west) with posttravel changes in perceptual responses of national-team footballers.

Methods: Travel schedules from 355 national-team trips (50 elite soccer players) were verified using an online flight database. All players provided perceptual ratings of fatigue, sleep quality, soreness, and stress to calculate changes in scores up to 2 days after travel.

Effects of concurrent exercise training on body composition, systemic inflammation, and components of metabolic syndrome in inactive academics: a randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: Low physical activity in the academic workplace may increase the risk of cardiometabolic disease. This randomised controlled trial investigated the effect of 14 weeks of concurrent exercise training (CT) on components of metabolic syndrome, body composition, insulin resistance, and markers of systemic inflammation in inactive academics.

Methods: 59 inactive academics were randomised into a CT (n = 29) or wait-list control group (n = 30).

Prototype Machine Learning Algorithms from Wearable Technology to Detect Tennis Stroke and Movement Actions.

This study evaluated the accuracy of tennis-specific stroke and movement event detection algorithms from a cervically mounted wearable sensor containing a triaxial accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. Stroke and movement data from up to eight high-performance tennis players were captured in match-play and movement drills. Prototype algorithms classified stroke (i.

Differentiating Stroke and Movement Accelerometer Profiles to Improve Prescription of Tennis Training Drills.

Perri, T, Reid, M, Murphy, A, Howle, K, and Duffield, R. Differentiating stroke and movement accelerometer profiles to improve prescription of tennis training drills. J Strength Cond Res 37(3): 646-651, 2023-This study compared the movement- and stroke-related accelerometer profiles and stroke counts between common on-court tennis training drills.

Determining Stroke and Movement Profiles in Competitive Tennis Match-Play From Wearable Sensor Accelerometry.

Perri, T, Reid, M, Murphy, A, Howle, K, and Duffield, R. Determining stroke and movement profiles in competitive tennis match-play from wearable sensor accelerometry. J Strength Cond Res 37(6): 1271-1276, 2023-This study determined stroke and movement accelerometry metrics from a wearable sensor and compared between court surface (grass vs.

Inertial Sensor Estimation of Initial and Terminal Contact during In-Field Running.

Given the popularity of running-based sports and the rapid development of Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), portable wireless sensors can provide in-field monitoring and analysis of running gait parameters during exercise. This paper proposed an intelligent analysis system from wireless micro-Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data to estimate contact time (CT) and flight time (FT) during running based on gyroscope and accelerometer sensors in a single location (ankle). Furthermore, a pre-processing system that detected the running period was introduced to analyse and enhance CT and FT detection accuracy and reduce noise.