One exercise session a day keeps the physio away: effect of a newly designed daily exercise programme on injury prevention in youth football - A randomised controlled trial
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To compare the effect of a newly conceived daily injury prevention programme with FIFA11+ on injury incidence and severity in academy football players. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Football academy. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-three male academy football players were randomly assigned to either the control group (FIFA11+ or FIFA11+ Kids) or the intervention group (new injury prevention programme). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Injury incidence rate (per 1000 hours) and severity (days lost). RESULTS: Over 6 months, the control group recorded 45 injuries (incidence rate = 9.07/1000 hours), while the intervention group recorded 50 injuries (incidence rate = 10.10/1000 hours). The median number of days lost was 16 [95% confidence interval: 11, 27] in the control group and 15 [95% confidence interval: 7, 23] in the intervention group. No significant differences were found in injury incidence or severity between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The newly conceived injury prevention programme was as effective as the FIFA11+ in reducing injury incidence and severity, thus representing an easy-to-implement injury prevention programme for football academies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12623000359639) retrospectively, as it was initially conducted for academic purposes, negating the requirement for prospective registration.
Source: Physical Therapy in Sport
Authors: Matteo Brunelli, Giulia Brunelli, Cassie Wilson, Eamonn Delahunt, Sebastiano Nutarelli
Language: English
Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,990
OpenAlex ID: W4409786989