Analysis of Injury Incidences in Male Professional Adult and Elite Youth Soccer Players: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Context: The incidence of injury for elite youth and professional adult soccer players is an important concern, but the risk factors for these groups are different.Objective: To summarize and compare the injury incidences and injury characteristics of male professional adult and elite youth soccer players.Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE and Web of Science using the search terms elite, international, European, soccer, football, injury, injuries, epidemiology, incidence, prevalence, not female, not American football, and not rugby. We also used the search terms professional for studies on professional adult soccer players and high-level, soccer academy, youth, adolescent, and young for studies on elite youth soccer players.Study Selection: Eligible studies were published in English, had a prospective cohort design, and had a minimum study period of 6 months. To ensure that injury data were assessed in relationship to the athlete's individual exposure, we included only studies that reported on injuries and documented exposure volume.Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers applied the selection criteria and assessed the quality of the studies.Data Synthesis: A total of 676 studies were retrieved from the literature search. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria: 6 for elite youth and 12 for professional adult soccer players.Conclusions: Injury rates were higher for matches than for training for both youth and adult players. Youth players had a higher incidence of training injuries than professionals. Efforts must be made to reduce the overall injury rate in matches. Therefore, preventive interventions, such as adequately enforcing rules and focusing on fair play, must be analyzed and developed to reduce match-related injury incidences. Reducing training injuries should be a particular focus for youth soccer players.Key Words: risk factors, injury characteristics, muscles Key PointsInjury rates in matches were higher than in training for both elite youth and professional adult soccer players. The incidence of training injuries was higher in elite youth than in professional adult soccer players. The rates of the most common injury types did not differ between groups. Existing studies addressing the quality and intensity of training need to be analyzed more precisely to provide reliable comparisons between these groups. An assessment model of training intensities might protect these players from overload and subsequent injuries.

Effect of 12-Week Functional Training Intervention on the Speed of Young Footballers

“…Research conducted among young football players showed that almost 40% of football players playing at various game levels had non-mechanical injuries in lower limbs [14]. Most of them involve hamstrings strains, traumas of the tendons and ligaments of the knees [15][16][17][18]. Moreover Ekstrand et al [19] conducted research among 23 football teams in which they stated that, the possibility of injury is around 8 per 1000 hours of play, especially in competitive matches.…”

The use and modification of injury prevention exercises by professional youth soccer teams

“…To date, injury prevention in these professional youth players has received very little research attention (O'Brien & Finch, ), despite knowledge that physiological loads, psychological loads, and injury rates are very high in these settings (Price et al., ; Brink et al., ). Reported injury incidences in this population range from 2.0 to 19.4 injuries per 1000 hours, with a recent systematic review finding a higher incidence of training injuries in professional youth players, compared to their adult counterparts (Pfirrmann et al., ). In comparison, the reported injury rate in amateur male soccer players ranges from 0.8 to 8.5 injuries per 1000 hours (Junge et al., ; Owoeye et al., ).…”

Professional youth football academy injury data: collection procedures, perceived value, and use

“…The majority (79%) of respondents answered that they felt sharing/using their academy's injury data for academic research was worthwhile and important. This is somewhat at odds with the scarcity of epidemiological studies in elite youth football within the scientific literature (Pfirrmann et al 2016). However, that so many applied practitioners believe that collaborating with academic researchers is of value bodes well for future investigations.…”

“…Indeed, a wealth of evidence exists detailing the epidemiology of footballrelated injury among senior professional players, most notably via the series of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) elite club injury studies (Ekstrand et al 2011;Ueblacker et al 2015;Ekstrand et al 2016). However, a recent systematic review investigating injury epidemiology within elite youth football identified only six studies meeting the inclusion criteria (injury and exposure data collected prospectively over the course of at least six months among high-level players aged between eight and 19 years of age), with only two of these published in the last 10 years (Pfirrmann et al 2016). The paucity of descriptive injury data relevant to professional club academy football players is perhaps surprising given the prevalence of such institutions (Richardson et al 2004).…”