Are There Potential Safety Problems Concerning the Use of Electronic Performance-Tracking Systems? The Experience of a Multisport Elite Club

Abstract

Despite approval of the use of electronic performance-tracking systems (EPTSs) during competition by the International Football Association Board, other team-sport organizations and leagues have banned their use due to "safety concerns," with no evidence to support this assertion. The aim of the current brief report was to provide empirical evidence to support the widespread use of EPTSs across all sports by examining safety issues concerning their use in a multi-team-sport club. Five outdoor football teams (1st team, 2nd team, under 19 [U-19], under 18 [U-18], and 1st team female) and 3 indoor-sport (basketball, futsal, and handball) teams were monitored, accounting for a total of 63,734 h of training and 12,748 h of game time. A questionnaire was sent to all fitness coaches involved, and the clinical history was reviewed for every medical issue reported. Six minor chest contusions were recorded in female football goalkeepers wearing the frontal chest strap (3.17 episodes per 1000 training h). During training, 3 episodes of minor skin abrasion affecting the thoracic area due to wearing vests too tight were recorded in the U-19 football team (0.21 per 1000 h) and 2 episodes in U-18 (0.39 per 1000 h). It must be noted that none of these episodes resulted in lost days of training or games, and none required medical assistance. In conclusion, empirical evidence confirms that EPTSs are safe to use across team sports.

Wearing Electronic Performance and Tracking System Devices in Association Football: Potential Injury Scenarios and Associated Impact Energies

“…Safety concerns regarding players wearing EPTS devices during match-play have been raised; however, limited empirical evidence supports this assertion [2]. Medina and colleagues [2] assessed reported player injuries at FC Barcelona (first team, second team, under 19, under 18 and first team female) between 2011 and 2016.…”

“…However, six minor thoracic contusions (3.17 injuries per 1000 playing hours) for female players wearing a specific EPTS device, where the chest strap holds the device over the sternum, were reported. Medina and colleagues [2] highlighted that players reporting these injuries were all goalkeepers with injuries reflecting the nature of the playing position (e.g., catching or collecting ball). Further, the positioning of this particular device was an exception; all other EPTS devices reported within the study were worn on the upper-back [2].…”

“…Medina and colleagues [2] highlighted that players reporting these injuries were all goalkeepers with injuries reflecting the nature of the playing position (e.g., catching or collecting ball). Further, the positioning of this particular device was an exception; all other EPTS devices reported within the study were worn on the upper-back [2]. When considering EPTS devices worn on the upper-back, only minor skin abrasion injuries were reported by the under 18 and 19 teams, corresponding to 0.21 and 0.39 injuries per 1000 playing hours respectively [2].…”

“…Medina and colleagues [2] assessed reported player injuries at FC Barcelona (first team, second team, under 19, under 18 and first team female) between 2011 and 2016. Over five years, 190 EPTS devices were used daily for training (total of 56,414.5 h) and match-play (total of 8970.0 h), during which no serious injury or event, which caused the loss of one or more training days, were reported [2]. However, six minor thoracic contusions (3.17 injuries per 1000 playing hours) for female players wearing a specific EPTS device, where the chest strap holds the device over the sternum, were reported.…”

“…Wearable EPTS devices, which include measurement technologies such as a Global (GPS) or Local (LPS) Positioning System, accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, had become prevalent in football training to control and improve performance [1,2]. Subsequently, requests were made to allow players to wear EPTS devices to track match-play performance [1].…”