Effects of Game Weekly Frequency on Subjective Training Load, Wellness, and Injury Rate in Male Elite Soccer Players

Abstract

To compare the effects of playing one or two games per week on subjective perceived exertion (RPE) and (RPE-based) training load, monotony index, sleep, stress, fatigue, and muscle soreness (Hooper index), total mood disturbance, and injury rate in elite soccer players. Fourteen males from a first-division soccer club (age: 24.42 ± 4.80 years) competed in two games per week for six weeks and one game per week for twelve weeks (a total of 24 games). Paired t-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon signed ranks evaluated the significance of the differences (p < 0.05). The main findings were that RPE was significantly larger when playing two games per week compared with one game. However, subject total and mean training load, mood disturbance, monotony, and subjective perception of sleep, stress, fatigue, muscle soreness monitoring (Hooper index), and the number of injuries were not different. The findings suggested that competing in two matches per week does not negatively influence injury rate and players’ perceptions of training load or wellness, even though players perceive two games per week as more physically demanding compared with one game per week.

Biomarkers of post-match recovery in semi-professional and professional football (soccer)

“…In the same vein, shorter recovery time (≤4 days) has been associated with higher muscle injury rates, particularly hamstring and quadriceps injuries, compared with longer periods (≥6 days) ( Bengtsson et al, 2013 ). Nonetheless, associations of match-induced fatigue and the incidence of various classic football-related muscle injuries warrant further research ( Bourne et al, 2019 ; Huygaerts et al, 2020 ; Sioud et al, 2023 ).…”

Quantifying Athlete Wellness: Investigating the Predictive Potential of Subjective Wellness Reports Through a Player Monitoring System

“…Despite the widespread use of player monitoring systems, and the promising prospects of using machine learning to predict player wellness, there is currently a gap in research linking perceived wellness factors to individual player performance. While studies have investigated connections between wellness factors and various measures such as injuries (Sioud et al, 2023), training load (Moalla et al, 2016), and rate of perceived exertion (Silva et al, 2022), there is limited evidence supporting a causality between wellness and individual player performance. Despite the consensus that maintaining balance in wellness and psychological well-being can enhance elite athlete performance (e.g., Giles et al, 2020;McGuigan et al, 2020), more research is needed to evaluate any causal relationship between perceived wellness and objective match performance at the individual level.…”

“…Player monitoring systems have traditionally been used to provide physical coaches with training load data to prevent injuries and reduce pre-match overload (Moalla et al, 2016;Silva et al, 2022;Sioud et al, 2023). However, with the slowly increasing focus on psychological factors and the use of mental coaches by professional teams, it is important that player monitoring systems are validated, and their measurements are tested before any practical implications can be drawn (Giles et al, 2020).…”

Quantifying athlete wellness: Investigating the predictive potential of subjective wellness reports through a player monitoring system

“…Player monitoring systems have traditionally been used to provide physical coaches with training load data to prevent injuries and reduce pre-match overload [8][9][10]. However, with the slowly increasing focus on psychological factors and the use of mental coaches by professional teams, it is important that player monitoring systems are validated, and their measurements are tested before any practical implications can be drawn [11].…”

“…Despite the widespread use of player monitoring systems, and the promising prospects of using machine learning to predict player wellness, there is currently a gap in research linking perceived wellness factors to individual player performance. Although research has explored the associations between wellness factors and various measures, such as injuries, training load, and rate of perceived exertion [8][9][10], there is limited evidence demonstrating a causal relationship between wellness and individual player performance in elite football. Within sports literature, there is a consensus that maintaining balance in wellness and psychological well-being can improve elite athlete performance [11,12].…”