Sustainable Elite Football

NCT07325084 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: 2024-05136-01
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 400
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The literature is scarce when it comes to more comprehensive research project that investigates the differences between youth and adult elite football players in physical parameters and the risk of injury. There is a lack of prospective long-term studies examining the importance of increased training load, physical fitness and performance, training status, position and maturity on its relationship to injury and success in elite football. The aim of the project is to evaluate different aspects of physical performance, training load and their role as potential risk or protective factors for injury in elite Swedish football. Another aim is to follow youth players at the football academy to explore which physical factors are important for success in elite football and how a possible injury affects the player's continued elite efforts. Finally, the aim is to develop a test battery that can be used to screen for deficits in physical fitness, monitor football players at risk of injury and for return to sport after injury. The main research question intended to be investigated is: How do internal and external load, wellness, and physical performance factors (including Acute Chronic Workload Ratio) differ between academy-level and professional football players, and how do these factors relate to injury risk and success in elite football? A cohort design will be used with \~200 academy football players (\~50% women) between 15-19 years old and 50 professional football players participating. The study starts with the assessment of different aspects of physical performance at baseline during the players first year at the academy and internal and external training load and injuries will be registered prospectively for 3 years. The players will be assessed at follow-ups, with the same tests, 3 times a year, to evaluate performance changes. Players who will be transferred to elite play will be evaluated 3 times a year for additional 5 years. Professional football players will also be evaluated with tests with following registration of training load and injuries.

Conditions

Overuse Injury; Traumatic Injury

Keywords

football; soccer; physical performance; injury risk factors

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Aerobic endurance

  VO2max performed on a treadmill measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min).

  Three times a year during 5 years - Change from Baseline

• Muscle strength

  Isokinetic and isometric muscle strength of the lower extremity (m quadriceps, hamstrings, hip adduction and abduction) measured in Newton.

  Three times a year during 5 years - Change from Baseline

• Sport specific performance

  Speed, change of direction and agility measured in time (seconds).

  Three times a year during 5 years - Change from Baseline

• Neuromuscular control

  Neuromuscular control of the knee (valgus, normal, varus), measured in degrees.

  Three times a year during 5 years - Change from Baseline

• Lateral agility and muscular endurance

  Lateral agility, muscular endurance and any lower between-limb differences will be evaluated with the 30-sec Side hop test for each leg. Number of repetitions are measured.

  Three times a year during 5 years - Change from Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• External training load - games and practice

  Each session are reported on weekly basis during 5 years

• Internal training load - sRPE

  Each session are reported on weekly basis during 5 years

• Number of injuries

  Weekly report during 5 years

• Internal training load - Freshness

  Weekly report during 5 years

Study Arms (2)

Professional football players

100 professional or semi-professional football players that plays in one of the two top division in Sweden.

Academy football players

300 academy football players between 15-19 years old.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Swedish male and female players that are playing at professional level or at academy level (from Swedish sport high schools).

You may qualify if:

• female and male academy football players aged 15-19 years and
• female and male professional football players that plays the one of the two top division in Sweden.

You may not qualify if:

• injuries at baseline assessment, that may affect test results

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Linnaeus University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sofia Ryman Augustsson

Kalmar, 391 82, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (27)

• Bujnovky D, Maly T, Ford KR, Sugimoto D, Kunzmann E, Hank M, Zahalka F. Physical Fitness Characteristics of High-level Youth Football Players: Influence of Playing Position. Sports (Basel). 2019 Feb 16;7(2):46. doi: 10.3390/sports7020046.

  PMID: 30781535 BACKGROUND

• Akbar S, Soh KG, Jazaily Mohd Nasiruddin N, Bashir M, Cao S, Soh KL. Effects of neuromuscular training on athletes physical fitness in sports: A systematic review. Front Physiol. 2022 Sep 23;13:939042. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.939042. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 36213248 BACKGROUND

• Wisloff U, Castagna C, Helgerud J, Jones R, Hoff J. Strong correlation of maximal squat strength with sprint performance and vertical jump height in elite soccer players. Br J Sports Med. 2004 Jun;38(3):285-8. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2002.002071.

  PMID: 15155427 BACKGROUND

• Zemkova E, Zapletalova L. The Role of Neuromuscular Control of Postural and Core Stability in Functional Movement and Athlete Performance. Front Physiol. 2022 Feb 24;13:796097. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.796097. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35283763 BACKGROUND

• Ryman Augustsson S, Arvidsson J, Haglund E. Jump height as performance indicator for the selection of youth football players to national teams. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2019 Oct;59(10):1669-1675. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09739-1. Epub 2019 May 2.

  PMID: 31062951 BACKGROUND

• Collings TJ, Diamond LE, Barrett RS, Timmins RG, Hickey JT, DU Moulin WS, Williams MD, Beerworth KA, Bourne MN. Strength and Biomechanical Risk Factors for Noncontact ACL Injury in Elite Female Footballers: A Prospective Study. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2022 Aug 1;54(8):1242-1251. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002908. Epub 2022 Mar 12.

  PMID: 35320148 BACKGROUND

• Khayambashi K, Ghoddosi N, Straub RK, Powers CM. Hip Muscle Strength Predicts Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Male and Female Athletes: A Prospective Study. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Feb;44(2):355-61. doi: 10.1177/0363546515616237. Epub 2015 Dec 8.

  PMID: 26646514 BACKGROUND

• Ryman Augustsson S, Ageberg E. Weaker lower extremity muscle strength predicts traumatic knee injury in youth female but not male athletes. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2017 Apr 16;3(1):e000222. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2017-000222. eCollection 2017.

  PMID: 29259807 BACKGROUND

• Ryman Augustsson S, Gustafsson T, Ageberg E. Can tests of physical fitness predict traumatic knee injury in youth female athletes? A prospective cohort study. Phys Ther Sport. 2024 Sep;69:15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.06.007. Epub 2024 Jul 2.

  PMID: 38991623 BACKGROUND

• Malone S, Owen A, Newton M, Mendes B, Collins KD, Gabbett TJ. The acute:chonic workload ratio in relation to injury risk in professional soccer. J Sci Med Sport. 2017 Jun;20(6):561-565. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2016.10.014. Epub 2016 Nov 9.

  PMID: 27856198 BACKGROUND

• Beck NA, Lawrence JTR, Nordin JD, DeFor TA, Tompkins M. ACL Tears in School-Aged Children and Adolescents Over 20 Years. Pediatrics. 2017 Mar;139(3):e20161877. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1877.

  PMID: 28228501 BACKGROUND

• Ekenros L, Friden C, von Rosen P. Does injury risk increase when youth athletes start to study at a sports high school? BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2023 Nov 3;9(4):e001686. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001686. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37937308 BACKGROUND

• Fuller CW, Ekstrand J, Junge A, Andersen TE, Bahr R, Dvorak J, Hagglund M, McCrory P, Meeuwisse WH. Consensus statement on injury definitions and data collection procedures in studies of football (soccer) injuries. Br J Sports Med. 2006 Mar;40(3):193-201. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2005.025270.

  PMID: 16505073 BACKGROUND

• McLester CN, Nickerson BS, Kliszczewicz BM, McLester JR. Reliability and Agreement of Various InBody Body Composition Analyzers as Compared to Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Healthy Men and Women. J Clin Densitom. 2020 Jul-Sep;23(3):443-450. doi: 10.1016/j.jocd.2018.10.008. Epub 2018 Nov 3.

  PMID: 30472111 BACKGROUND

• Gustavsson A, Neeter C, Thomee P, Silbernagel KG, Augustsson J, Thomee R, Karlsson J. A test battery for evaluating hop performance in patients with an ACL injury and patients who have undergone ACL reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2006 Aug;14(8):778-88. doi: 10.1007/s00167-006-0045-6. Epub 2006 Mar 9.

  PMID: 16525796 BACKGROUND

• Augustsson J, Alt T, Andersson H. Speed Matters in Nordic Hamstring Exercise: Higher Peak Knee Flexor Force during Fast Stretch-Shortening Variant Compared to Standard Slow Eccentric Execution in Elite Athletes. Sports (Basel). 2023 Jul 7;11(7):130. doi: 10.3390/sports11070130.

  PMID: 37505617 BACKGROUND

• Augustsson J, Andersson H. Differences in Peak Knee Flexor Force between Eccentric-Only and Combined Eccentric-Concentric Nordic Hamstring Exercise. Sports (Basel). 2023 Feb 7;11(2):41. doi: 10.3390/sports11020041.

  PMID: 36828326 BACKGROUND

• Falk Neto JH, Tibana RA, de Sousa NMF, Prestes J, Voltarelli FA, Kennedy MD. Session Rating of Perceived Exertion Is a Superior Method to Monitor Internal Training Loads of Functional Fitness Training Sessions Performed at Different Intensities When Compared to Training Impulse. Front Physiol. 2020 Aug 12;11:919. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00919. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 32903483 BACKGROUND

• Waiteman MC, Garcia MC, Briani RV, Norte G, Glaviano NR, De Azevedo FM, Bazett-Jones DM. Can Clinicians Trust Objective Measures of Hip Muscle Strength From Portable Dynamometers? A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis and Evidence Gap Map of 107 Studies of Reliability and Criterion Validity Using the COSMIN Methodology. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2023 Nov;53(11):655-672. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2023.12045.

  PMID: 37787581 BACKGROUND

• Augustsson J, Gunhamn T, Andersson H. An Assessment of the Ratio between Upper Body Push and Pull Strength in Female and Male Elite Swedish Track and Field Throwers. Sports (Basel). 2024 Jul 24;12(8):201. doi: 10.3390/sports12080201.

  PMID: 39195577 BACKGROUND

• Giles G, Lutton G, Martin J. Scoping Review of the Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull Performance Relationship to Dynamic Sport Performance Assessments. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2022 Dec 15;7(4):114. doi: 10.3390/jfmk7040114.

  PMID: 36547660 BACKGROUND

• Faltstrom A, Hagglund M, Hedevik H, Lindblom H, Kvist J. The side hop test: Validity, reliability, and quality aspects in relation to sex, age and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, in soccer players. Phys Ther Sport. 2023 Jul;62:39-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2023.05.008. Epub 2023 Jun 3.

  PMID: 37300972 BACKGROUND

• Altmann S, Ringhof S, Neumann R, Woll A, Rumpf MC. Validity and reliability of speed tests used in soccer: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2019 Aug 14;14(8):e0220982. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220982. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31412057 BACKGROUND

• Emmonds S, Nicholson G, Begg C, Jones B, Bissas A. Importance of Physical Qualities for Speed and Change of Direction Ability in Elite Female Soccer Players. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jun;33(6):1669-1677. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002114.

  PMID: 28723816 BACKGROUND

• Wragg CB, Maxwell NS, Doust JH. Evaluation of the reliability and validity of a soccer-specific field test of repeated sprint ability. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000 Sep;83(1):77-83. doi: 10.1007/s004210000246.

  PMID: 11072777 BACKGROUND

• Pojskic H, Aslin E, Krolo A, Jukic I, Uljevic O, Spasic M, Sekulic D. Importance of Reactive Agility and Change of Direction Speed in Differentiating Performance Levels in Junior Soccer Players: Reliability and Validity of Newly Developed Soccer-Specific Tests. Front Physiol. 2018 May 15;9:506. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00506. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 29867552 BACKGROUND

• Augustsson SR, Nae J, Karlsson M, Peterson T, Wollmer P, Ageberg E. Postural orientation, what to expect in youth athletes? A cohort study on data from the Malmo Youth Sport Study. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2021 Jul 24;13(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s13102-021-00307-y.

  PMID: 34301323 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Wounds and Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sprains and Strains

Study Officials

• Sofia Ryman Augustsson, PhD

  Linnaeus University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Target Duration: 3 Years
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 4, 2024
• First Posted: January 8, 2026
• Study Start: November 25, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2032
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2032
• Last Updated: January 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SE (1)