English Professional Football Research Articles

On-field rehabilitation in football: current practice and perceptions. A survey of the English Premier League and Football League

ABSTRACT Introduction Return to play related research is increasing rapidly, with two recent competency-based frameworks offering conceptualised support for on-field rehabilitation (OFR) decision-making. It is still unknown, however, who is responsible for OFR and how they typically select, monitor, and progress OFR processes. Aims The purpose of this study was to investigate current OFR practice within English professional football to support practitioners with decision-making and highlight opportunities for future research related to the design, monitoring, and progression of OFR. Methods Sixty-nine practitioners responsible for the design and implementation of OFR at 69 clubs (75% of the English Premier League and Football League) responded to a survey containing 30 questions (14 open and 16 closed). Results The main findings were that therapists (physiotherapists/sports therapists) have the largest influence on OFR, followed by physical performance coaches (sports scientists/strength and conditioning coaches), technical coaches and medical doctors. There was more agreement for the ordering of specific OFR drills earlier in the process when activities are easier to control. The most frequently reported objective monitoring tool was global positioning systems (GPS), with functional/clinical experience/expertise remaining subjectively vital. GPS outputs (e.g., sprint metrics and accelerations/decelerations) were most used for between session decision-making, with verbal communication being key for within session decision-making. Conclusion Future research should use evidence of current practice, such as drill design and monitoring techniques, to explore drill-level analysis and give practitioners greater insights into which stage of current OFR frameworks specific drills fall, and how they might be more objectively progressed/regressed.

The Analysis of Physical Performance During Official Competitions in Professional English Football: Do Positions, Game Locations, and Results Influence Players' Game Demands?

Beato, M, Youngs, A, and Costin, AJ. The analysis of physical performance during official competitions in professional English football: Do positions, game locations, and results influence players' game demands? J Strength Cond Res 38(5): e226-e234, 2024-This study aimed, first, to verify if physical parameters were different between players' positions during official matches in English professional football, and second, if the game location (H and A) or results (W, L, D) affected players' physical performance. Twenty-five male professional football players of the same team were included in this data analysis (age = 27 ± 9 years) during the 2022-23 season. Players were divided into positions: center backs, wide backs, center midfielders, attacking midfielders, and strikers. The external load parameters were distance covered, high-speed running (HSR), sprinting distance, accelerations, decelerations, and high metabolic load distance (HMLD, meters > 25.5 w·kg -1 ) that were monitored using global navigation satellite systems Apex (STATSports). Linear mixed models' analysis for positions reported a significant difference in total distance ( p = 0.011), HSR ( p < 0.001), sprinting distance ( p < 0.001), accelerations ( p = 0.003), decelerations ( p = 0.002), and HMLD ( p < 0.001). Centre backs showed the lowest physical performance in the metrics analyzed, whereas players in the other positions frequently displayed a similar physical performance. Regarding locations and results, differences were only found between locations for decelerations ( p = 0.041) and between results for HMLD ( p = 0.010). In conclusion, physical performance was influenced by players' positions, whereas game location or results seem to not affect physical performance during official competitions. Consequently, practitioners can physically prepare their players independently from the location of the match or of the possible game results, whereas specific positional training is requested to optimally prepare their players.

Snus use in football: the threat of a new addiction?

The use of Snus, an oral nicotine pouch, is becoming increasingly common in English professional football. As a nicotine product, Snus raises important questions about health and performance for practitioners. The purpose of this short communication is to explain the current regulatory status of Snus, performance relatedeffects, and associated health outcomes. Further, based on player statements and evidence from the general public, we argue that Snus is used as a coping mechanism to deal with the stressors of professional football. Accordingly, the communication concludes with guidance for club-level multidisciplinary interventions to support player welfare, aimed at reducing Snus use as well as future research recommendations.

Exposure assessment for repeated sub-concussive head impacts in soccer: The HEalth and Ageing Data IN the Game of football (HEADING) study

The purpose of this paper was to develop exposure estimates for repetitive sub-concussive head impacts (RSHI) for use in epidemiological analyses. We used a questionnaire to collect lifetime history of heading and other head contacts associated with training and playing football from 159 former footballers all members of the English professional football association. We used linear mixed effect regression with player as the random effect, to model the number of headers, blows to the head and head-to-head impacts as a function of potential exposure affecting factors, which were treated as the fixed effects. Exposure affecting factors included playing position, league, context of play (game vs training) and decade of play. Age at time of response to the questionnaire was also included in the models. In model results, playing position was important, with RSHIs being highest among defenders and lowest among goalkeepers. Players headed the ball more during games than in training, and when playing in amateur or youth leagues compared with semi-professional or professional leagues. The average number of reported head impacts declined linearly throughout the observation period (1949–2015). The derived final model for headers explained 43%, 9% and 36% of the between player, within player and total variance in exposure, respectively with good precision and predictive performance. These findings are generally in agreement with previously published results pointing towards the models forming a valid method for estimating exposure to RSHI among former footballers although some further external validation is still warranted.

Gambling, sports psychiatry, and disciplinary sanctions in English professional football

This paper critically examines the broader implications of the recent case involving the professional football player, Ivan Toney, who was sanctioned by the English Football Association for gambling-related offences. Gambling and English professional football have many interconnections, underscored by the prominent betting culture within the sport and athletes’ distinctive risk factors for pathological behaviours. Common punitive measures for betting-related offences, like complete bans from “all football-related activity”, may inadvertently exacerbate extant vulnerabilities, particularly in cases where gambling disorder has been noted as a mitigating circumstance. Accordingly, this article recommends holistic approaches to such incidents, emphasising the need to balance applicable punishments with the provision of sufficient mental health support informed by current evidence. Moreover, a wider reconsideration of the potentially harmful intersections between gambling and English professional football may be necessary, involving proactive initiatives to expand prevention schemes, increase psychoeducation, and reduce mental health stigma in football.

Exploring the impact of athletic identity on gender role conflict and athlete injury fear avoidance in male English professional academy football players

ABSTRACT Men’s academy football can encourage a commitment to the athletic role and masculine norms. When injured, the ability to fulfil an athletic masculine identity is threatened and athletes may experience injury fear-avoidance behaviours as part of a negative injury appraisal. The aim of the study was to explore whether higher athletic identity (AI) was associated with higher gender role conflict and injury-related fear-avoidance. Seventy-two male English academy footballers completed an Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS), and Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ) based on self-reported historical injuries. Correlational analyses were conducted for all variables, and a one-way ANOVA was used to compare high, moderate, and low AI. AIMS was significantly positively correlated with two GRCS subscales: success, power, and competition (SPC) and restricted affectionate behaviour between men (RAM). AIMS exclusivity also positively correlated with SPC and AIMS negative affectivity positively correlated with GRCS total and RAM. Additionally, the current study showed that high and moderate levels of AI had significantly higher levels of total GRCS than those with low AI. No significant results were found for AIMS, GRCS, and AFAQ. Results suggest that players with higher and more exclusive AI may be susceptible to masculine role conflicts, specifically, SPC and RAM, especially when there is a risk to their athletic role. The current study informs sport and health professionals of the need to monitor AI and masculine conformity in academy-level footballers to minimise gender-role conflict and potential maladaptive rehabilitation responses when their identities are threatened.

The use of sand as an alternative surface for training, injury prevention and rehabilitation in English professional football and barriers to implementation: a cross-sectional survey of medical staff

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate the use of sand as an alternative surface for training, injury prevention and rehabilitation interventions in English professional football. A Secondary aim was to explore the potential barriers to implementation. Materials and Methods All 92 teams from the male English professional football pyramid during the 2021–22 season were eligible to take part. A cross-sectional survey of the medical personnel (one per club) was conducted between June 2021 and December 2021 based on the RE-AIM framework. A total of 58 respondents (63% of all clubs) completed the survey. Results and Conclusions Only 18 (31%) of the clubs surveyed used sand-based interventions across the last 3 seasons. Respondents felt sand-based interventions would be effective at improving physiological gains (median 4, interquartile range [IQR] 4–5) and as part of injury prevention and rehabilitation strategies (4, IQR 3–4) but were indifferent in relation to its potential to improve sporting performance (3, IQR 3–4). Barriers to implementation of sand-based interventions within wider football were a lack of facilities, lack of awareness of its potential benefits, lack of high-quality evidence and the surface not being specific to the sport. Medical staff also did not perceive that coaches’ positively viewed sand interventions as a training or injury management strategy.

Visual exploratory activity and practice design: Perceptions of experienced coaches in professional football academies

The aim of this study was to explore: (a) football coaches’ perceptions of visual exploratory activity (VEA) and (b) the practice activities designed by coaches believed to develop VEA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine coaches who held the UEFA A or B Licence in coaching football. All coaches worked in an English professional football club's academy and held different coaching positions. Thematic analysis of the data identified three themes: Importance of VEA, Development of VEA and Delivery of VEA (e.g., practice design, visual aids, technology and questioning). The interviews revealed that all coaches hold VEA as an integral part of player performance yet are unsure of how to develop this behaviour. They deemed that VEA should be developed at a young age to enable players to reach an elite level of performance. Despite these views, coaches did not feel that VEA should be a particular focus on individual sessions and believed the VEA behaviour would be drawn out from practices used by coaches. There was a range of activities ( N = 33) discussed by the coaches when they were asked to draw and provide examples of practices that they would use to develop VEA. The percentage of planned practices that were deemed active decision-making activities (70%) was greater compared to non-active decision-making activities (30%). This study has implications for the planning and interventions coaches place on practices to develop VEA. Future research should consider investigating the impact different types of practice have on performers’ VEA.

What Does It Mean to Be “Competitive”? Using Simulation to Reveal Competitive Balance in English Association Football

This paper illustrates the value of using betting data to simulate an ex-ante distribution of league-point outcomes for English professional association football. Competition in the three tiers of the English Football League (EFL) is much more balanced than in the English Premier League (EPL). The competition at the top of the tables is more concentrated than at the bottom of the tables. Clubs relegated into a lower league tend to perform well the next season. Still, this effect does not seem to be impacted by parachute payments given to those relegated from the EPL into the second division.

Coaches’ Experiences of Morality in English Professional Football Environments: Recommendations for Creating a Moral Atmosphere

Coaches are key socializing agents who influence the sociomoral context. A function of socialization in coaching is the imparting of values and ideology, which guide behavior. English professional football is known for authoritarian and subservient cultures whereby coaches will enforce cultural norms and values, which consequently shape their players’ moral development. Therefore, from a contextual viewpoint, professional football serves as a suitable site for exploring coaches’ views of morality. This study consisted of two aims: (a) explore English professional football coaches’ experiences of morality in football and (b) share coaches’ accounts of how they create and manage a moral atmosphere. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight male professional English football coaches. Thematic analysis resulted in two general dimensions: coaches’ experiences of morality and recommendations for creating and managing a moral atmosphere. Coaches shared accounts of the moral conflicts and antisocial behaviors they experienced. The findings suggest that coaches struggle to define morality while highlighting the lack of coach education on the topic. Furthermore, similarities were observed in relation to coaches’ recommendations for creating and managing a moral atmosphere. Therefore, the study concludes by providing a selection of guiding principles that professional football coaches could implement when creating and managing a moral atmosphere.

Parental strategies for supporting children’s psychosocial development within and beyond elite sport

There remains limited research into the role that parents play to support their child’s psychosocial development within elite youth sport contexts. The present study was conducted in an English professional youth football (soccer) academy that has intentionally integrated the 5Cs framework (Harwood; commitment, communication, concentration, control, confidence) into its player development process. The purpose of the study was to explore parents’ interpretations of their roles and experiences of supporting young athletes’ psychosocial development in this context. Six focus groups were conducted with 30 parents (17 fathers, 13 mothers; M age = 44.8) who had a child in the foundation (8–11 years) or youth development phase (12–16 years). The transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Parental strategies employed to support their child’s 5Cs within and beyond the academy included providing encouragement and tailoring feedback, establishing and sharing expectations with their child, creating an autonomy-supportive environment, encouraging participation in activities outside of the academy, and understanding football and the nature of the academy. Barriers perceived as hindering parents’ support reflected the salience of coach-parent communication at the academy. Accompanying recommendations and implications are discussed for enabling improved congruency between coaches and parents, and how parent education can be better tailored to support intentional psychosocial development within elite youth sport pathways. Lay summary: Conducted at a professional football academy that has integrated a psychosocial framework into the player development process, this study explored parents’ interpretations of their roles and experiences of supporting young athletes’ psychosocial development. Parents discussed practical strategies, barriers, and recommendations to support their child’s development in and beyond sport. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Parents can support young athletes’ psychosocial development by considering the broader contexts in which they occupy, including how they communicate at home, how they control their emotions within their sport programs, and how they demonstrate commitment at school. When parents employ an intentional approach to supporting psychosocial development, young athletes may become more aware of the possibilities for transferring their psychosocial skills beyond football, or their immediate sport context. Strengthening the communication between parents and coaches within a sport program, and the education offered to parents and coaches, can help sport parents better support their child’s psychosocial development within and beyond the sport program. Engagement with a parent 5C program can provide parents with a meaningful return on their time in academy football to not only support their child but to help them navigate the known demands of being a parent in an elite youth sport environment.

Lower limb injuries in an english professional football club: injury analysis and recommendations for prevention

ABSTRACT Background Lower limb injuries constitute a problem in the sport of football. Our aim is to explore patterns and trends of lower limb injuries in an English professional football club. Methods This is a descriptive epidemiological study. Reports provided by the club’s physical therapy team were screened for injuries among professional football players sustained over four seasons, from 2015/2016 to 2018/2019. Data included setting of injury (in-match or training), anatomical location of injury, type of injury, number of days off and month of injury. Results A total of 296 lower limb injuries were recorded in our study, with a rate of 11.14 per 1000 football hours. Injury rate during games was 51.38 per 1000 football hours, significantly greater than that during training at 3.81 per 1000 football hours (p = 0.021). The thigh was significantly the most commonly injured location at 4.67 per 1000 football hours (p < 0.001). Grade I tears were the most common injury type at 1.73 per 1000 football hours, significantly greater than grade III tears (p = 0.027), contusions (p = 0.043), fractures (p = 0.02), and lacerations (p = 0.019). Injury rates were found to be greatest during preseason and declined as season progressed. On average, an injury sidelined the affected footballer for a total of 20 days. Conclusion Lower limb injuries were more common during matches than training. The thigh is the most common injury location, and grade I muscle tear was the most common type of injury. Injury rates were higher early on in the season. Potential prevention strategies include spacing out competition, adopting training and exercise regimens that cater for recovery, and increasing research regarding injury mechanisms.

It Can Be a "Very Fine Line": Professional Footballers' Perceptions of the Conceptual Divide Between Bullying and Banter.

This study explores professional footballers’ perceptions of where banter crosses the conceptual line into bullying. The study’s focus is of importance, given the impact that abusive behaviors have been found to have on the welfare and safeguarding of English professional footballers. A phenomenological approach was adopted, which focused on the essence of the participants’ perceptions and experiences. Guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), individual semi-structured interviews (MDuration = 44.10 min, SD = 10.81) were conducted with 18 male professional footballers (Mage = 19.83 years, SD = 2.96) from three Premier League and Championship football clubs. The findings from this study revealed several key superordinate themes in relation to the dividing line between bullying and banter. These themes included “perception,” “intentionality,” “detecting the line,” and “having a bit of banter.” The findings demonstrate how perceptions of bullying and banter are nuanced by individual differences among the players and the culture of the professional football context. Specifically, it was found that the professional football context can legitimize forms of humor blurring the lines between bullying and banter, challenging the typically positive view of the concept of banter in this environment. From an applied perspective, these findings highlight the need for coaches, players, and football clubs more broadly to address cultural expectations around banter in their environment, while educating individuals around their own perceptions of bullying and banter.

Talent development abroad. Young football players’ experiences and challenges on being recruited to English academies

ABSTRACT The aim of the current study was to gain insight into talented Norwegian football players who made a club transfer to an English football academy, by investigating the players’ choice of academy, main challenges upon arrival, how they settled in both athletically and socially and their day-to-day life in the academy. Eight Norwegian players registered in an English professional football academy between the ages of 16 and 18 years were interviewed in retrospect. The challenges that the players met were mostly related to their efforts to develop as players, such as going into an extremely high-performance environment, which was quite different from what they perceived in their original club. Even though the transfer to an English professional club seemed like the natural choice to make, the players experienced a cultural shock not just athletically, but also socially and emotionally in their everyday life in a host family.

Exploring English Youth Academy Footballers’ Experiences through Role Strain Theory

Throughout adolescence and early adulthood, talented athletes must dedicate increasing personal resources to their sport. Recent empirical research found that applying Role Strain Theory (RST) was useful to contextualise international junior golfers’, acrobats’, gymnasts’ and Australian Rules footballers’ experiences of how they combined and coped with the competing role demands of sport and education. Findings demonstrated how role strain (RS) severity and regularity fluctuated during their youth careers but subsided during the latter teenage years. Surprisingly, limited research exploring how youth academy footballers simultaneously combine sport, education and social demands exists. This study determined the extent to which RS was experienced by six high performing male youth footballers who each had between four and five consecutive years’ experience within the foundation and youth development stage squads at an English professional football academy. Implications for most effectively supporting elite level youth players during crucial developmental and transitional career stages are provided.

Investigating the delivery of health improvement interventions through professional football club community trusts-strengths and challenges

ObjectivesThis study audits health improvement provision delivered in/by English professional Football Club Community Trusts and reports the strengths and challenges around the implementation of interventions. Study designMulti-methods design: Data were collected through (i) a review of trust websites (n ​= ​72), (ii) an online survey (n ​= ​34/47.2%) and (iii) semi-structured interviews (n ​= ​11/32.3%) with a sub-sample of trust managers. ResultsThe review of websites confirms all trusts provided physical activity-led interventions. The online survey showed most managers were male (n ​= ​23/67.7%) and white British (n ​= ​30/88.2%). Two thirds held management roles, (n ​= ​23/67.6%) and represented Championship (n ​= ​12/35.2%), League 1 (n ​= ​13/38.2%) and League 2 clubs (n ​= ​9/26.5%). Trusts provided physical activity and most provided diet (n ​= ​31/91.2%) as well as smoking (n ​= ​20/58.8%) and alcohol (n ​= ​19/55.9%) interventions. Weight management, (n ​= ​25/73.5%), mental health interventions (n ​= ​28/82.4%) were offered. Trusts provided male-specific (n ​= ​20/58.8%), with fewer providing female-specific interventions (n ​= ​15/44.1%). Most trusts (n ​= ​30/88.2%) evaluated interventions. 80.8% (n ​= ​21/26) used public health guidance for programme design, 69.2% (n ​= ​18/26) delivery, 57.7% (n ​= ​15/26) needs assessment and 50% (n ​= ​13/26) evaluation. Interviews and qualitative reports identified strengths including, using football, the ‘club brand’, ‘meeting health needs’ and ‘working as a strategic collaboration with partners’. Challenges included ‘short-term funding staffing, mainstreaming, and evaluating interventions’. ConclusionFootball Community Trusts deliver interventions, but challenges were encountered when implementing these programmes.

Covid-19 and Football: Crisis Creates Opportunity.

This article looks at the financial performance and position of English professional football before Covid‐19 and the impact that the pandemic has had on the industry. It analyses revenue streams in different divisions, the dependency that clubs have on them and how they have changed as a result of the pandemic. The article also reviews key costs for football clubs, the extent to which they can be reduced, different business models that operate, and possible funding sources for the sport from third parties and within the industry.

The prevalence and practices of caffeine use as an ergogenic aid in English professional soccer

The ergogenic properties of caffeine are well established, with evidence supporting beneficial effects for physical and technical elements of performance required for successful soccer match play. Despite this, recommended caffeine practices for professional soccer have not been established. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the use and behaviours surrounding caffeine use in elite English soccer clubs. Representatives of 36 clubs from the top four tiers of English professional football (40%) completed an online survey that sought to determine if, when, how and why caffeine was prescribed to players as a means of improving sports performance. Of the clubs sampled, 97% indicated that caffeine is provided to players as a means of improving performance. Caffeine is most commonly administered prior to (> 94%) and during a game (> 48%), with frequency uninfluenced by time of matches. There was a broad range and lack of consistency in the timing, dose and mode of caffeine administration, but doses were typically low. Evidence from the present study indicate a translational gap between science and practice, highlighting a need for future work to better understand how caffeine consumption can be optimised with respect to the specific demands and constraints in professional soccer.

Too big to fail? Accounting for predictions of financial distress in English professional football clubs

PurposeThis paper analyses English Premier League (EPL) and English Football League (EFL) championship clubs during the period 2002–2019 to anticipate financial distress with specific reference to footballs' Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.Design/methodology/approachData was collected for 43 professional football clubs competing in the EPL and Championship for the financial year ends 2002–2019. Analysis was conducted using the Z-score methodology and additional statistical tests were conducted to measure differences between groups. Data was split into two distinct periods to analyse club finances pre- and post-FFP.FindingsThe results show significant cases of financial distress amongst clubs in both divisions and that Championship clubs are in significantly poorer financial health than EPL clubs. In some cases, financially sustainability has worsened post-FFP. The “big 6” clubs – due to their size – seem to be more financially sound than the rest of the EPL, thus preventing a “too big to fail” effect. Overall, the financial situation in English football remains poor, a position that could be exacerbated by the economic crisis, caused by COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are not generalisable outside of the English football industry and the data is susceptible to usual accounting techniques and treatments.Practical implicationsThe paper recommends a re-distribution of broadcasting rights, on a more equal basis and incentivised with cost-reduction targets. The implementation of a hard salary cap at league level is also recommended to control costs. Furthermore, FFP regulations should be re-visited to deliver the original objectives of bringing about financial sustainability in European football.Originality/valueThe paper extends the evidence base of measuring financial distress in professional team sports and is also the first paper of its kind to examine this in relation to Championship clubs.

Hamstring injury prevention practices and compliance of the Nordic hamstring program in English professional football

The Nordic Hamstring exercise program (NHP) is an evidence-based injury prevention protocol. The aims of this study were to (a) report professional English football clubs' practices of hamstring injury prevention strategies, (b) identify the NHP implementation in English football, and (c) understand reasons for the NHP's inclusion or exclusion. An electronic survey was completed by 53 of 91 (58%) English professional football clubs. Forty-three clubs had a formal hamstring injury prevention program with the NH exercise (95%), eccentric strength exercises (93%), and functional training (81%) the most common methods utilized. Twenty clubs (38%) implemented the NHP, but only 9 (17%) completed the full program and were classed as compliant. Respondents partially agreed (Mean 3.92 ± SD 0.87) the NHP could substantially reduce injuries in football and would be effective at their own club (3.77 ± 0.72). Participants partially agreed the exercise caused muscle soreness (3.90 ± 0.85). Barriers to wider implementation included players not positively perceiving the program (79%) and resulting muscle soreness (60%). 57% believed a cultural shift was required to increase compliance. Medical professionals within English football value the injury prevention role of the NHP. A cultural shift would be required mainly from players to allow successful implementation.