Competitive Football Research Articles

Feature extraction method of football fouls based on deep learning algorithm

In order to overcome the problems of abnormal detection and low accuracy in the process of football foul feature extraction, this paper proposes a football foul feature extraction method based on deep learning algorithm to accurately identify the fouls in the process of normal competition. In this method, the background is eliminated by the difference between the input image and the background image, so as to obtain the effective detection target. According to the characteristics of football competition, the human motion tracking algorithm is proposed. Through the template representation, candidate target representation, similarity measurement calculation and search strategy, the dynamic target is tracked in real-time, and its dynamic information is obtained. Finally, the star skeleton feature is used to extract the football foul action feature, and the image feature is transformed into available data to realise the data extraction of action feature. The experimental results show that the proposed method can detect the target with low accuracy.

Positional and temporal differences in peak match running demands of elite football

Temporal changes in the total running demands of professional football competition have been well documented, with absolute running demands decreasing in the second half. However, it is unclear whether the peak match running demands demonstrate a similar decline. A total of 508 GPS files were collected from 44 players, across 68 matches of the Australian A-League. GPS files were split into the 1st and 2nd half, with the peak running demands of each half quantified across 10 moving average durations (1-10 min) for three measures of running performance (total distance, high-speed distance [> 19.8 km · h-1] and average acceleration). Players were categorised based on positional groups: attacking midfielder (AM), central defender (CD), defensive midfielder (DM), striker (STR), wide defender (WD) and winger (WNG). Linear mixed models and effect sizes were used to identify differences between positional groups and halves. Peak running demands were lower in the second half for STR across all three reported metrics (ES = 0.60-0.84), with peak average acceleration lower in the second half for DM, WD and WNG (ES = 0.60-0.70). Irrespective of match half, AM covered greater peak total distances than CD, STR, WD and WIN (ES = 0.60-2.08). Peak high-speed distances were greater across both halves for WIN than CD, DM and STR (ES = 0.78-1.61). Finally, STR had lower peak average acceleration than all positional groups across both halves (ES = 0.60-1.12). These results may help evaluate implemented strategies that attempt to mitigate reductions in second half running performance and inform position specific training practices.

Construction of Campus Football Competition System Based on Multiple Cooperation Perspectives

Construction of Campus Football Competition System Based on Multiple Cooperation Perspectives

Организация и проведение онлайн тренировок в любительской команде по мини-футболу

The problem of amateur mini-football in our country is very little covered; there is a lack of work and research on this topic. Most amateurs train once a week, which does not allow them to grow both technically and tactically. A comparison between one competitive football season 2021/2022, when the team played without a complex of online training, and the season 2022/2023, when the team participated in competitions after completing the developed complex, will allow us to determine the depth and nature of the effects on the technical and tactical performance of football players.

Uloga lekara fudbalskog tima u prevenciji i terapiji sportskih povreda

The roles of football team physician include assessment and improvement of general health of every member of a sports team through implementation of prevention programmes and risk assessment of sports injuries. A football team physician has an important role in preparticipation screening exam and reducing the risk of sport injuries by developing prevention strategies. The team physician implements the primary therapy and prevention of serious injuries and diseases which can cause fatal consequences to health status of a football player. Different musculoskeletal diseases could be a result of injuries caused by playing competitive football. First aid of these injuries is provided by the team doctor, by using adequate initial therapy. Team physician organises daily supervision and cooperation with players, which can lead to highly efficient interventions in treatment and prevention of sport injuries, with the goal of adequate monitoring of sports injuries.

FIFA ranking: Evaluation and path forward

In this work, we study the ranking algorithm used by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA); we analyze the parameters that it currently uses, show the formal probabilistic model from which it can be derived, and optimize the latter. In particular, analyzing games since the introduction of the algorithm in 2018, we conclude that game’s “importance” (defined by FIFA and used by the algorithm) is counterproductive from the point of view of the predictive capacity of the algorithm. We also postulate that the algorithm should be rooted in the formal modeling principle, where the Davidson model proposed in 1970 seems to be an excellent candidate, preserving the form of the algorithm currently used. The results indicate that the predictive capacity of the algorithm is considerably improved by using the home-field advantage (HFA), as well as the explicit model for the draws in the game. Moderate but notable improvement may be achieved by introducing the weighting of the results with the goal differential, which, although not rooted in a formal modeling principle, is compatible with the current algorithm and can be tuned to the characteristics of the football competition.

Yeni medyada ifade özgürlüğü ile nefret söylemi arasındaki ince çizgi: Twitter Örneği

This research aimed to examine the dimensions and contents of hate speech shared on
 the official Twitter accounts of clubs in the fiercely competitive derbies of world
 football.
 In the scope of the research, competitors with intense competition in world football
 and the competitions with the highest competition rate were determined, and the
 Twitter reflections of the matches played by these clubs with each other in 2019 were
 examined on the official Twitter accounts of the clubs. Clubs under examination in the
 Turkish Super League were Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, Manchester United and
 Liverpool from England, Inter and Milan from Italy, Barcelona and Real Madrid from
 Spain, Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund from Germany, Celtic and Rangers from Scotland, Boca Juniors from Argentina and River Plate teams' official Twitter accounts
 were investigated.When total of 18249 tweets were examined the obtained results
 were examined, the intensity of sharing profanity-insulting content did not differ
 according to the countries, but there were differences when the people or teams in
 which these posts were directly considered. While insulting and profanity messages
 towards the opposing team came to the fore in the Turkish Super League, Spain La
 Liga, Argentine League, Italy Serie A and Scottish Premier League, the messages of
 the fans in this category in the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga
 came to the fore because of the hate speech directed to their teams. In humiliating or
 othering the opponent, the Turkish Super League was at the top, and the results in this
 league were similar to Spanish La Liga.

Lifestyle characteristics in adolescent female football players: data from the Karolinska football Injury Cohort

BackgroundNormative values of lifestyle characteristics in adolescent female football players may be used by clinicians and coaches to take actions because the potential important for well-being, performance on the pitch, and risk of injury. The aim was to report descriptive characteristics of lifestyle factors in adolescent female football players and potential changes over 1 year.MethodsWe included 419 adolescent competitive female football players from 12 clubs and 27 teams (age 14 ± 1 years, range 12–17 years) and 286 were followed over 1 year. The players completed an extensive questionnaire regarding demographics, football-related factors, and lifestyle factors including tobacco consumption, alcohol use, medicine intake, eating and sleeping habits, well-being, stress, coping, and passion. Baseline data are presented for the total cohort and separately for 4 age groups (12, 13, 14, and 15–17 years).Results12% skipped breakfast, 8% skipped lunch and 11% used protein supplements several days per week. 16% slept less than 8 h/night, 8% had impaired sleep with daytime consequences, and 22% stated that they were tired in daily activities several days per week. 32% experienced stress some or most days/week and 24% were classified as having psychological distress. Medicine intake (23% vs. 34%), skipping breakfast or lunch several days per week (10% vs. 47% and 20 vs. 33%), tiredness (20% vs. 27%), stress (26% vs. 40%), and psychological distress (27% vs. 37%) increased significantly (P = 0.031 to < 0.001) at the 1-year follow-up.ConclusionMany adolescent female football players skip breakfast and lunch, have insufficient sleep, experience stress and are classified as having psychological distress. These factors increased over 1 year.

European Men's Club Football in the Eyes of Consumers: The Determinants of Television Broadcast Demand

Using stated preferences, this study estimates the determinants of television broadcast demand for current European men's club football competitions and a hypothetical European Super League. The results suggest that demand increases for most competitions with the consumer's level of interest, the accessibility to the matches, and the consumer being fan of a club playing in that competition. No support to the uncertainty-of-outcome hypothesis is found, as perceived competitive balance does not increase demand for most competitions. Conversely, the perception of quality of game played tends to be a more important driver of demand, influencing more competitions and having a larger impact.

The effects of draw restrictions on knockout tournaments

Abstract The paper analyses how draw constraints influence the outcome of a knockout tournament. The research question is inspired by European club football competitions, where the organiser generally imposes an association constraint in the first round of the knockout phase: teams from the same country cannot be drawn against each other. Its effects are explored in both theoretical and simulation models. An association constraint in the first round(s) is found to increase the likelihood of same nation matchups to approximately the same extent in each subsequent round. If the favourite teams are concentrated in some associations, they will have a higher probability to win the tournament under this policy but the increase is less than linear if it is used in more rounds. Our results might explain the recent introduction of the association constraint for both the knockout round play-offs with 16 teams and the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.

Bio-secure bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic to host the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League: A retrospective observational study.

To describe the COVID-19 positivity rate among football players, team staff, and local organizing committee members participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (West) tournament organized with the Bio-secure bubble protocol in place. A retrospective observational study was carried out to include a total of 2184 participants during the AFC-West tournament in Qatar, which was a 3-weekevent (September 14-October 3, 2020). This event was undertaken under the Bio-secure bubble protocol, which was developed and implemented for sports events in Qatar during the pandemic. Within 72 h of departure and upon arrival in Qatar, all participants underwent reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reactiontesting (RT-PCR) to diagnose COVID-19. The test was considered positive based on the cycle threshold(cT) value which was <30, whereas, reactive if cT value was ≥30 and<40, and negative (cT > 40). Of the 2184 participants (528 players, 388 team staff, and 1268 local staff), 916 international participants were tested for COVID-19 PCR upon arrival at the Hamad International Airport, whereas the local staff (n = 1268) were tested 2 days before entering the bubble. The mean age of the players was 27.5 ± 9.8. Fifteen teams participated and as many as 60 matches were played over 3 weeks. Most participants tested negative (95.3%)and 3.9%tests were inconclusive. During the entire tournament, the positivity rate was 2.7% among all participants. Of the total positive cases, 0.8% were positive before entering the bubble system. The remaining (1.9%) tested positive during the tournament phase (19 players, 16 team officials, and 8 organizing committeestaff). Bio-secure bubble protocol operated in a controlled environment presents a minimal risk of COVID-19 infection for hosting international football events. This framework could be benchmarked to resume professional football competitions under unprecedented pandemic situations.

The half-time talk: A mixed-method examination of youth-elite football coaches’ behaviours and team-management strategies

Football, unlike some other team sports, includes limited game interruptions for coaches to easily communicate with players and affect their performance. However, a reduced number of studies have explored how coaches attempt to influence players during half-time. This study examined football coaches’ behaviours during half-time and their perceptions underpinning their talks’ delivery. Five Spanish coaches ( Mage = 32.2, SD = 8.8) working for a La Liga academy were systematically observed during half-time talks ( n = 20) and participated in a semi-structured interview each. Half-time talks were coded using a modified version of the Coach Analysis and Intervention System, and semi-structured interviews were analysed following thematic analysis procedures. Instruction and feedback were the most employed behaviours for four coaches, with younger age-group coaches employing greater divergent questioning and in-talk player participation. Furthermore, data suggested that coaches conferred with their staff, before entering the changing room and rapidly progressed from divergent to convergent questions and feedback and instruction. The team's ‘level of play’ was the most perceived relevant factor affecting the verbal and vocal strategies of coaches’ messages, albeit the score gained importance for coaches of older age-groups. This study is pioneering, examining how coaches attempt to influence their players during half-time talks of competitive youth football.

Simulation and Optimization of Penalty Kicks and Shooting Probability Based on Monte Carlo Method

Since there are few models that specialize Penalty kicks probability or shooting accuracy, this research innovatively uses the Monte Carlo method to simulate the situation of real football penalty kicks and shooting. Unifrom random generator and normal random generator are both used to better simulate the real situation, and finally the most suitable distribution model is chosen from these two distributions. Since the existence of goalkeepers is considered in a real football competition, this simulation experiment also divides the goalkeeper’s actions into 5 types, and the corresponding probability of each action is also considered. Finally, specific shooting probability is collected from the Premier League in 2021 to compare with our simulated situation to obtain the most accuracy model. By comparing with real probability, I finally confirm the appropriate model and the goalkeeper’s action probability. Similarly, the Monte Carlo method can also simulate some other real situations to determine the most suitable model.

A paradox of tournament seeding

We analyse a mathematical model of seeding for sports contests with round-robin qualifying tournaments. The standard seeding system based on coefficients measuring the historical performance of the teams is shown to be unfair as it might potentially punish a team for its better results by having to face stronger opponents on average in the next stage. Major football competitions are revealed to suffer from this weakness. Incentive compatibility can be guaranteed by providing each qualified team with the highest coefficient of all teams that are ranked lower in its qualifying tournament for seeding purposes. Our proposal is illustrated by the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League.

Comparing semi-professional and amateur game contexts via Football Competence (Procedural Tactical Knowledge)

This study aimed to analyze the game context of the same task (a reduced game P+4 vs. 4+P) in two groups (8 semi-professionals and 8 amateurs), comparing the procedural tactical knowledge of the players. 1377 tactical behaviors were analyzed through the Football Competition Observation System (FOCOS), evaluating the volume and efficiency of 67 variables. Student's t-test for independent samples and Cohen's d effect size were calculated. Using the Bonferroni correction to control for the family error rate in each criterion of the observation tool, significant differences were found in 13 variables (volume, n = 1; efficiency, n = 12), with the following sizes of effect (very large = 4; large = 9). The results revealed that game contexts differ mainly in the efficiency of tactical behaviors that take place outside the game center. Based on this finding, variables focused on the relationship with the ball, widely used to assess performance in team sports, must be carefully judged when comparing players from different divisions and categories; and coaches must prioritize their attention on what happens away from the ball, instead of focusing feedback on those tactical behaviors that occur in the heat of the action.Keywords: performance, decision making, comparative analysis, observational methodology, reduced games

Lisfranc injury: Prevalence and maintaining a high index of suspicion for optimal evaluation

ABSTRACT Objectives To quantify the long-term prevalence of game-related Lisfranc trauma in college football on artificial turf and natural grass. Methods 32 universities were evaluated over 10 competitive seasons across all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences. Outcomes of interest included injury severity, injury category, primary type of injury, player and skill position, injury mechanism and situation, elective imaging and surgical procedures, and field conditions. Injury incidence rates (IIR) were calculated using injuries per 10 games = (number of injuries) number of games) × 10. Results Of the 1577 games documented, 783 games (49.7%) were played on a 3-layer artificial turf (≥9.0 lbs/ft2) infill system versus 794 games (50.3%) played on natural grass. In sum, 78 Lisfranc cases were documented with 34 (43.6%) occurring on artificial turf, and 44 (56.4%) on natural grass. MANOVAs indicated significant main effects by injury category (F3,74 = 6.439; P = .001), and injury mechanism (F5,72 = 3.372; P = .009) observed between surfaces, but not by injury severity (F2,75 = 0.720; P = .490), primary type of injury (F4,73 = 0.772; P = .547), overall player (F2,75 = 0.219; P = .804) and skill positions (F8,69 = 0.850; P = .563), injury situation (F10,67 = 1.030; P = .428), elective imaging and surgical procedures (F3,74 = 0.515; P = .673), or field conditions (F2,75 = 0.375; P = .688). Post hoc analyses indicated significantly greater incidences (P < .05) of Lisfranc trauma on natural grass attributed to shoe:surface interaction during noncontact play, and during no contact, foot rotation or planting. Ligament tears (n = 8; 57.1%), with minimal cases of subluxation/dislocations (n = 4; 28.6%) and fractures (n = 2; 14.3%) comprised grade 3 cases across both surfaces. Conclusion In regards to Lisfranc trauma, a 3-layer, heavyweight artificial infill surface is as safe or safer than natural grass. The findings of this study may be generalizable only to this level of football competition.

Fan Tokens as A Financial Source and Digital Marketing Tool in Football: An Analysis with The Entropy-Based Waspas Method

Considering that the revenues of the five most important leagues in Europe reached 15.6 billion euros in the 2020-2021 season (Deloitte, 2022), it is clear that the competition in football, whose global economic weight is gradually increasing, is no longer just limited to the sporting field but has expanded to include financial and marketing efforts. The concept of "token" is taken as a tool that can display fan-oriented experiential and financial efforts combined in the context of current developments, which will be seen as the reflection of the digitization process on football. This study analyzes the activities of 'fan tokens' belonging to thirty-six different football clubs listed on the coinmarketcap.com crypto asset instant information platform, in terms of market value, 90-day return, change from the highest value (1 Year), number of exchanges traded and watchlist. (watch list)”, it aims to analyze by using Entropy in the determination of criterion weights and WASPAS methods in the multi-criteria decision-making process. The global reach of the football economy and the extent of the audience it appeals to reveal the necessity of studies to be carried out in the relevant field. Therefore, as a result of this study, which was prepared with the aim of contributing to the literature for current practices, the fan token with the highest efficiency value belongs to the 'Paris Saint-Germain' club, and the related club is followed by the 'Lazio' and 'Santos' clubs; it has been determined that the club with the lowest efficiency value is 'Bayer 04 Leverkusen'.

Match Running Performance in UEFA Champions League: Do More Successful Teams Really Run Less?

It is often hypothesized that more successful teams from elite football competitions achieve lower match running performance (MRP) than less successful teams. However, the results of previous studies investigat- ing the associations between MRP and different success indicators are inconsistent. The main objective of this study was to identify the association between teams’ MRP and the UEFA club coefficient as an indicator of long-term success in highest-level football. Individual MRPs (n=547) of 378 outfield players were jointly evaluated into the team MRP and used as cases in this study. All data were collected by the semi-automatic optical video system InStat Fitness from matches (n=20) of the UEFA Champions League group stage (UCL) in the 2020/2021 season. MRP variables included total distance covered and distance covered in different speed zones: walking (&lt;7.1 km/h), jogging (7.2–14.3 km/h), running (14.4–19.7 km/h), high-speed running (19.8–5.1 km/h), and sprinting (&gt;25.2 km/h). Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to identify the association be- tween the teams’ MRP and the UEFA club coefficient. Results indicated that the UEFA club coefficient was positively and negatively associated with sprinting and jogging distance covered, respectively. These findings show that teams with a higher UEFA club coefficient performed a lower amount of running at low intensity and a greater amount of running at maximal intensity, suggesting that teams are achieving greater long-term success in highest-level football play at a higher game pace.

Physical match performance and creatine kinase levels in elite football players

Many studies have shown that creatine kinase (CK) concentration increases following an elite-level football competition. However, the relationship between match performance and CK levels at 72 hours after the match is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between physical match performance data and blood CK levels 72 hours post-match in elite football players. The study included 11 male elite football players (age=26.36±3.29 years, height=181.60±6.1 cm, weight=75.41±5.96 kg). Capillary blood samples were collected from the participants approximately 72 hours post-match and examined by reflectance photometry. Physical match performance data from 2 consecutive matches of a Turkish Super League team (while competing in the UEFA Europa League) were collected by a computerized video tracking system. There was no significant correlation between the players’ CK level and their total distance (p=0.6012), high-intensity (20-24 km/h) running distance (p=0.8837), or sprinting distance (p=0.235). CK level was also not correlated with the percentage of total distance covered in high-intensity running (r=-0.62, p=0.052). However, moderate to strong negative correlations were observed between CK level and percentage of total distance covered in sprinting (r=-0.67, p=0.032) and percentage of total distance covered in high-intensity running and sprinting (r=-0.70, p=0.022). The current study suggests the benefit of evaluating distances covered in the game and CK concentrations 72 hours post-match while planning recovery interventions.

Concussion education for youth athletes using Pre-Game Safety Huddles: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

ObjectivesDetermine whether Pre-Game Safety Huddles, a novel and low-resource approach to concussion education, increase the expected likelihood of concussion reporting for youth athletes.MethodsA cluster-randomised trial compared Safety Huddles to usual...