Non-professional Football Research Articles

Is gender a sustainability balance driver in football?

The paper focuses on the possibility that differences between men's and female's football (not only considering players' physical attributes and technical performances, economic aspects as ticketing, sponsorships, tv rights, merchandising, but also behavioral insights) could lead clubs to enrich their CSR goals. Literature underlines how women's football shows behavioral and psychological characteristics that make it unique and requires focus and tactics more tailored to the female interpretation of this sport. This could attract the segments of the market which care about cooperation, trust and inclusion without forgetting profitability: investing in females' soccer could constitute, therefore, a way for football clubs to signal how much they care about inclusion and to improve their overall image. Moreover, educating girls to cope with a traditional "old boy game" like football could train them to better face situations of real world unfair competition. Results from an "ad hoc" built questionnaire handled to a sample of nonprofessional (male and female) football players hopefully will contribute to build up a "new model" of CSR in football.

Incidence, characteristics and cost of head, neck and dental injuries in non-professional football using 3 years of sports injury insurance data

Incidence, characteristics and cost of head, neck and dental injuries in non-professional football using 3 years of sports injury insurance data

Exploring the coaching journeys of non-professional football players to professional football coaches

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to comprehensively explore the coaching journeys and identity development of seven professional football coaches who had progressed from non-professional playing backgrounds to coach at the professional level. Semi-structured interviews were used and thematically analysed for each of the seven coaches, before being combined to create five major themes. Key findings revolved around the benefits of the non-professional playing pathway, with coaches presenting the ability to gain depths of experiential learning and pursue tailored informal learning opportunities as hugely beneficial to their personal development and education. The impact of existing perceived difficulties currently attributed to this pathway in research, namely the smaller network of contacts and accessibility to jobs, were also explored. Findings present new insights into the sacrifice and work-ethic required to overcome challenges when following this pathway, whilst also uncovering the mental challenges of self-doubt and low-confidence that can affect these coaches during their journey.

Incidence, characteristics and cost of head, neck and dental injuries in non-professional football (soccer) using 3 years of sports injury insurance data.

This descriptive epidemiological study aimed to quantify the incidence, characteristics and costs of head, neck and dental injuries in non-professional football players. Injury data were coded (using Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System) from a de-identified insurance database containing three seasons (2018-2020) of data. Cost data included direct and indirect costs presented by type of injury, age group and sex using means ± SD, range of costs ($AU) and total costs ± SE. Chi-squared tests were used to analyse the data (significance level p < .05) with injury incidence rates (IR) calculated per 1000 match hours and per 1000 injury insurance claims. A total of 388 injuries affecting 240 players were sustained. Of these, 43% (n = 102) of players also sustained one or more secondary injuries, mainly to the head or neck area. Dental injuries (n = 143, 39%, IR = 0.008) accounted for the highest number of primary and secondary injuries and the highest mean direct cost per injury ($AU1152), while head and facial injuries accounted for the highest proportion of total costs ($AU434,101). Players who sustained one or more secondary injuries had the highest direct and indirect mean cost per injury. Given the frequency and cost of dental injuries in non-professional football players, injury prevention initiatives warrant further investigation.

Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities

Social integration is an essential part of the life of every human being, but for people with disabilities, there are many situations in which it is still very low. For instance, in sports and outdoor gaming, there is a barrier between players with and without disabilities. Individuals with disabilities play sports almost exclusively with disabled players, not only during official events such as Paralympic games but also in occasional sports groups, while the mixing of people with and without disabilities in sports activities is a key factor of social inclusion. In order to allow a person with motor-skill impairments to play on the same ground as their non-disabled peers, we developed a novel piece of Assistive Technology that lets a person with motor-skill impairments to control a system acting as a goalkeeper during a non-professional football match, with approximately the same performances as a goalkeeper without motor-skill impairments. This electro-mechanical system is composed of a three-meter-long metal guideline and a human-shaped dummy sliding along it. The system is equipped with a high-torque battery-powered direct-current motor and it is controlled by means of electronic boards and sensors to ensure safety and good usability also for players with severe mobility impairments. The results of a pilot testing demonstrated the robustness and high degree of usability of the system, enabling people with motor-skill impairments to competitively participate in matches with non-disabled peers.

Age related changes in the Q angle of non-professional football players

BackgroundFootball practice involves a great muscular demand, leading to the development of the lower limbs that, on occasions, can cause deviations from the normal anthropometric values. The quadriceps angle (Q angle) is a value often taken as a reference for the alignment of the lower limbs. ObjectiveTo observe the changes of the Q angle in young football players, because of muscular effort, analyzing the differences between four groups of different ages and to determine whether the playing position might influence these variations. MethodsA cross sectional study was carried out with 104 male subjects divided into four groups according to age: under 8 years-old, 8-17 years-old, 17-21 years-old and over 21 years-old. A photograph was taken in standing position and the Q angle was plotted with KINOVEA® software. As for the reliability of the measurements, intraclass intra and interobserver coefficient were 0.958 and 0.860 respectively. The study was conducted in mid-season. ResultsQ angle value is greater in those under 8 years of age and decreases gradually and significantly (p < 0.005) until 17–21 years of age, where it stabilizes at values of 5.73° ± 2.78 for right Q angle and 5.88° ± 2.55 for left Q angle. Two way ANOVA demonstrated a significant group*position interaction for goalkeepers with a medium effect size in both angles (p < 0.001) with a medium effect (η2 Right Q angle = 0.31; η2 Left Q angle = 0.37). The values remain unchanged in subjects over 21 years of age (p > 0.005), except for goalkeepers, who suffered a difference in the evolution of the angle within their age category (p < 0.005) and with a high effect size with the other positions (value > 0.8) except forward (value < 0.5). ConclusionThis study determines that the Q angle in football players decreases with growth, reaching values below 15° at the end of development. Playing positions only influence players over the age of 21, and the Q-angle of goalkeepers is greater than that of other players.

Pathological Findings in Male and Female Semi-Professional Football Players from 11 to 14 Years—A Report of the Bavarian Football Association’s Pre-Participation Screening Program

Pre-participation screening (PPS) in professional junior football is common practice. However, football players (FP) from non-professional football clubs may also be exposed to health risks, both internal and musculoskeletal. Therefore, the Bavarian Football Association (BFV) implemented a cardiological and orthopedic screening program for semi-professional FP in 2014. The purpose of this study was to obtain and present epidemiological data of pre-adolescent and adolescent semi-professional FP, including cardiac pathologies, past injuries, and orthopedic disorders. This study represents a retrospective analysis of semi-professional FP aged 11 to 14 years participating in the PPS program from 2014 to 2018, including their medical history, cardiac risk profiles, and the results of undergoing orthopedic and sports cardiology examinations. Overall, 362 male and 162 female FP could be included. More than 20% of the FP indicated suffering from one or more medical conditions. Cardiac abnormalities were reported in 30 (5.7%) FP. Further cardiological diagnostics were recommended for 3% of the FP due to findings while undergoing the PPS. Orthopedic disorders could be detected in 51 (9.7%) FP. Of the reported injuries, 44.3% could be categorized as overuse injuries. In order to guarantee extensive preventive sports medical care for semi-professional junior FP, a PPS concept should include a basic orthopedic examination in addition to cardiological screening due to a high rate of overuse injuries and cardiac abnormalities among pre-adolescent and adolescent FP. Further studies are needed in junior football to gain epidemiological data on injury occurrence and cardiac abnormalities on an amateur level to evaluate possible PPS programs, even on an amateur level.

An Exploratory Study in Non-Professional Football on the Perception of Stakeholders about the New Working Professional Profile of Sports Kinesiologist

In Italy, recent amendments to Legislative Decree n. 36 of 28 February 2021, on sports work, may have made the application of the reform by stakeholders unclear, with the risk of generating further confusion among them. One of the most critical points concerns the possible equivalencies to the professional profile of the kinesiologist, which would be illegitimately recognized even for a different level of education, contrary to the requirements of the European qualification framework. The aim of the study was to understand the perceptions of stakeholders in the world of non-professional football regarding recent legislative provisions. A survey, divided into two sections, was administered to 112 presidents and 112 trainers of non-professional football associations of the province of Salerno. The first section presents five items common for both presidents and trainers, which seek to probe stakeholders' perceptions of the enjoyment, appropriateness, usefulness, and scientificity of kinesiologists. The second section presents five differentiated items. Validity and reliability were calculated. A chi-square analysis (χ2) was performed to test the independence within and between-subjects (trainers and presidents) on their perceptions about the new working professional profile of sports kinesiologist. From the results, it was possible to appreciate a discordance of opinion among stakeholders. Although the majority of presidents and trainers are in favour of introducing such a professional profile (p < 0.05), contradictions emerge concerning the contribution the new professional profile can make in practice (p > 0.05). The perceptual contradictions found among stakeholders' responses demonstrate how the complexity of recent regulatory provisions regarding possible equivalencies to the title of kinesiologist have inevitably generated further confusion among stakeholders.

162 Whole-body cryotherapy treatment modulates the innate immune response in non-professional football players

Abstract Aims Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a recently widely strategy used for muscle recovery after injury that can to activate inflammatory response. WBC consists of short exposure, of about 2-3 minutes, to dry air at cryogenic temperatures up to -190 °C. The aim of our study is to analyze WBC effects on metabolic, hormonal, and immunological responses of non-professional football players (NPFPs). Methods and results Nine male NPFPs (age: 20 ± 2 years) on the same team are recruited and, in particular, they played and trained each day before, during, and after WBC treatment. We collected NPFPs blood samples immediately before WBC and after 5 once-day sessions, then we evaluated a set consisting of 50 analytes, including hormones profile, haematologic parameters, and serum chemistry. We proceeded with monocytes (Mo) phenotyping and then we investigated the concentration of some plasmatic markers with anti-inflammatory effects (IL2RA, IL1RN) or typically increased during inflammation [CCL2, IL-18, free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)]. WBC treatment (WBC-t) lead to a decrease not only in mean platelet volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and ferritin levels, but also in testosterone and estradiol levels, even if they remain within the normal ranges. This treatment is also responsible for total Mo increased and, in particular, a reduction of classical Mo has been demonstrated in parallel with an increase of non-classical ones. Moreover, each Mo subset shows lower expression of CXCR4. Considering pro-inflammatory molecules, IL1RA showed a tendency to decrease, while IL1RN and IL18 decreased in plasma after WBC-t. Conversely, circulating mtDNA levels appeared unaltered by treatment. Conclusions The differences detected in monocyte subset after WBC-t suggest that, in this condition, Mo could be redistributed into the surrounding tissue. In addition, CXCR4 reduction in Mo subsets could be due to their differentiation process. Hence, WBC could promote Mo differentiation through a mechanism that is still unknown. Since WBC seems to regulate the innate immune system in the enrolled NPFPs, it could have a role in tissue repair beyond a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect.

Assessment of Physiological and Psychological Factors in Nonprofessional Football Referees

Decision-making has commonly been cited as the most important skill for successful performance in sports officials, however insight into how this critical skill is improved through off-field training has lagged. The overall aim of this paper is to provide a narrative review concerning the evolution of off-field decision-making training approaches in interactor sporting officials (i.e., those with high movement and perceptual demands). This paper will reconcile these past forms of training with theories and concepts discussed in the officiating and sporting literature, with subsequent recommendations for future investigations.Narrative review.10 peer-reviewed studies on the development of decision-making in interactor sporting officials were comprehensively scrutinized.Decision-making training studies were found to use diverse methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives. There are several limitations in the decision-making training literature for officials, such as limited representativeness in training, leading to a more decontextualized approach.Future studies should consider stronger representativeness by including more competition constraints into training decision-making, such as contextual factors. Reflective training and individualized approaches may be an appropriate training methodology to train officials for adequacy, rather than accuracy.

Proximal avulsion of rectus femoris in a nonprofessional football player: a delayed correct diagnosis

Proximal avulsion of rectus femoris in a nonprofessional football player: a delayed correct diagnosis

Playing Non-Professional Football in COVID-19 Time: A Narrative Review of Recommendations, Considerations, and Best Practices.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 resulted in widespread interruption of team sports training and competitions. Our aim was to review the recommendations and best practices in return to play in non-professional football after activity lockdown. The authors searched two electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science) to extract studies published before September 15 2020. Twenty studies explained recommendations, considerations, or best practices in return to play in football, and all of them were clustered into three groups: (1) training load management (n = 10), (2) medical recommendations (n = 9), and (3) recovery related issues (n = 5). The way to establish a progression in training process should be based on training load management and managing the number of stimuli per time. Following the studies, this training process should be divided into three phases: phase 1—physical distancing should be maintained; phases 2 and 3—group training should start. Medical considerations were clustered into different groups: general, pre- and post- training, during training, education, planning to return to competition, and suggestions for post confinement weeks. In particular, social issues, strict hygiene questions, and continuous PCR testing should be considered in return to play over football season. Finally, since a correlation has been found between high-intensive training loads and immunoglobulin A, nutritional and lifestyle recovery strategies should be performed. Moreover, since immunosuppression has been related to congested schedules (<72 h between matches), football federations should avoid this situation.

Non-professional sport academies in Spain: the parents perspective

Parents play a key role as decision makers within the young sport services (Nuviala and Alvarez, 2005), so to understand their opinion regarding non-professional academies would be a very interesting point for marketing and commercial purposes. A questionnaire was designed for the parents of the non-professional football and basketball academies participants-based and adapted from the study of Costa et al. (2004). After statistic validation, the resultant questionnaire was named non-professional academies parents perspective questionnaire (non-PA/PPQ), composed of five dimensions: a) coaches; b) information and satisfaction; c) facilities; d) development/intention; e) location/environment. On a first exploratory study with parents in Spain, results shown academy 'location', 'focus of the programs', on social and personal development aspects and 'coaches treatment' are the main parameters that determine in which academy parents will enrol their children.

How has COVID-19 modified training and mood in professional and non-professional football players?

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has restricted freedom of movement with several countries ‘locked down’ worldwide. During this isolation period or quarantine, habits have been modified. This might have had negative effects on physiological variables but also influenced numerous emotional aspects, especially in elite athletes, which can have a negative impact on training and sleep quality, affecting their performance. Methods175 Spanish professional and non-professional association football players answered an online survey about demographic and training habits, as well as two validated questionnaires to assess psychological variables (POMS and WLEIS-S). ResultsThe results showed that the confinement period reduced the load of training (p < 0.01), and modified the sleeping behaviour (both, sleep time (p < 0.05) and quality (p < 0.001)) across soccer players. Higher emotional intelligence (EI) values were positively related to training variables and strongly correlated with the mood. Interestingly, athletes’ mood was affected differently depending on gender. ConclusionWe found that confinement period affects both, training load and recovery process and that mood states and EI could predict the training variables and performance of top-level football players.

Non-professional sport academies in Spain: the parents' perspective

Parents play a key role as decision makers within the young sport services (Nuviala and Álvarez, 2005), so to understand their opinion regarding non-professional academies would be a very interesting point for marketing and commercial purposes. A questionnaire was designed for the parents of the non-professional football and basketball academies participants-based and adapted from the study of Costa et al. (2004). After statistic validation, the resultant questionnaire was named non-professional academies parents perspective questionnaire (non-PA/PPQ), composed of five dimensions: a) coaches; b) information and satisfaction; c) facilities; d) development/intention; e) location/environment. On a first exploratory study with parents in Spain, results shown academy 'location', 'focus of the programs', on social and personal development aspects and 'coaches treatment' are the main parameters that determine in which academy parents will enrol their children.

Talking Football: Challenging Discrimination and Homophobia

Football is a common playground for grassroots players, fans, spectators and those whose profession consists of writing about football. I am interested in how non-professional football participants talk about gay (especially male) players and homophobia in football. Moreover, I ask further questions like “how do such talks, conversations and discussions affect sports journalists’ views on football fans and grassroots players?”. The first half of this research took place between 2008 and 2011 and is based on 24 group discussions mainly with non-professional players. The participants cover a broad spectrum from appreciation towards gay football players to hidden and overt homophobia. In 2016, another 24 interviews with 25 German sport (football) journalists in broadcast, radio, print and online media were conducted. All of them acknowledge the acceptance of gay football players in society. This acknowledgement has a timely correlation with the coming out of a German national football player (Thomas Hitzlsperger) in 2014. Media showed the utmost respect for his decision. However, ambivalence between openness and exclusion can also be found in the way journalists position themselves. Their articulation still includes uncertainty towards the right way of dealing with homosexuality in football. As a result, their attitude is shifting between tolerance and acceptance.

Coach humility and player creativity: The roles of knowledge sharing and group diversity

In this study, the authors examine how coach humility impacts creativity among the football players. The sample included players and their coaches from nonprofessional football clubs in Vietnam. Our data analyses supported the positive relationships between coach humility and player creativity via knowledge sharing as a mediator. Group diversity in terms of extroversion and openness to experience traits served as a moderator to fortify the effect of coach humility on knowledge sharing among the players.

Association Between History of Multiple Concussions and Health Outcomes Among Former College Football Players: 15-Year Follow-up From the NCAA Concussion Study (1999-2001)

Background: Previous research has examined associations between concussion history and adverse health outcomes among former professional football players. Less is known about the potential effects of concussion among former college football players without additional exposure at the professional level. Purpose: To examine the association between concussion and adverse health outcomes in a cohort of former college football players without exposure to professional football, 15 years after their playing careers ended. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A sample of 204 former collegiate football players (23.4% of eligible athletes with available contact information)—all of whom played at least 1 season of football from 1999 to 2001 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and had no professional football exposure—completed a general health survey that assessed lifetime concussion history and included the following: the Veterans RAND 36 Item Health Survey, containing a physical composite score (PCS) and mental composite score (MCS); the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire; and the 4-item CAGE alcohol dependence questionnaire (for “cutting down, annoyance by criticism, guilty feeling, and eye-openers”). Multivariable binomial regression models estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% CIs while controlling for demographics and playing history covariates through forward selection model building. Results: Most participants reported a concussion history (84.3%). Overall, 22.1% and 39.2% of participants reported a PCS and an MCS <50, respectively (indicating worse health than the US national average); 19.1% reported Patient Health Questionnaire scores ≥10 (indicating moderate/severe depression); and 24.8% reported CAGE scores ≥2 (indicating alcohol dependence). The prevalence of having an MCS <50 was higher among those reporting ≥3 versus 0 concussions (PR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.9). Controlling for body mass index (BMI), the prevalence of moderate/severe depression was higher among those reporting ≥3 versus 0 concussions (PR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.0-16.3). Controlling for BMI, the prevalence of having a PCS <50 was higher among those reporting ≥3 versus 1 or 2 concussions (PR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3-5.0) but not 0 concussions (PR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.6-3.6). No associations were found for alcohol dependence. Conclusion: Associations between a history of multiple concussions and adverse health outcomes were found among former collegiate football players without professional football exposure but were limited to those reporting ≥3 prior concussions. Because only 23.4% of eligible athletes responded to the survey, the possibility of ascertainment bias exists, and our findings should thus be interpreted with some caution. Continued examination within nonprofessional football populations is needed, but findings highlight the need for prevention efforts to reduce concussion incidence.

In-vivo pivot-shift test measured with inertial sensors correlates with the IKDC grade

ObjectivesKinematic Rapid Assessment (KiRA) is a wireless, non-invasive, inertial system with a single tibial sensor developed to measure the pivot-shift (PS) test. The purpose of this study was to in-vivo compare acceleration values acquired by KiRA to the objective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) clinical grading of PS. The comparison was performed in non-anaesthetised patients before and after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. We hypothesised the existence of a correlation between the side-to-side difference in the measured acceleration range by KiRA and the objective IKDC clinical grading of the PS.MethodsBetween 2010 and 2014, 60 non-professional football players (male/female ratio: 42/18; mean age 34±15.4 years, range 14–51 years) with ACL lesion were enrolled. They underwent over-the-top ACL reconstruction plus lateral extra-articular plasty with autologous hamstrings. All the patients were evaluated before the reconstruction and re-evaluated at 12-month follow-up. Each patient underwent a clinical examination and then was subjected to the instrumental PS examination by KiRA. The difference in the acceleration range between injured/reconstructed and contralateral limb (Δarange) was used in the analysis. Correlations between Δarange values and objective IKDC clinical grades of PS were calculated using Spearman correlation analysis.ResultsAll subjective scores improved from preoperative to follow-up (P≤0.01). Objective IKDC clinical grading of the PS improved from 4B, 40C and 16D to 50A, 8B and 2C (P<0.0001). The mean Δarange measured by KiRA improved from 2.0±1.0 to 0.2±0.4 m/s2 (P<0.0001). A very strong correlation was displayed between the overall Δarange measured by KiRA and overall objective IKDC clinical grading of the PS (r=0.86, P<0.0001); correlation was strong for preoperative data (r=0.71, P<0.0001) and moderate for postoperative data (r=0.53, P<0.0001). The mean Δarange resulted 0.3±0.3 m/s2 for the IKDC A subgroup, 0.8±0.3 m/s2 for the IKDC B subgroup, 1.7±0.8 m/s2 for the IKDC C subgroup and 2.9±0.9 m/s2 for the IKDC D subgroup.ConclusionThe side-to-side difference in the measured acceleration range by KiRA shows a correlation with objective IKDC clinical grading of PS.Study designCase series; level of evidence: 4.

Characteristics of Professional and Non-Professional Football Players – An Eight-Year Follow-Up of Three Age Cohorts

Characteristics of Professional and Non-Professional Football Players – An Eight-Year Follow-Up of Three Age Cohorts