Norwegian Professional Football Research Articles

Descriptive analysis of objectively assessed physical activity among talented soccer players: a study of three Norwegian professional football clubs

BackgroundTalented football players are expected to overcome large training and match loads, indicating a high weekly level of physical activity (PA).AimsWith the use of accelerometers, the aim of this study...

The Scandinavian athlete's heart; echocardiographic characteristics of male professional football players

This investigation explores the cardiac four-chamber remodeling response to training in male players in Norwegian professional football league, and ethnicity as determinants in the development of athlete's heart. Standard 2D echocardiographic examination and analysis of all four cavities were performed in 504 football players of Caucasian origin, 49 of African origin, and 47 matched Caucasian controls (<3 h training /week). All results were indexed to body surface area (BSA). Most athletes exhibited BSA-indexed values within normal ranges. Left ventricle (LV) mass was equally enlarged in both groups of athletes, but LV relative wall thickness and right ventricular (RV) relative wall thickness were increased in Africans compared with Caucasian athletes (0.37 ± 0.06 vs 0.33 ± 0.06 and 0.25 ± 0.06 vs 0.22 ± 0.04, respectively). Both LV and RV were smaller in Africans than in Caucasian athletes (67.8 ± 12.0 ml/m(2) vs 73.6 ± 13.2 ml/m(2) and 12.8 ± 2.1 vs 13.7 ± 2.4 cm(2) /m(2) , respectively, both P < 0.05), while left and right atria increased similarly. This first large-scale echocardiographic survey of elite football players in a Scandinavian league suggests use of BSA-indexed upper normal limits for both LV and RV in athletes. African athletes had significantly more concentric remodeled LV and RV than the Caucasian athletes.

Video analysis of situations with a high-risk for injury in Norwegian male professional football; a comparison between 2000 and 2010

BackgroundA recent study from Norwegian male professional football found that the risk of acute match injuries increased from 2002 to 2007.ObjectiveTo compare the incidence of incidents with a propensity for...

Injury surveillance in male professional football; is medical staff reporting complete and accurate?

Since the 2000 season, an injury surveillance system has been established to monitor injury risk and injury patterns in the Norwegian professional football league. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of routine injury registration performed by medical staff in professional football. The team medical staff completed injury registration forms on a monthly basis throughout the 2007 season (January-October). Players were interviewed at the end of the season (October/November) about all injuries that occurred from July through September. Thirteen of fourteen teams, 296 of 310 A-squad players were interviewed. An injury was recorded when a player was unable to take fully part in football training or match the day after injury. A total of 174 injuries were registered, 123 acute injuries and 51 overuse injuries. Of these, 141 were reported by medical staff and 122 by players. Eighty-nine injuries (51%) were registered using both methods, 52 (30%) by medical staff only and 33 (19%) by player interviews only. Prospective injury surveillance by team medical staff in Norwegian male professional football underestimates the incidence of time-loss injuries by at least one-fifth.

What is more dangerous – football, skiing or snowboarding?

BackgroundIt is well known that professional football has a high injury risk. The FIS Injury Surveillance System increases our knowledge of injuries to elite skiers and snowboarders. But what is...

Risk of injury on third-generation artificial turf in Norwegian professional football

BackgroundArtificial turf is used extensively in both recreational and elite football in areas with difficult climatic conditions.ObjectiveTo compare the risk for acute injuries between natural grass (NG) and third-generation artificial...

Video analysis of injuries and incidents in Norwegian professional football

Objectives: This study describes the characteristics of injuries and high risk situations in the Norwegian professional football league during one competitive season using Football Incident Analysis (FIA), a video based...

Rule Violations as a Cause of Injuries in Male Norwegian Professional Football

Background Foul play is an important cause of injury in football. Reduction of foul play and adherence to the laws of the game may be possible interventions to reduce the rate of injuries. Purpose To evaluate how violations of the laws of the game contribute to injury and to investigate whether the decisions made by the referees are correct in high-risk situations. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Videotapes and injury information were collected for 174 of 182 matches from the male Norwegian professional league during the 2000 season. Three Norwegian FIFA referees performed retrospective blinded evaluation of the 406 incidents. Results Less than one-third of the injuries identified on video and about 40% of the incidents with a high risk of injury resulted in a free kick being awarded. About 1 in 10 of these situations led to either a yellow or red card. The agreement between decisions made by the match referee and the expert referee panel was good, that is, their decisions agreed in 85% of the situations in which injury occurred. Conclusions There may be a need for an improvement of the laws of the game of football to protect players from dangerous play.