Introduction: Amateur small-field football tournaments are rather common worldwide. Adequate preparation is essential for injury prevention. The consequences of insufficient injury preparation at this level are still unclear. This study investigates the factors influencing injuries in this football population.
Materials and methods: In 2017, medical students participating in a national amateur football tournament were analysed in a prospective cohort study. Injury incidence, injury pattern and factors influencing injuries were investigated according to the statement on data collection and injury definition of Fuller et al. (Br J Sports Med 40:193-201, 2006). Preparation for the tournament was assessed for both sexes by means of hours of sleep, alcohol consumption, training level and warm-up performance.
Level of evidence: II.
Results: Of 694 amateur football players (423 men and 271 women) with a mean age of 23 years (SD 2.5), 321 (21.1%) injuries happened during the tournament. 60% of injuries affected the lower extremity. The most common types of traumatic injury were skin abrasions (40.0%) and muscle strains (23.3%). The injury incidence of male players during match exposure was 469 per 1000 h football and significantly higher than in female players 313 (p = 0.025). One potential reason for the higher injury rate of male players as measure for inadequate preparation was significantly higher alcohol consumption the evening before the tournament (p < 0.001) and the after-effects on match day (p < 0.001). Additionally, male players reported less and inadequate sleep the night before the tournament (p < 0.007) and a lower warm-up rate before the matches compared to female players (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Small-field tournaments in football have a high injury incidence. Male players have a higher injury incidence than female players and show additionally a lack of sleep and alcohol consumption the night before the tournament and poor warm-up performance on match day. Adequate preparation for a football tournament is the key factor for preventing injuries, also in recreational football.
Keywords: Amateur; Football; Prevention; Risk factor; Small field; Soccer.