Efficacy of a new injury prevention programme (FUNBALL) in young male football (soccer) players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial

Review written by Dr. Adam Loiacono info

Key Points

  1. The FUNBALL programme significantly reduced football-related injuries in youth male football players.
All key points available for members only
Start free trial Icon
Or log in here

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Injury prevention in youth football is crucial due to high injury rates, particularly in the lower extremities (1). The overall injury incidence in youth male football players has been reported between 2.4 and 12.0 injuries per 1000 football hours. The majority of injuries concern the lower extremity, especially the thigh region. Severe injuries accounted for 21–37% of all injuries (1). As a result, many exercise based injury prevention programmes have been established.

The study evaluated the efficacy of the FUNBALL programme, a new multicomponent, exercise-based injury prevention programme designed specifically for youth male football players aged 13–19 years, in reducing football-related injuries.

Injury prevention in youth football is crucial due to high injury rates, particularly in the lower extremities.
bulb
Integrating the FUNBALL programme can effectively lower the incidence of injuries, which not only enhances player safety but also ensures higher player availability.

METHODS

This cluster-randomized controlled trial involved 55 football teams divided into an intervention group (28 teams) and a control group (27 teams). Teams were followed for one season. The intervention group performed the FUNBALL programme, which includes balance, core stability, hamstring

Start free trial Icon
to unlock full access to this review and 1109 more
Or log in here
Trustpilot