Palmer, Emma Louise (2023) An Investigation into the Relationship Between Physical Fitness Parameters and Injury in Male Academy Football Players. Masters thesis, York St John University.

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Abstract

Injuries are a constant issue in football at any level, however the players in the Performance Development Phase (players aged 16-19) are potentially at a high level of injury risk due to the psychological, physiological and cultural changes they experience in the transition from the Youth Development Phase (YDP) to senior sport. PDP players are at high risk of injury having recently finished Peak Height Velocity (PHV), and experiencing higher levels of training load and exposure. This study aims to investigate the influence of physical fitness parameters on injury burden in the PDP in a non-league football academy, where there is minimal funding to explore this relationship. Eccentric Hamstring Strength (EHS), Countermovement Jump Height (CMJH), 20m Sprint Times and Anaerobic Speed Reserve (ASR) were assessed as parameters of physical fitness. Also observed was the influence of these variables on injury incidence, injury burden, training availability and match availability in the PDP. This study was a prospective cohort study, following 20 male footballers (aged 16-19) across a full playing season, inclusive of pre-season, in a non-league academy. Injury incidence was found to be lower than found in previous literature, whilst burden matched current findings. Only change in ASR from pre-season to mid-season was found to significantly influence injury severity, with no other significant effects found related to change in physical factors. Availability was not influenced by any variables tested. Hamstring injuries were the most common, due to large between limb dissymmetry which formed across the season, despite EHS being higher than found previously. Physical fitness factors decreased across a playing season due to potential increases in load and exposure, needing further research and examination in a wider population.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Status:	Published
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV0557 Sports
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/11091

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