Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Football (soccer) is the world’s most popular sport and it is the largest team sport in Finland. The risk of injury is relatively high in football compared to other sports. However, despite this, there has been little research into how to prevent football injuries in young players aged between 10-14 years. Here, we want to investigate whether a comprehensive warm-up programme (intervention) in youth football will prevent injuries. We also want to know whether the programme improves player performance, and how the teams carry out this warm up.
Who can participate?
The Eerikkilä Sports Institute in the City of Tammela is a national football training centre in Finland. In every second year, the centre recruits 20 youth football clubs with young female and male players (aged 10-14 years) for a comprehensive player-development follow-up program called Sami Hyypiä Academy (SHA). Each player who is an official member of the SHA and is not suffering from a major injury will be included in the study.
What does study involve?
All clubs participating in the SHA project are randomly allocated into either the intervention or the control group. All coaches in the intervention group attend a theoretical and practical session on how to prevent football injuries. They are all given a tablet computer containing guidelines and videos of the comprehensive warm-up programme. The programme consists of six different exercises with progression focusing on young players’ movement control, especially on core stability, knee control and ankle/foot function. Each team in the intervention group does the warm-up programme before football training sessions 2-3 times per week for 20 minutes. The teams in the control group are asked to continue their usual training. The study runs for 20 weeks.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The participating football clubs will receive an additional education session about the warm-up programme and the findings of the study. In addition, they will all be given a tablet computer and training materials by the research project. There are no obvious risks of physical injury in participating in this study. The warm-up training programme consists of basic exercises with low to moderate intensity. The main point in each exercise is to focus on safe technique. Taking previous injury prevention studies into account, no other risks seem to be likely.
Where is the study run from?
The study has been set up by the UKK Institute, Tampere, Finland in collaboration with the Sami Hyypiä Academy, Tammela, Finland.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2015 to June 2015.
Who is funding the study?
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (Finland).
Who is the main contact?
Dr Kati Pasanen
kati.pasanen@uta.fi
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Dr Kati Pasanen
ORCID ID
Contact details
UKK Institute
PO.Box 30
Tampere
FIN-33501
Finland
-
kati.pasanen@uta.fi
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
04/11/2014 Pasanen
Study information
Scientific title
Sports injury prevention in youth football: a cluster randomised controlled trial
Acronym
Terve Futaaja (Healthy Player)
Study hypothesis
It is hypothesised that by doing a comprehensive warm-up programme it is possible to decrease the incidence of sports injury.
Ethics approval
The Ethics Committee of Pirkanmaa Hospital District, 13/09/2013, ref: ETL-code R13110
Study design
Cluster randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Cluster randomised trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Prevention
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request
Condition
Sports injuries
Intervention
Participating football clubs will be randomised into the intervention or control group. The intervention group will do a comprehensive warm-up programme designed to prevent sports injuries before football training sessions 2-3 times per week. The control group will be asked to do their usual training.
The warm-up programme contains six different exercises with progression focusing on young players movement control, especially on core stability, knee control and ankle/foot function:
1. General warm-up exercise
2. Hip muscle exercise
3. Plank exercise
4. Single leg balance exercise
5. Single leg strengthening exercise
6. Single leg plyometric exercise
Intervention type
Behavioural
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Football related acute and overuse lower limb injuries. Data will be collected prospectively during the intervention period using weekly text messaging: Players/parents will respond to standardised text message question, followed by individual injury interview
Secondary outcome measures
1. Any other injuries
2. Measured performance properties (strength, power, flexibility, agility, knee control, balance, aerobic fitness): Players will visit SHA before beginning of the intervention and during the spring of 2015. They will participate in performance tests during these SHA-camps
3. Compliance: Individual participation on the intervention sessions will be registered by the coach on a player attendance form.
Overall trial start date
15/09/2014
Overall trial end date
07/06/2015
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Registered at the SHA
2. Willing to patricipate in the study
3. Female and male players aged 10-14 years
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Child
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
1500
Participant exclusion criteria
Major injury at the baseline
Recruitment start date
29/10/2014
Recruitment end date
01/12/2014
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Finland
Trial participating centre
UKK Institute
Tampere
FIN-33501
Finland
Trial participating centre
Sami Hyypiä Academy
Tammela
FIN-31370
Finland
Trial participating centre
Research Institute for Olympic Sports
Jyväskylä
FIN-40700
Finland
Trial participating centre
Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center
PO Box 4014 Ullevål Stadion
Oslo
0806
Norway
Trial participating centre
University of Jyväskylä
FIN-40014
Finland
Funders
Funder type
Government
Funder name
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (Finland)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Many national and international reports will arise from this project. The aim is to publish the results in respected, peer-reviewed and high-impact international journals. In addition, the results will be reported at national and international congresses and meetings, as well as in practice-oriented medical and sports journals. The main reports of this injury prevention study will be finished not later than 31/12/2016.
Intention to publish date
31/12/2016
Participant level data
Not expected to be available
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list