What did I do?
The aims of my thesis were (1) to investigate the efficacy of existing multi-component exercise-based injury prevention programmes (IPPs); (2) to describe the development process for the first IPP specifically designed for youth football players, called ‘FUNBALL’; (3) to evaluate the efficacy of ‘FUNBALL’ and (4) to describe the epidemiology of injuries that occurred in the control arm of study 3.
Why did I do it?
Injury prevention in football is essential for maintaining long-term engagement in the sport. Several meta-analyses support the efficacy of exercise-based IPP to reduce the risk of football-related injuries by up to 51%.1–3 However, their methodological quality and the certainty of the findings are questionable.4 Furthermore, adherence to and maintenance of IPPs is challenging, which may be due to a lack of football-specific exercises and/or player enjoyment.5
How did I do it?
A total of four articles were included in the thesis. My first study (a systematic review and meta-analysis)6 examined the efficacy of multi-component exercise-based IPPs on reducing football-related injuries among footballers of all age groups. 15 studies (n=22 177 players) were included in the analysis. This systematic review reported incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with prediction intervals (PIs) in …
