Higher age and present injury at the start of the season are risk factors for in-season injury in amateur footballers

Key points

1. 01Weekly injury prevalence was about 18% in male players and 24% in female players.
2. 02Most injuries were gradual-onset rather than sudden (57% in males, 66% in females).
3. 03Older age was linked to higher injury risk for both sexes.
4. 04Already having an injury at the start of the season strongly raised the risk of in-season injury.
5. 05Injury locations differed by sex, with hip/groin most common in males and knee most common in females.

How it was conducted

Design

Prospective cohort study over the 2020 season

Participants

462 amateur adolescent and adult male and female football players

Data collection

Weekly OSTRC-O2 self-report injury surveys

Outcomes

Injury prevalence, injury pattern, and baseline risk factors

What they found

• Weekly injury prevalence was 18.0% in male players and 23.9% in female players.
• Gradual-onset injuries made up 57% of injuries in males and 66% in females.
• Top injury locations in males were hip/groin, ankle, posterior thigh, and knee; in females they were knee, ankle, and lower leg/Achilles.
• Higher age increased injury risk: RR 1.05 per year in males and 1.03 per year in females.
• Present injury at baseline increased risk: RR 1.92 in males and 1.58 in females.

Limitations

• Single season (2020) of data, which may have been affected by the unusual circumstances of that year.
• Injuries were self-reported via weekly surveys rather than clinically verified.
• As an observational cohort, it identifies associations but cannot prove that age or baseline injury directly cause in-season injury.
• Findings are specific to amateur players and may not transfer to professional or other sport contexts.

Why it matters

For patients

If you play amateur football, sorting out any lingering injury before the season starts may lower your chance of getting hurt during it.

For clinicians

Screen amateur players for present injury and consider age at the start of the season, and prioritize pre-season rehabilitation for those already injured.

For readers

Injuries are common week-to-week in amateur football, are often gradual-onset, and differ in location between men and women.