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This study (1) assessed the impact different stages of the menstrual cycle has on experienced football performance and exercise ability (2) identified the experienced barriers to football participation menstruation presents in amateur women footballers. An online survey was used. The inclusion criteria were non-professional, women currently experiencing regular menstrual cycles, ≥18 years, ≥60 min football/week in the UK. Descriptive statistics were performed on quantitative data and thematic analysis of the open-ended questions. 127 responses were included. Most of the respondents were aged between 18-25 (89%), Caucasian (83%) and competing in Universities Leagues (69%). Menstruation was reported to "never" limit football playing in 17%, "sometimes" in 47%, "rarely" in 25% and "always" in 10% of respondents. The majority (73%) reported one or more barriers menstruation present to football participation. Following thematic analysis, 165 meaning units, 23 themes and seven categories were identified. Confidence and aerobic capacity/endurance were identified to be the aspects most negatively impacted during the pre-menstrual and menstrual stages. Confidence is likely to be negatively impacted due to the barriers identified. Thus, recommendations on how to reduce these through education of players and involved staff, at the club and the FA level have been made.

This study assesses how female footballers perceive how their menstrual cycle impacts their physical and psychological performance, informing future research and intervention.Semi-structured interviews, developed using piloting and peer review took place with fifteen elite female footballers from two English WSL clubs (age: 25.2 [18-33]). Data was audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically using NVivo.All players (100%) perceive their menstrual cycle to negatively impact performance. Analysing 27,438 words of data revealed five themes: A) symptoms, B) preparation, C) performance, D) recovery, and E) management. Over half (53%) of players experienced decreased appetite and sleep quality prior to performance during menstruation. Competitive performance was perceived to be most negatively impacted during menses (54 references) following by the pre-menstrual stage (23 references). During menstruation, the most impacted physical performance indicators were power (93%) and fatigue (87%). Psychologically, confidence, focus, and reaction to criticism were commonly affected (66.7%). Players reported missing training (13.3%) and matches (13.3%) due to severity of impact. Recovery was affected during the pre-menstrual (26.7%) and menstrual (66.7) stages. Players self-manage symptoms using over the counter (66.7%) and prescription (26.7%) medication, some prophylactically prior to competition (46.7%).This first attempt to ascertain player perception in football exposes a clear negative impact on performance. The complex interplay of biopsychosocial and logistical factors, lack of awareness and education highlight the need for further research. Intervention is necessary and immediate initiation would be prudent, starting with simple measures such as basic self-management advice, education, and provision of sanitary products.

This study aims to scope available peer-reviewed literature published in a FIFA language to understand the current quantity of research on women's football.Five databases were searched on the 15/12/2019. Studies were included when containing original research published in a peer-reviewed journal around female competitive football of any level, any age and on any subject. Author, journal, title and abstract of all included studies were scoped. Population assessed number of participants, level of play, age level of football and publication theme(s) were extracted.A total of 1,634 articles were scoped. The oldest publication dated back to 1939, whilst a total of 202 studies were gathered from 2019. The publication theme most frequently researched was sports medicine (N = 521) followed by strength and conditioning (N = 331) and sociology (N = 299). The majority of studies has focussed on elite (N = 442), senior (N = 977) players.A continuous growth in research attention has been seen. However, the numbers are not comparable to current research output levels in men's football. This study represents an essential first step in a larger 'research agenda-setting' project to determine research priorities for women's football during the next 10 years.

Objectives To determine the incidence and characteristics of injury and illness in English men’s and women’s senior and youth international football. Methods Time-loss injuries and illnesses, alongside match and training exposure, were collected across 8 seasons (2012–2020) in youth (U15, U16, U17, U18, U19) and senior (U20, U21, U23, senior) English men’s and women’s international teams. Analysis of incidence, burden, and severity of injury and illness was completed. Sex-specific comparisons were made between the senior and youth groups, and across the 8 seasons of data collection. Results In men’s international football, 535 injuries were recorded (216 senior; 319 youth) during 73,326 h of exposure. Overall, match injury incidence (31.1 ± 10.8 injuries/1000 h) and burden (454.0 ± 195.9 d absent/1000 h) were greater than training injury incidence (4.0 ± 1.0 injuries/1000 h) and burden (51.0 ± 21.8 d absent/1000 h) (both P P P = 0.021), with the senior group recording a greater training injury incidence during the 2015–2016 season compared to the youth group (14.4 vs 5.7 injuries/1000 h; P = 0.022). There was no difference in injury severity between match and training for men’s (P = 0.965) and women’s (P = 0.064) international football. Conclusions The findings provide a comprehensive examination of injury and illness in English men’s and women’s senior and youth international football. Practitioners will be able to benchmark their team’s injury and illness incidence and characteristics to the match-play and training information provided in the present study.

Football players are at risk of overuse injuries, discomfort and decreased performance due to the boot design and repetitive plantar loading of the sport. However, there is no agreement of normativ...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess how menstrual cycle phase and extended menstrual cycle length influence the incidence of injuries in international footballers.Methods: Over a 4-year period, injuries from England international footballers at training camps or matches were recorded, alongside self-reported information on menstrual cycle characteristics at the point of injury. Injuries in eumenorrheic players were categorized into early follicular, late follicular, or luteal phase. Frequencies were also compared between injuries recorded during the typical cycle and those that occurred after the cycle would be expected to have finished. Injury incidence rates (per 1,000 person days) and injury incidence rate ratios were calculated for each phase for all injuries and injuries stratified by type.Results: One hundred fifty-six injuries from 113 players were eligible for analysis. Injury incidence rates per 1,000 person-days were 31.9 in the follicular, 46.8 in the late follicular, and 35.4 in the luteal phase, resulting in injury incidence rate ratios of 1.47 (Late follicular:Follicular), 1.11 (Luteal:Follicular), and 0.76 (Luteal:Late follicular). Injury incident rate ratios showed that muscle and tendon injury rates were 88% greater in the late follicular phase compared to the follicular phase, with muscle rupture/tear/strain/cramps and tendon injuries/ruptures occurring over twice as often during the late follicular phase compared to other phases 20% of injuries were reported as occurring when athletes were “overdue” menses.Conclusion: Muscle and tendon injuries occurred almost twice as often in the late follicular phase compared to the early follicular or luteal phase. Injury risk may be elevated in typically eumenorrheic women in the days after their next menstruation was expected to start.

Purpose The sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) of a professional athlete is a tragic, highly publicised event with profound implications. Recent studies have demonstrated that quick and effective defibrillation has the potential to prevent sudden cardiac deaths. Of concern, a study across European football arenas revealed significant deficiencies in emergency preparations, with up to a third of arenas lacking on site automated external defibrillators (AEDs), medical action plans and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training programmes. This study aimed to map the emergency response planning and prevention strategies across professional football clubs in England and identify potential differences between top level and lower division clubs. Methods Between June and October 2014, in collaboration with The Football Association (FA), we sent a questionnaire to the medical personnel of all 92 professional clubs across the English football league. The questionnaire covered four key areas: cardiac screening; emergency planning; provision and training of AEDs; and provision of emergency services for the players on match days. Results With a response rate of 65%, 60 clubs responded to our survey (Figure 1). All clubs participated in cardiac screening as per The FA guidelines. All clubs provided AEDs for their players not only on match days but also during training sessions. In contrast to the Premiership however, where all clubs provided AED training to designated staff, almost 30% of clubs in the lower divisions had available devices but no formal training for the staff. The majority of clubs across all divisions reported the existence of an emergency action plan for SCA but the presence of documentation was variable. Almost all clubs in the Premiership and 1 st division who had an action plan had it clearly documented, while only 78% of clubs in the Championship and 63% in 2 nd division with a plan provided formal documentation. Finally, all clubs in the Premiership and 1 st division but only 70% of clubs in Championship and 2 nd division provided an ambulance on match day. Conclusions/implications Our study indicates that the majority of clubs in England have satisfactory prevention strategies and emergency response planning. In comparison to the ARENA safety study, clubs across the English football league outperform their European counterparts as all ensured AED provision and 70% provided a documented emergency action plan. Improvements, however, are necessary to further enhance cardiovascular safety of all athletes and close the gap between the Premiership and lower divisions.