Perceptions of Elite Young Male Football Players Regarding Injury Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies.

Context: Football players aged 15-20 years experience injury incidence rates similar to those of professionals, with players injured in this age group being significantly less likely to reach the professional level. Understanding the factors that influence young footballers' acceptance, adoption, and compliance with injury prevention programs is crucial. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the perceptions of male football players from premier league academies regarding injury risk factors and prevention strategies.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Methods: An online survey was used to explore perceptions of injury risk factors and prevention strategies among young football players (under-17 and under-20 teams) from premier league academies.

Results: A total of 504 footballers (mean age: 18 [2] y) across 9 academies in 8 different cities participated in this study. No risk factor was elected as very important by at least half of participants. The top 5 injury risk factors elected by players were "poor hydration," "inadequate warm-up," "poor rest/sleep," "inadequate diet," and "poor strength/power." At least 1 quarter of participants considered "genetics," "advanced age," "attention level," "wheatear conditions," and "alcohol consumption" as irrelevant factors for injury. There was no consensus for any prevention strategy. Fourteen strategies were ranked as efficient by at least 3 quarters of participants. The top 5 prevention strategies elected by players were "warm-up before training/matches," "functional training," "hydration before and during training/matches," "flexibility training," and "workload monitoring." Lower than a half of participants endorsed "ankle braces" and "thermal shorts" for injury prevention.

Conclusions: The results of this study offer valuable insights into the perceptions of elite young football players regarding injury risk factors and the effectiveness of preventive strategies. These perceptions are essential for understanding how athletes view injury prevention approaches in their daily routines.