Effects of lost days in football
From PLAN DONE
Due to the increasing physical demands on the motor and cognitive level of football athletes, science is interested in gaining new insights in order to reduce or keep the days lost per player to a minimum. An excessive number of injury days within a team usually leads to a drop in performance on a sporting level. This excessive number of injured players leads to:
... less planning security for the coaching team
... imprecise implementation of tactical measures
... less competition and pressure to perform in the playing positions
… a player’s less willingness to perform
Along with the sporting consequences, there are financial losses at club and player level
...increased medical costs and excessive workload for physiotherapists, athletic trainers, rehabilitation trainers and physicians.
...worse prospects of participation and success in national and international competitions.
…less income from transfers (the market value of the player is reduced with the same salary).
...loss of image (public)
With regard to the constant development of the collection of running data, it can be seen that there is no significant difference in the area of total distance (m per match) to previous evaluations. [1]
In addition, the following study proves that the total distance of a team has no significant influence on the outcome of the game. Rather, the importance lies in the total number of meters in the area of very-high intensity running distance and sprint distance . The team with a higher total number of meters in the previously mentioned areas ( HIRD and SD ) statistically wins more often than the opponent with a lower total number of meters in these areas. [2]
This very high demand on the muscles means that clubs and players should not only focus on training, but also on regeneration management. For this purpose, it is recommended to discuss individual regenerative strategies within the association.
However, the reality in German professional football looks different. If we look at various statistics, it is noticeable that the clubs in the 1st Bundesliga have the most lost days on average in a European comparison with the top 5 leagues in Europe, although the squad size in the other leagues is smaller and more games are played [1] .
We suspect one reason for this is the low willingness to invest in medical and sports science personnel. In the foreign leagues (see chart), personnel with medical expertise are employed on a longer-term basis, in greater numbers and in a more specialized manner. In addition, we unfortunately have to recognize that there is less willingness for a professional exchange between clubs and consulting agencies than in other European leagues.
As the consulting agency PLAN DONE, we focus on keeping our players healthy and are in contact with the medical departments. In addition to the medical interventions of the association, we initiate further measures after consultation. As the market leader in the regenerative sector, Reboots is a strong partner at our side. Our players have the option of accessing the REBOOTS in our PLAN DONE Base at any time as part of the regeneration process. In the scientifically based recovery plan, players are recommended to use REBOOTS daily after training and after games within the open window effect.
[1] V. Di Salvo; R Baron; H. Tschan; FJ Calderon Montero; N. Bachl; F. Pigozzi (2006): Performance Characteristics According to Playing Position in Elite Soccer. In: Int J Sports Med , pp. 222–227. DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-924294.
[2] Nobari, Hadi; Oliveira, Rafael; Brito, João Paulo; Pérez-Gómez, Jorge; Clemente, Filipe Manuel; Ardigò, Luca Paolo (2021): Comparison of Running Distance Variables and Body Load in Competitions Based on Their Results: A Full-Season Study of Professional Soccer Players. In: International journal of environmental research and public health 18 (4). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18042077.
[3] Ekstrand, Jan; Ueblacker, Peter; van Zoest, Wart; Verheijen, Raymond; Vanhecke, Bruno; van Wijk, Maikel; Bengtsson, Håkan (2023): Risk factors for hamstring muscle injury in male elite football: medical expert experience and conclusions from 15 European Champions League clubs. In: BMJ Open Sport — Exercise Medicine 9 (1). DOI: 10.1136/bmjsem-2022-001461.
