The FIFA 11+ is a structured warm-up programme specially designed to prevent injuries among football players from age 14 years and above. However, studies to prove its efficacy are generally few and it is yet to be tested in male youth footballers and among African players. The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the FIFA 11+ programme in reducing the risk of injuries among male youth football players of the Lagos Junior League. A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted. All the 20 teams (414 players aged 14 -19 years) in the Premier League division were block-randomised into either an intervention (INT) or a control (CON) group. The INT group performed the FIFA 11+ exercises as warm-up during training sessions and the CON group performed usual warm-up. Participating teams were prospectively followed through an entire league season of 6 months in which they were visited every week to assess injured players for time-loss injuries in both groups. The primary outcomes were any injury to the players, injuries by type of exposure and injuries specific to the lower extremities. The secondary outcomes were injuries reported by body location, aetiology, mechanism and severity. In total, 130 injuries were recorded affecting 104 (25%) of the 416 players. Team and player compliance with the INT was 60% and 74% respectively. Based on the primary outcome measures of the study, the FIFA 11+ programme significantly reduced the overall rate of injury in the INT group by 41% [RR = 0.59 (95% CI: 0.40 - 0.86; p = 0.006)] and all lower extremity injuries by 48% [RR = 0.52 (95% CI: 0.34 - 0.82; p = 0.004)]. However, the rate of injury reduction based on secondary outcomes mostly did not reach the level of statistical significance. The FIFA 11+ programme is effective in reducing the rates of injuries in male youth football players. Key pointsThe FIFA 11+ has only been tested in randomised controlled trials conducted on female youth football players; this study reports its efficacy in male youth football for the first timeThe FIFA 11+ programme significantly reduced the overall rate of injuries and lower extremity injuries in male youth football playersYouth football administrators in Africa and other parts of the world should pursue the implementation of the FIFA 11+ in order to minimize the incidence of injuries among players.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of FIFA injury prevention programmes in football (FIFA 11 and FIFA 11+). DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials comparing the FIFA injury prevention programmes with a control (no or sham intervention) among football players. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE via OVID, CINAHL via Ebsco, Web of Science, SportDiscus and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, from 2004 to 14 March 2016. RESULTS: 6 cluster-randomised controlled trials had assessed the effect of FIFA injury prevention programmes compared with controls on the overall football injury incidence in recreational/subelite football. These studies included 2 specific exercise-based injury prevention programmes: FIFA 11 (2 studies) and FIFA 11+ (4 studies). The primary analysis showed a reduction in the overall injury risk ratio of 0.75 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.98), p=0.04, in favour of the FIFA injury prevention programmes. Secondary analyses revealed that when pooling the 4 studies applying the FIFA 11+ prevention programme, a reduction in the overall injury risk ratio (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.61; 95% CI 0.48 to 0.77, p<0.001) was present in favour of the FIFA 11+ prevention programme. No reduction was present when pooling the 2 studies including the FIFA 11 prevention programme (IRR 0.99; 95% CI 0.80 to 1.23, p=0.940). CONCLUSIONS: An injury-preventing effect of the FIFA injury prevention programmes compared with controls was shown in football. This effect was induced by the FIFA 11+ prevention programme which has a substantial injury-preventing effect by reducing football injuries by 39%, whereas a preventive effect of the FIFA 11 prevention programme could not be documented. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42015024120.
Preface. 1. Introduction: FIFA and the contest for world football - an interpretive and conceptual framework. Part 1. FIFA and its Expanding Football Family: Background and Context. . 2. FIFA, Europe and South America: foundations and contradictions in the football family. 3. FIFA: an organizational and institutional analysis. 4. FIFA and its partners: media and markets. 5. FIFA's World Cup Finals: getting the event. Part 2. FIFA and the Collapse of Empire. 6. FIFA and Africa. 7. FIFA and Asia. 8. FIFA and the former Soviet Union. 9. FIFA's final frontier - USA '94. 10. Conclusion: who rules the peoples' game?. Afterword: FIFA and the Future of World Football. Appendix: VISION for the Future Governance of Football. Notes. Bibliography. Glossary. Index.
In 2009, FIFA promoted and disseminated the FIFA 11+ injury prevention programme worldwide. Developed and studied by the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), the programme was based on a randomised controlled study and one countrywide campaign in amateur football that significantly reduced injuries and healthcare costs. Since the FIFA 11+ launch, key publications have confirmed the preventive effects of the programme and have evaluated its performance effects in female as well as male amateur football players. Furthermore, implementation strategies of this prevention programme have also been studied. The goal of this narrative review was to summarise the available scientific evidence about the FIFA 11+ programme. While FIFA continues to disseminate and implement FIFA 11+ among its Member Associations, adaptations of the injury prevention programme for children and referees have been developed and are currently being evaluated.
The FIFA 11+ is a simple, and easy to implement, sports injury prevention program comprising a warm up of 10 conditioning exercises. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the impact of the FIFA 11+ on injury incidence, compliance and cost effectiveness when implemented among football players. MEDLINE, EMBASE and Scopus databases were searched using the search terms "FIFA 11+", "football", "soccer", "injury prevention", and "The 11". The titles and abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers and the data were filtered by one reviewer using a standardized extraction form and thereafter checked by another one. The risk of bias and the methodological quality of the studies were evaluated through the PEDro score and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). A total of 911 studies were identified, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria of the review. The FIFA 11+ has demonstrated how a simple exercise program completed as part of warm-up can decrease the incidence of injuries in amateur football players. In general, considerable reductions in the number of injured players, ranging between 30% and 70%, have been observed among the teams that implemented the FIFA 11+. In addition, players with high compliance to the FIFA 11+ program had an estimated risk reduction of all injuries by 35% and show significant improvements in components of neuromuscular and motor performance when participating in structured warm-up sessions at least 1.5 times/week. Most studies had high methodological quality and a low risk of bias. Given the large number of people who play football at amateur level and the detrimental impact of sports injuries on a personal and societal level, the FIFA 11+ can be considered as a fundamental tool to minimize the risks of participation in a sport with substantial health benefits.
Andrew Jennings, the world's foremost investigative sports reporter, spent four years delving into the dark side of 'the beautiful game'. The result is this explosive and damning expose of the officials that run football's world governing body FIFA - a story of how the 'men in suits' put personal ambition and money before the fans on the terraces. No individual has managed to penetrate the secret world of FIFA. Until now. Andrew Jennings, the world's leading sports investigative reporter, has unearthed the stories that FIFA doesn't want told. He blows the whistle on an international cash-for-contracts scandal and reveals how some football officials have been urged to secretly repay the sweeteners they received. He asks why FIFA President delayed acting against troubled marketing company ISL, who wrongly withheld GBP 45 million of FIFA's cash. He exposes the vote-rigging that went on behind closed doors in the fight for control of FIFA. Jennings has researched in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. He has uncovered damning evidence and persuaded FIFA insiders to talk to him about the questionable business practices they've witnessed. Foul!'s mix of world-class probing journalism, compelling storytelling and dark humour make this the most important book ever written about the men who control the people's game.
BACKGROUND: The FIFA 11+ injury prevention program has been shown to decrease the risk of soccer injuries in men and women. The program has also been shown to decrease time loss resulting from injury. However, previous studies have not specifically investigated how the program might impact the rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in male soccer players. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study was to examine if the FIFA 11+ injury prevention program can (1) reduce the overall number of ACL injuries in men who play competitive college soccer and whether any potential reduction in rate of ACL injuries differed based on (2) game versus practice setting; (3) player position; (4) level of play (Division I or II); or (5) field type. METHODS: This study was a prospective cluster randomized controlled trial, which was conducted in 61 Division I and Division II National Collegiate Athletic Association men's soccer teams over the course of one competitive soccer season. The FIFA 11+ is a 15- to 20-minute on-the-field dynamic warm-up program used before training and games and was utilized as the intervention throughout the entire competitive season. Sixty-five teams were randomized: 34 to the control group (850 players) and 31 to the intervention group (675 players). Four intervention teams did not complete the study and did not submit their data, noting insufficient time to complete the program, reducing the number for per-protocol analysis to 61. Compliance to the FIFA 11+ program, athletic exposures, specific injuries, ACL injuries, and time loss resulting from injury were collected and recorded using a secure Internet-based system. At the end of the season, the data in the injury surveillance system were crosshatched with each individual institution's internal database. At that time, the certified athletic trainer signed off on the injury collection data to confirm their accuracy and completeness. RESULTS: A lower proportion of athletes in the intervention group experienced knee injuries (25% [34 of 136]) compared with the control group (75% [102 of 136]; relative risk [RR], 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.61; p < 0.001). When the data were stratified for ACL injury, fewer ACL injuries were reported in the intervention group (16% [three of 19]) compared with the control group (84% [16 of 19]), accounting for a 4.25-fold reduction in the likelihood of incurring ACL injury (RR, 0.236; 95% CI, 0.193-0.93; number needed to treat = 70; p < 0.001). With the numbers available, there was no difference between the ACL injury rate within the FIFA 11+ group and the control group with respect to game and practice sessions (games-intervention: 1.055% [three of 15] versus control: 1.80% [12 of 15]; RR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.09-1.11; p = 0.073 and practices-intervention: 0% [zero of four] versus control: 0.60% [four of four]; RR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.01-2.59; p = 0.186). With the data that were available, there were no differences in incidence rate (IR) or injury by player position for forwards (IR control = 0.339 versus IR intervention = 0), midfielders (IR control = 0.54 versus IR intervention = 0.227), defenders (IR control = 0.339 versus IR intervention = 0.085), and goalkeepers (IR control = 0.0 versus IR intervention = 0.0) (p = 0.327). There were no differences in the number of ACL injuries for the Division I intervention group (0.70% [two of nine]) compared with the control group (1.05% [seven of nine]; RR, 0.30; CI, 0.06-1.45; p = 0.136). However, there were fewer ACL injuries incurred in the Division II intervention group (0.35% [one of 10]) compared with the control group (1.35% [nine of 10]; RR, 0.12; CI, 0.02-0.93; p = 0.042). There was no difference between the number of ACL injuries in the control group versus in the intervention group that occurred on grass versus turf (Wald chi square [1] = 0.473, b = 0.147, SE = 0.21, p = 0.492). However, there were more ACL injuries that occurred on artificial turf identified in the control group (1.35% [nine of 10]) versus the intervention group (0.35% [one of 10]; RR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02-1.10; p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: This program, if implemented correctly, has the potential to decrease the rate of ACL injury in competitive soccer players. In addition, this may also enhance the development and dissemination of injury prevention protocols and may mitigate risk to athletes who utilize the program consistently. Further studies are necessary to analyze the cost-effectiveness of the program implementation and to analyze the efficacy of the FIFA 11+ in the female collegiate soccer cohort. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, therapeutic study.
BACKGROUND: FIFA has surveyed match injuries in its tournaments since 1998. AIM: To analyse the incidence and characteristics of match injuries incurred during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in comparison to previous FIFA World Cups. METHODS: The chief physicians of the participating teams reported all newly incurred injuries of their players after the match on a standardised report form. 124 (97%) forms were returned. RESULTS: A total of 104 injuries were reported, equivalent to an incidence of 1.68 injuries per match (95% CI 1.36 to 2.00). 64 (63.4%) injuries were caused by contact with another player. Thigh (26; 25%) and head (19; 18%) were the most frequently injured body parts. The most frequent diagnosis was thigh strain (n=18). Five concussions and three fractures to the head were reported. While most thigh strains (15/17; 88.2%) occurred without contact, almost all head injuries (18/19; 94.7%) were caused by contact. 0.97 injuries per match (95% CI 0.72 to 1.22) were expected to result in absence from training or match. Eight injuries were classified as severe. The incidence of match injuries in the 2014 FIFA World Cup was significantly lower than the average of the four preceding FIFA World Cups, both for all injuries (2.34; 95% CI 2.15 to 2.53) and time-loss injuries (1.51; 95% CI 1.37 to 1.65). CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of injury during the FIFA World Cups decreased from 2002 to 2014 by 37%. A detailed analysis of the injury mechanism is recommended to further improve prevention strategies.
BACKGROUND: Soccer is one of the most widely played sports in the world. However, soccer players have an increased risk of lower limb injury. These injuries may be caused by both modifiable and non-modifiable factors, justifying the adoption of an injury prevention program such as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the FIFA 11+ injury prevention program for soccer players. METHODOLOGY: This meta-analysis was based on the PRISMA 2015 protocol. A search using the keywords "FIFA," "injury prevention," and "football" found 183 articles in the PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and ScienceDirect databases. Of these, 6 studies were selected, all of which were randomized clinical trials. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 6,344 players, comprising 3,307 (52%) in the intervention group and 3,037 (48%) in the control group. The FIFA 11+ program reduced injuries in soccer players by 30%, with an estimated relative risk of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.93, p = 0.01). In the intervention group, 779 (24%) players had injuries, while in the control group, 1,219 (40%) players had injuries. However, this pattern was not homogeneous throughout the studies because of clinical and methodological differences in the samples. This study showed no publication bias. CONCLUSION: The FIFA 11+ warm-up program reduced the risk of injury in soccer players by 30%.
OBJECTIVE: To continue the injury surveillance of FIFA-sponsored football tournaments and report on other medical aspects of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. DESIGN: Prospective epidemiological injury surveillance and descriptive summary of additional medical aspects. SETTING: Major international football tournament. PARTICIPANTS: National team players, doctors and referees at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Injury type, location and rate. RESULTS: 145 injuries were reported for the 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany-an overall injury rate of 68.7 per 1000 match hours (95% CI 57.5 to 79.9) or 2.3 injuries per match, in comparison with 2.7 injuries per match in the 2002 FIFA World Cup (p = NS). Physical examinations before participation uncovered no hidden cardiovascular problems. Once the tournament started, no referees were unable to complete their duties. There were no positive doping tests. CONCLUSIONS: The injury rate for this World Cup was below that of 2002, but consistent with the overall injury rate per match since data collection began in 1998. There continues to be no evidence of systematic doping in international football.
BACKGROUND: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 11+ program has been shown to be an effective injury prevention program in the female soccer cohort, but there is a paucity of research to demonstrate its efficacy in the male population. HYPOTHESIS: To examine the efficacy of the FIFA 11+ program in men's collegiate United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and Division II soccer. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS: Before the commencement of the fall 2012 season, every NCAA Division I and Division II men's collegiate soccer team (N = 396) was solicited to participate in this research study. Human ethics review board approval was obtained through Quorum Review IRB. Sixty-five teams were randomized: 34 to the control group (CG; 850 players) and 31 to the intervention group (IG; 675 players). Four teams in the IG did not complete the study, reducing the number for analysis to 61. The FIFA 11+ injury prevention program served as the intervention and was utilized weekly. Athlete-exposures (AEs), compliance, and injury data were recorded using a secure Internet-based system. RESULTS: In the CG, 665 injuries (mean ± SD, 19.56 ± 11.01) were reported for 34 teams, which corresponded to an incidence rate (IR) of 15.04 injuries per 1000 AEs. In the IG, 285 injuries (mean ± SD, 10.56 ± 3.64) were reported for 27 teams, which corresponded to an IR of 8.09 injuries per 1000 AEs. Total days missed because of injury were significantly higher for the CG (mean ± SD, 13.20 ± 26.6 days) than for the IG (mean ± SD, 10.08 ± 14.68 days) (P = .007). There was no difference for time loss due to injury based on field type (P = .341). CONCLUSION: The FIFA 11+ significantly reduced injury rates by 46.1% and decreased time loss to injury by 28.6% in the competitive male collegiate soccer player (rate ratio, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.49-0.59]; P < .0001) (number needed to treat = 2.64).
In the last decade, injury prevention has received a lot of attention in sports medicine, and recently international sports-governing bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee, declared the protection of the athletes' health as one of their major objectives. In 1994, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) established its Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC) with the aim 'to prevent football injuries and to promote football as a health-enhancing leisure activity, improving social behaviour'. Since then, FIFA has developed and evaluated its injury-prevention programmes 'The 11' and 'FIFA 11+' have demonstrated in several scientific studies how simple exercise-based programmes can decrease the incidence of injuries in amateur football players. This paper summarises 18 years of scientific and on-field work in injury prevention by an international sports federation (FIFA), from formulating the aim to make its sport safer to the worldwide dissemination of its injury-prevention programme in amateur football.
The aim of this study was to examine the training effects of an injury prevention programme on neuromuscular control, strength and performance in male amateur football players. Eighty-one players were allocated to the "FIFA 11+" (n = 42) or a control group (CON, n = 39). The "FIFA 11+" group performed the programme 3 times a week for 9 weeks; the control group completed the usual warm-up. Primary outcomes were: time-to-stabilisation test and eccentric/concentric flexors strength. Secondary outcomes were: eccentric/concentric extensors strength, star excursion balance test, core-stability test, vertical jump, sprint, and agility. After controlling for covariates, significant between-group differences after the intervention (in favour of the "FIFA 11+" players) were found for time-to-stabilisation (-2.8%, 90% confidence interval [CI] -4.4 to -1.2%) and core-stability (-8.9%, -14.6 to -3.1%). Differences were also found for eccentric (3.8%, 1.4 to 6.2%) and concentric flexors strength (3.2%, 0.6 to 5.9%) at 60° · s(-1) but this difference was only possibly meaningful (62.4%) from a practical point of view. No substantial and/or significant differences were found for the other outcomes. Performing "FIFA 11+" for 9 weeks can improve neuromuscular control. Possible worthwhile differences were found for flexors strength but there were no substantial effects in the other performance measures.
The warm-up programme "FIFA 11+" has been shown to reduce football injuries in different populations, but so far veteran players have not been investigated. Due to differences in age, skill level and gender, a simple transfer of these results to veteran football is not recommended. The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of the "FIFA 11+" in veteran football players. Twenty veteran football teams were recruited for a prospective 9-month (1 season) cluster-randomised trial. The intervention group (INT, n = 146; 45 ± 8 years) performed the "FIFA 11+" at the beginning of each training session, while the control group (CON, n = 119; 43 ± 6 years) followed its regular training routine. Player exposure hours and injuries were recorded according to an international consensus statement. No significant difference was found between INT and CON in overall injury incidence (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.91 [0.64-1.48]; P = 0.89). Only severe injuries reached statistical significance with higher incidence in CON (IRR: 0.46 [0.21-0.97], P = 0.04). Regular conduction (i.e. once a week) of the "FIFA 11+" did not prevent injuries in veteran footballers under real training and competition circumstances. The lack of preventive effects is likely due to the too low overall frequency of training sessions.
BACKGROUND: Recently, structured training programs for sports injury prevention ("The 11" and "The 11+") have been validated in soccer. The FIFA 11+ program has not been evaluated in basketball. HYPOTHESIS: The FIFA 11+ program is effective in reducing the rates of injury in male basketball players. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. METHODS: The authors randomized 11 teams of the same club. Seven teams were allocated to the intervention group (80 players; mean [SD] age 13.5 [2.3] years), and 4 teams were allocated to the control group (41 players; mean [SD] age 15.2 [4.6] years). The authors conducted an injury surveillance program during a 9-month season. The primary outcome was any injury to the athletes. The secondary outcome was any injury to the lower extremity (foot, ankle, lower leg, knee, thigh, groin, and hip). They included an analysis of the type of exposure (match or training), injury location in the body, and type of injury (acute or overuse). RESULTS: During the 9-month season, 23 (19%) of the 121 players included in the study sustained a total of 31 injuries (14 in the intervention group and 17 in the control group). In the intervention group, injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures were lower than those in the control group, with statistical significance, for overall injuries (0.95 vs 2.16; P = .0004), training injuries (0.14 vs 0.76; P = .007), lower extremity injuries (0.68 vs 1.4; P = .022), acute injuries (0.61 vs 1.91; P < .0001), and severe injuries (0 vs 0.51; P = .004). The intervention group also had statistically significant lower injury rates for trunk (0.07 vs 0.51; P = .013), leg (0 vs 0.38; P = .007), and hip and groin (0 vs 0.25; P = .023) compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in match injuries, knee injuries, ankle injuries, and overuse injuries between 2 groups. The most frequent acute injury diagnoses were ligament sprains (0.41 and 0.38 in the intervention and control groups, respectively; P < .006) and contractures (0.76 and 0.07 in the control and intervention groups, respectively; P < .003). CONCLUSION: The FIFA 11+ warm-up program is effective in reducing the rates of injuries in elite male basketball players.
The scandalous events surrounding the 65th Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Congress in Zurich in mid-2015 produced an enormous quantity of media coverage. While few have a deep level of knowledge of FIFA’s history or governance, this global story worked effectively as narrativized media characterization by often constructing a comic view of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. Although entertaining, this coverage mainly served to highlight the substantial failure of most of the news media, and especially of sports journalism, to deal seriously with the institutional politics of sport. This article analyses the media’s roles and responsibilities regarding sport as a key sociocultural institution and the media’s relationships with sports organizations, sportspeople, governments, commercial corporations, sport fans, and the wider citizenry. It considers the potential of sports communication and journalism education to change the dynamics of reporting everyday issues and eruptive scandals in sport. Ethical conduct in sport organizations and, particularly, in the hosting of mega sports events like the FIFA World Cup, should, it is argued, be addressed consistently by an inquiring and sceptical media. Above all, the media must beware of succumbing to the temptations of complacency and complicity in the games with which they are engaged.
BACKGROUND: Injury knowledge and beliefs influence uptake of prevention programmes, but the relationship between knowledge, beliefs and adherence remains unclear. AIM: To describe injury knowledge and beliefs among youth female soccer coaches and players, and to identify the relationship between these factors, different delivery strategies of the FIFA 11+ programme and adherence. METHODS: A subcohort analysis from a cluster-randomised controlled trial of 31 female soccer teams (coaches n=29, players (ages 13-18) n=258). Preseason and postseason questionnaires were used to assess knowledge and beliefs. Teams recorded FIFA 11+ adherence during the season. RESULTS: At baseline, 62.8% (95% CI 48.4% to 77.3%) of coaches and 75.8% (95% CI 71.5% to 80.1%) of players considered 'inadequate warm-up' a risk factor for injury. There was no effect of delivery method (OR=1.1; 95% CI 0.8 to 1.5) or adherence (OR=1.0; 95% CI 0.9 to 1.1) on this belief. At baseline, 13.8% (95% CI 1.3% to 26.4%) of coaches believed a warm-up could prevent muscle injuries, but none believed it could prevent knee and ankle injuries. For players, 9.7% (95% CI 6.1% to 13.3%), 4.7% (95% CI 2.1% to 7.3%) and 4.7% (95% CI 2.1% to 7.3%) believed a warm-up would prevent muscle, knee and ankle injuries, respectively. Years of playing experience were negatively associated with high adherence for coaches (OR=0.93; 0.88 to 0.99) and players (OR=0.92; 0.85 to 0.98). CONCLUSIONS: There were gaps in injury knowledge and beliefs, which differed for coaches and players. Beliefs did not significantly affect adherence to the FIFA 11+, suggesting additional motivational factors should be considered.
The present study evaluated the effects of a newly developed injury prevention programme for children's football ("FIFA 11+ Kids") on motor performance in 7-12-year-old children. We stratified 12 football teams (under-9/-11/-13 age categories) into intervention (INT, N = 56 players) and control groups (CON, N = 67). INT conducted the 15-min warm-up programme "FIFA 11+ Kids" twice a week for 10 weeks. CON followed a standard warm-up (sham treatment). Pre- and post-tests were conducted using: single leg stance; Y-balance test; drop and countermovement jump; standing long jump; 20-m sprint; agility run; slalom dribble; and wall volley test. We used magnitude-based inferences and linear mixed-effects models to analyse performance test results. We observed likely beneficial effects favouring INT in Y-balance (right leg; +3.2%; standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.34; P = 0.58) and agility run (+3.6%; SMD = 0.45; P = 0.008). Possibly beneficial effects were found in Y-balance, drop jump reactive strength index, drop jump height, countermovement jump, standing long jump, slalom dribble and wall volley test. At least possibly beneficial improvements in favour of "FIFA 11+ Kids" were observed in nearly all parameters. Most effects were small, but slight improvements in motor performance may potentially contribute to a reduction of injury risk.
The aim of the study was to examine the post-exercise effects of the "FIFA 11+" on various physical performance and physiological variables, to understand whether this programme is an appropriate warm-up for football players. Results were compared with the literature using a meta-analytical approach. Twenty amateur male football players [mean age 25.5 (s ± 5.1) years, body mass 75(8) kg, height 181(6) cm] participated in the study. They were tested twice before (control period) and once after the "FIFA 11+" for: 20-m sprints, agility, vertical jump, stiffness, isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), rate of force development (RFD), and star excursion balance test. Oxygen uptake, lactate and core temperature were also measured. Pre-post warm-up differences were found for all the performance variables (from 1.0 to 6.2%; 0.015 < P < 0.001) with the exclusion of MVC (-13%; P = 0.426) and RFD (-10%; P = 0.205). After the warm-up there was an increase (0.004 <P < 0.001) in resting oxygen uptake from 325(87) to 379(142) mL · min(-1), in core temperature from 37.3(0.3) to 37.7(0.3) °C, and in lactate from 1.0(0.2) to 2.6(1.1) mmol · L(-1). In conclusion, the "FIFA 11+" prevention programme can be considered an appropriate warm-up, inducing improvements in football players comparable with those obtained with other warm-up routines reported in the literature.
The FIFA World Cup is the largest international sports event in the world. Hosting the FIFA World Cup remains a sought after goal for any country. Due to the magnitude of spectators and scale of participation the hosting of the event requires substantial investment in infrastructure, especially the stadia where the various football games will be played. The award of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa resulted in ten stadia to be either upgraded or newly constructed for the event in South Africa. Even though all the stadia were ready for the tournament, nearly all projects experienced time delays and cost overruns. This article investigates the reasons or causes of cost overruns and time delays during the upgrading and construction of the various stadia. A three-tier research approach covers a comprehensive literature review on the causes of cost overruns and time delays on construction-related projects globally as well as an investigation into the factors that caused cost overruns and time delays on six of the stadia. Finally, the results for the global and stadia projects are compared. The results indicate that the increase in material cost is the single largest contributor to cost overruns for both global and stadia projects. With respect to time delays the most significant contributing factor for global projects was late delay in payments while for the stadia projects design-related factors caused the most delays. The results provide valuable information on the unique challenges facing those who are interested in investing or managing construction projects in South Africa.