Epidemiology of injury in English Professional Football players: A cohort study

Objective: To estimate the current incidence and location of injury in English professional football. Design: Prospective cohort study conducted over one competitive season (2015/16). Setting: Professional football players competing in the English Football League and National Conference. Participants: 243 players from 10 squads (24.3 +/- 4.21 per squad). Main outcome measure: Injury incidence, training and match exposure were collected in accordance with the international consensus statement on football injury epidemiology. Results: 473 injuries were reported. The estimated incidence of injury was, 9.11 injuries/1000 h of football related activity. There was a higher incidence of injury during match play (24.29/1000 h) compared to training (6.84/1000 h). The thigh was the most common site of injury (31.7%), muscle strains accounted for 41.2% of all injuries. The hamstrings were the most frequently strained muscle group, accounting for 39.5% of all muscle strains and 16.3% of all injuries. Moderate severity injuries (8-28 days) were the most common (44.2%). Conclusions: Incidence of injury has increased over the last 16 years with muscle strains remaining the most prevalent injury. The hamstrings remain the most commonly injured muscle group. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.