Injuries in elite football (soccer) academy: A 4-year observational cohort study of five categories and 515 players

Background: Youth football (soccer) players in professional teams face a higher likelihood of injury compared to adults. The interplay between football and injury hinges on the contextual environment. Despite this, a gap in knowledge persists regarding the epidemiology within Italian elite football academies. Purpose: Assessing injury incidence and distribution in an Italian professional football academy (n = 515 from U14 to U18) during match and training to understand injury incidence, severity, types, and related factors. Study design: Observational cohort study. Methods: A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted in a football academy (Campionato Nazionale Serie A) from July 2014 to June 2018. We analyzed data from 515 players divided into five age categories (U14 to U18). Injury occurrence was monitored using a custom data reporting tool adhering to FIFA and UEFA injury surveillance protocols. Injury incidence was calculated as the number of injuries/1000 h of exposure. Injury distribution was classified according to severity, location, type, playing position, and period of injuries across different age categories. Results: Eight hundred thirty-two injuries were documented with 4.7 injuries/1000 h of training, 12.4 injuries/1000 h of match and 5.9 injuries/1000 h of total exposure. The months with the lowest number of injuries were June, July, and August (p <.019). Of all injuries, 430 (51.7%) were caused by trauma, while overuse contributed to 402 injuries (48.3%). Conclusion: Findings revealed that injury epidemiology within an Italian professional football academy can be compared to other European countries. These data can serve as a reference for clinicians and sports scientists.