International Tennis Federation (ITF), Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Expert Group Statement on Nutrition in High-Performance Tennis. Current Evidence to Inform Practical Recommendations and Guide Future Research.

The sport of tennis involves unique nutritional demands for the physical and technical aspects of match play and training, as well as the nutritional challenges associated with extensive travel and a lengthy competition calendar. An expert group assembled by The International Tennis Federation, the Women's Tennis Association, and the Association of Tennis Professionals has produced a scientific review of current evidence to inform practical recommendations for high-performance tennis. The narrative summary considers the diversity within the tennis community, including male and female players, youth players, and wheelchair players.

Injury, illness, and mental health problems during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Our study aimed to describe the patterns and characteristics of injuries and illnesses incurred during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 (FWWC2023). Team medical personnel recorded all injuries, illnesses, and mental health problems requiring medical attention, plus match, and training exposure into a centralised FIFA database using recent consensus-based methodology. Of the 32 teams at FWWC2023, 26 teams participated in the study, including 536 of 742 players.

Innovative exergaming program for antenatal exercise: Pregnant women's views and experiences.

Background: Exergames are an emerging technology that employ interactive exercise-based video gaming with the aim to encourage physical activity. Exergames have been shown to encourage increased exercise participation in the non-pregnant population. However, the acceptability to pregnant women has not previously been explored.

Can we prepare young female players for heading in football? The feasibility and acceptability of HeaderPrep.

This study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel programme designed to prepare players to learn heading in football (HeaderPrep). Forty-five players from four different girls' teams (under-11, under-12, under-13, under-15) and five coaches completed the programme over six weeks followed by completion of an evaluation survey. Our findings suggest that the programme enhanced players' confidence in heading the ball.

Effect of Concurrent Exercise Training on Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Inactive Academics: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effect of concurrent training (CT) on the mental health of inactive academics and examined associations between changes in stress (effort-reward imbalance and general stress), depressive symptoms and systemic inflammation. Fifty-nine inactive academics were randomly assigned to a CT ( = 29) or control (non-exercise) group ( = 30). CT performed supervised group training at an onsite facility 3 times per week for 14-weeks.

Influence of Travel Demands and Match Load on Recovery Following Postmatch Travel in National-Team Footballers.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between travel demands and match loads on perceptual recovery, fatigue, and sleep following postmatch travel in national football teams. In addition, the influence of travel demands and the time between match kickoff and travel departure on postmatch recovery was examined.

Methods: Match-running load (via GPS) and travel data were obtained from 79 male national-team footballers.

Menstrual Phase and Postmatch Perceptual Recovery Responses for Naturally Menstruating Football Players.

Purpose: To explore the influence of menstrual phase on postmatch perceptual responses and the time course of recovery for professional footballers.

Methods: Thirteen naturally menstruating footballers tracked their menstrual cycle and reported perceptual responses for up to 4 cycles. Menstrual phases were determined by calendar-based tracking and urinary hormone tests and classified as menstruation, follicular, or luteal.

Associations Between Match-Play Characteristics and Environmental Temperatures in 4 Professional Football Leagues.

This study investigated the association between environmental temperature and match-play characteristics (shooting, passing, dribbling and defending) in four professional football leagues. Twenty-seven performance indicators (PI's) were collated from 1585 matches from the German Bundesliga 1 and 2, Spanish La Liga and Australian A-League. Environmental data were obtained for dry-bulb temperature (T) and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) retrospectively from public sources.

Associations between injury occurrence and environmental temperatures in the Australian and German professional football leagues.

A cross-sectional analysis was performed to investigate associations between environmental temperatures and injury occurrence in two professional male football (soccer) leagues. Data from seven seasons of the German Bundesliga (2142 matches) and four seasons of the Australian A-League (470 matches) were included. Injuries were collated via media reports for the Bundesliga and via team staff reports in the A-League and comprised injury incidence, mechanisms (contact, noncontact), locations (e.

Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Sleep Before and After Matches for Professional Footballers.

This study investigated the association of menstrual cycle phase and symptoms with objective and subjective sleep measures from professional footballers before and after matches. Twenty-three non-hormonal contraceptive-using professional footballers (from four clubs) were monitored for up to four menstrual cycles during a domestic league season. Menstrual phases (menstruation, mid-late follicular, luteal) were determined using calendar counting and urinary hormone tests (luteinizing hormone and pregnandiol-3-glucuronide).

Injury epidemiology in Australian women's professional football.

Objective: To describe the injury epidemiology of the Australian women's professional football (soccer) league (A-League W) over 7 consecutive seasons.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Methods: Match-loss injury data was collected from each A-League W club (n = 8-9) for each competition round (n = 12/season) over 7 seasons (2013/14-2019/20).

Effects of Prematch Travel and Training on Physical and Technical Performance in International Football Matches.

Purpose: This study examined the relationship of prematch travel and in-camp training on ensuing physical and technical match performance of footballers (soccer) competing for a national team.

Methods: Match running and technical performance data were obtained from 68 national-team footballers competing in international matches (N = 108). Match performance data were aligned with the confirmed travel durations, time-zone change, travel direction, and time between arrival and kickoff for the travel to the match.

Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Match Running in Professional Footballers.

This study examined the effects of menstrual cycle phases and symptoms on match running performance in football (soccer) players. Twenty-one nonhormonal contraceptive using football players from four professional teams were monitored for up to four menstrual cycles during a domestic league season. Menstrual phases, classified as early-follicular phase (EFP), mid-late follicular phase (MFP), and luteal phase (LP), were determined by self-reporting of menstruation and urinary hormone tests (luteinizing hormone and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide).

Quantifying the training demands of a highly trained male youth basketball players by year, term and position.

This study describes the training demands of highly trained male youth basketball players, based on training year, term and playing position. Data was collected from 41 male youth basketballers over two seasons from all on-court coach-led training sessions utilising an LPS. Linear mixed-models and pairwise comparisons were used to analyse by training year (Y1, Y2 and Y3), term (T1, T2, T3 and T4) and playing position (Backcourt, Frontcourt).

Self-Reported Menstrual Health, Symptomatology, and Perceived Effects of the Menstrual Cycle for Elite Junior and Senior Football Players.

Purpose: To describe the self-reported menstrual health, symptomatology, and perceived effects of the menstrual cycle on athletic performance for national and international Australian football (soccer) players.

Methods: Players from national and domestic teams were invited to complete an online questionnaire regarding menstrual health, use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs), negative symptomatology, and perceived disruption of the menstrual cycle to performance. Descriptive statistics and binomial regressions with odds ratios (OR) were used to report the relationship of menstrual-related variables with perceived performance disruption.

Longitudinal Internal Training Load and Exposure in a High-Performance Basketball Academy.

Lever, JR, Duffield, R, Murray, A, Bartlett, JD, and Fullagar, HHK. Longitudinal internal training load and exposure in a high-performance basketball academy. J Strength Cond Res 38(8): 1464-1471, 2024-This study describes the longitudinal training exposure (session counts) and internal training load (Rating of Perceived Exertion [RPE] and Session Rating of Perceived Exertion [sRPE]) of youth basketball players at a high-performance academy, based on the training year, training term, and playing position.

Match Exposure, Consecutive Match Number, and Recovery Days Affect Match Running During International Women's Soccer Tournaments.

Brown, G, Massard, T, Wignell, T, McCall, A, and Duffield, R. Match exposure, consecutive match number, and recovery days affect match running during international women's soccer tournaments. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): 577-583, 2024-To determine the influence of tournament-specific factors (match exposure, consecutive matches, and days between matches) on match running in women's international soccer players (footballers), 28 players from 1 national team were observed over 4 international tournaments using 10 Hz global positioning system units.

Monitoring Training Load and Wellness of Female Footballers Transitioning Between Club and National Teams.

Brown, GA, Massard, T, Wignell, T, McCall, A, and Duffield, R. Monitoring training load and wellness of female footballers transitioning between club and national teams. J Strength Cond Res 37(11): 2235-2240, 2023-This study described the change in training and match internal loads, plus perceptual wellness during the transition between club and national teams (NTs) for female international footballers (soccer).

Intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers in cricket: a systematic review.

Background: Lumbar spine injuries in fast bowlers account for the greatest missed playing time in cricket. A range of extrinsic and intrinsic variables are hypothesised to be associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers, and an improved understanding of intrinsic variables is necessary as these may alter load tolerance and injury risk associated with fast bowling. This review critically evaluated studies reporting intrinsic variables associated with low back pain and lumbar spine injury in fast bowlers and identified areas for future investigation.

Protective guidelines and mitigation strategies for hot conditions in professional football: starting 11 Hot Tips for consideration.

Elevated heat, humidity and solar load combined with low air movement independently and additively impair performance, increase the perception of effort and the risk of heat-related illnesses. For the specific context of professional football, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) heat guidelines are often used as the default policy. Still, these seem less protective than guidelines in other sports or from countries traditionally exposed to extreme hot conditions.

The type and extent of travel for professional footballers undertaking national team duties for a national football federation.

Elite football (soccer) involves club, continental and international fixtures, requiring players to undertake extensive travel [1]. For a national football federation, this includes the transport of players between club and camp/tournament commitments, which is often a point of contention between respective organisations [2]. Partly this contention results from the effects of travel, whereby jet lag and travel fatigue can negatively affect physical performance [3-5] and athlete wellbeing [6, 7].

Flight Path and Scheduling Effects on Perceived Jet Lag, Fatigue, and Sleep in Footballers Traveling to and From National Teams.

Purpose: This study examined posttravel perceptual responses of national-team footballers (soccer) following different flight paths, arrival/departure times, and trip contexts.

Methods: Details of 396 flights from national-team players (N = 68) were obtained and verified via an online flight database. Each player provided ratings of perceptual fatigue, sleep, soreness, stress, and jet lag for 2 days before and after each trip.