Football is responsible for between one-fourth and one-half
of all sports-related injuries in Europe.
6,22,24,26 A direct comparison
between studies is difficult because of differences
in study design and injury definitions, but the risk of injury
is undoubtedly high.
The injury incidence among adult
male players is estimated to 10 to 35 injuries per 1000
match hours.
14,23 Injury severity is also a concern.
In fact,
in a recent study, Drawer and Fuller13 concluded that the
risk of acute injury in professional football is unacceptably
high when evaluated against accepted occupational health
criteria. Thus, attention needs to be directed at how to prevent
injuries in football.