THE EFFICACY OF THE FIFA 11+ PROGRAM IN THE COLLEGIATE MALE SOCCER PLAYER (USA)

Background The efficacy of the FIFA 11+ program in collegiate soccer. Objective Can the FIFA 11+ effectively reduce injury in the competitive male soccer player?. Design Prospective randomized controlled trial conducted in the NCAA. Every institution (N=411) was contacted via a formal letter, email and phone call. Sixty-one institutions consented to participate. Human ethics approval was acquired through Quorum IRB, Seattle, WA, USA. The intervention group received an instructional DVD, manual and placards. A injury surveillance database was utilized (HealtheAthlete TM , Kansas) for data collection. Every exposure, injury, and compliance data was entered weekly. Setting NCAA institutions playing competitive soccer. Participants 61 institutions completed the study: 34 control (N=850 athletes) and 27 intervention (N=675 athletes). Intervention The FIFA 11+ injury prevention program served as the intervention program. It was utilized three times per week for the duration of the season. Main outcome measurements Specific injuries, athletic exposures, program compliance and time loss were recorded. Results In the intervention Group (IG), 285 injuries were reported (mean=10.56 injuries/team+/− 3.64) compared to 665 injuries (mean=20.15 +/− 11.01) in the control group (CG). The number of athletic exposures was 35,226 (Games: 10 935 AE, Practice: 24 291AE) for the IG and 44 212 (Games: 13 624 AE, Practice: 30 588 AE) in the CG). The incidence rate (IR) was 8.09/1000 AE (95% CI) in the IG compared to 15.04/1000 AE (95% CI) in the CG (P=.00117). Total days missed due to injury was 2 824 (mean=9.94) in the IG compared to 8776 days (mean=13.20) in the CG. Conclusions: The FIFA 11+ was shown to reduce injury rates and time loss in the male collegiate soccer player in a statistically significant manner.