The effect of a preventive training program on physical performance and reducing the rate of injuries on natural and artificial turf, and a comparison between them, for professional football players in Iraq.

Abstract

       The use of artificial turf instead of natural turf has become increasingly common in sports stadiums despite the large number of injuries among players, especially in football stadiums for professional players. Therefore, the injury rate from artificial turf among professional football players in Nasiriyah is not yet known.

  The study aimed to identify the effect of the preventive training program (FIFA The 11) on physical performance and reducing the injury rate among young football players for the first football team at the Nasiriyah Sports Club. The study also aimed to compare the injury rate on natural turf and artificial turf.

   The study sample was deliberately selected from the first football team of the Nasiriyah Sports Club, from (36) players. The researcher also used the experimental method by following pre- and post-measurements to compare the two groups. Both groups applied football-specific physical tests. The tests were conducted before the start of the preventive program and repeated two months after the start of the program. The injury rate was calculated during the competitive season of the first division league for the year (2017-2018). The researcher concluded that the preventive training program (FIFA The 11) had a positive impact on reducing the rate of injuries on natural and artificial turf among professional players for the benefit of the experimental group (EXP). In addition, the program improved the physical performance of the group (EXP) compared to the control group (CON). ). Therefore, the researcher recommends applying the program to younger age groups and other team games.