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Jacobson, Inger. "Injuries among female football players /." Luleå : Division of Physiotherapy, Luleå University of Technology, 2006. http://epubl.ltu.se/1402-1544/2006/43/.
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May, Jonathan Eric. "Communication and Motivation with Football Players." Scholarly Repository, 2009. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/207.
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This study investigated the perceived locus of causality of motivation in high school football players. The Sports Motivation Scale (SMS) was used to study seven motivation subscales (IM to know, IM to accomplish, IM stimulation, EM identified, EM introjected, EM external and Amotivation) with respect to motivation among high school football players. This indicated that IM to know, IM to accomplish, EM identified and EM introjected were the best predictors of the participants? perceived locus of causality of motivation. The results indicate that when using perceived locus of causality for motivation, position played could be predicted 62 percent of the time. The study also speculates on ways in which communication could be used to affect motivation.
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Macbeth, Jessica Louise. "Women's football in Scotland : an interpretive analysis." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/1843.
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The growing body of literature on women's football has focused mainly on the development of the game and experiences of past and present players. Despite the emergence of research on women's football internationally there has not yet been exclusive attention to either of these areas in the Scottish context. Using an interpretive framework this thesis is organised around four main themes: the development of women's football in Scotland; socio-demographic characteristics of women footballers; the process of socialisation; and, the subculture of women's football. The synthesis of elements within the interpretive framework ensures that the research offers an interpretation that is both contextualised historically and informed by an understanding of the meaning of football in the context of players' private lives. In relation to the history of the game, the development of women's football in Scotland has indeed been shaped by the particular Scottish context. The research concludes that the socialisation of women into football in Scotland is an interactive and often a reciprocal process. The subculture of women's football in Scotland is characterised by three interlocking group cultures. The meaning of football in players' lives influences the nature of their individual membership to these group cultures and the importance they attach to elements of subcultural capital. The various meanings attached to football give rise to potential sources of tension between the dominant, emergent and residual elements of culture within the subculture. This original theoretically and empirically informed study of women's football in Scotland makes a contribution to the growing body of research on women's football and to our understanding of the social and historical significance of sport in Scottish society.
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Miškovský, Karel. "National Football League Player Market: Are Professional Players Still Paid Monopsony Wages?" Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2012. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-165594.
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The main goal of this thesis is to find out whether National football league players are, even 15 years after the birth of unrestricted free agency, still paid monopsonistic salaries or whether competition among NFL teams eliminated them. After a theoretical discussion, which will help to form expectations about the player market, models in line with the standard theory of labor compensation and with Becker's human capital theory are estimated. The part of the research following the standard theory focuses mainly on estimations of players' marginal revenue product and subsequently on comparison of their wages with their MRP. To do so, OLS regressions, as well as quantile regressions, are run. The part of the research following the human capital theory has a supporting role and is used to further confirm the previous findings. It is represented by OLS player salary estimation. The hypothesis that players under a full control of their teams are still paid salaries below their MRP cannot be rejected, thus confirming a presence of monopsonistic salaries. A significant effect of free agency status on player salaries is also found. Exclusive rights players are paid significantly lower salaries than all free agents, while restricted free agents are paid significantly lower salaries than unrestricted free agents. Superstar players are found to have salaries in excess of their MRP regardless of their free agency status.
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Baird, Neil P. "The embodied literacies of collegiate football players." abstract (free order & download UNR users only), 2007. http://0-gateway.proquest.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3289457.
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Russell, Wade O'Brien. "Isokinetic testing of football players by position." Virtual Press, 1992. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/845932.
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The purpose of this study was to determine if isokinetic testing could be used as an effective means of assessing a players potential to play a certain position. The subjects were twenty four male division IA college football players. The Cybex 340 isokinetic testing device, twenty and forty yard dash, and standing broad jump were used to collect data. An analysis of variance test with repeated measures was used for the statistical analysis (ANOVA). Based on the findings of this study, no significant difference was found between offensive and defensive lineman, through isokinetic testing. However, a significant difference was found between the groups in the twenty and forty yard dash, and in the standing broad jump. Significant differences in these areas may have been attributed to a significant difference in body weight between the two groups tested.School of Physical Education
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Georgsson, Adam, and Olof Christensson. "Visualization of training data reportedby football players." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för datalogi och datorsystemteknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-16694.
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Background. Data from training sessions is gathered by a trainer from the playerswith the goal of analyzing and getting an overview of how the team is performing.The collected data is represented in tabular form, and over time the effort to inter-pret it becomes more demanding. Objectives. This thesis’ goal is to find out if there is a solution where collecting,processing and representing training data from football players can ease and improvethe trainer’s analysis of the team. Methods. A dataset is received from a football trainer, and it contains informa-tion about training sessions for his team of football players. The dataset is used tofind a suitable method and visualize the data. Feedback from the trainer is used todetermine what works and what does not. Furthermore, a survey with examples ofvisualization is given to the players and the trainer to get an understanding of howthe selected charts are interpreted. Results. Representing the attributes of most importance from received datasetrequires a chain of views (usage flow) to be introduced, from primary view to qua-ternary view. Each step in the chain tightens the level of details represented. Boxplot proved to be an appropriate choice to provide an overview of the team’s trainingdata. Conclusions. Visualizing training data gives a significant advantage to the trainerregarding team analysis. With box plotting will the trainer get an overview of theteam and can hereafter dig into more detailed data while interacting with the charts
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Peralta, Alguacil Francisco José. "Modelling the Collective Movement of Football Players." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-395941.
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Since the development and rise of different methods for obtaining tracking data from sports games, data analysis has played a very important role in the world of football. With many studies and models having been created for carrying out a posteriori analyses of football games, there is a necessity to take a step forward and include collective motion simulations in these analyses. With this thesis, a new model for computing the optimal positions of football players during an attacking situation is proposed. Three different computational models that quantify paramount aspects of football such as pitch control, pass success probabilities and pass impact will be used as the basis of our simulations. The new developed model built on top of these is able to look forward one or two seconds into the future and predict the optimal positions of the attacking players according to certain simple rules that are set to maximise or minimise different combinations of the mentioned algorithms.
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Söderlund, Ellinor. "In a football bubble: Cultural transition narratives of Swedish elite football players." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för hälsa och välfärd, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-38196.
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The purpose of the study was to investigate cultural transition experience in elite football. More specifically, to explore three Swedish football players experience of their first transition abroad when relocating to play professional football in Europe. A narrative inquiry approach was used, with help of the cultural transition model (Ryba, Stambulova, & Ronkainen, 2016) a semi-structured interview guide was created. The cultural transition model was also used as a lens for analyzing the data. The participants were non-randomly sampled and recruited with help from the Swedish Football Federation. Four players responded positively and initiated the interview, three was fully conducted while one dropped out. The data were analyzed with holistic-content and categorical-content analysis to show three unique pathways but also common themes of their cultural transitions. The first result showed the uniqueness of the players pathways; preparing for the worst and saved by the football bubble, taking responsibility and a key role as a foreign player to gain respect in the team, and a big step for personal development: from homesickness to being hungry for more. Secondly, the result showed that the participant shared experience in the cultural transition process which are presented in 12 themes (e.g. Pre-transition phase: satisfaction in Swedish club before leaving, Acute cultural adaptation phase: adjustment in football as first priority in host culture, and Sociocultural adaptation: perceived ability and efficacy to adjust to new cultural settings). In conclusion, adaptation in football was prioritized during the first period of relocation, that means that they fully invested to show that they were good. However, after this first phase, having a meaningful life besides football became one of the most important things to feel satisfied. Although there are still questions unanswered regarding cultural transition in elite football, implications to Swedish Football Federation were given in further working with professional players who go abroad.
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Destache, Travis. "Identifying key factors of choice of college among Wisconsin high school football players." Online version, 2009. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2009/2009destachet.pdf.
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McGuckian, Thomas Baxter. "An examination of the visual exploratory actions of association football players." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2019. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/860949a0e37b8d50cba781fec6988689fef0f99f7d2441929e1786ee9232f3ca/9804197/MCGUCKIAN_2019_An_examination_of_the_visual_exploratory.pdf.
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Successful performance in association football (soccer) is determined by the interaction between the technical, tactical and physical components of match-play. While each of these factors have received extensive research attention, the actions that inform the technical, tactical and physical components of play have been relatively under-investigated. Football environments change on a moment-to-moment basis, therefore, to successfully guide their actions, players need to maintain a constant understanding of their surrounding environment. This is done with active movement of the eyes, head and body – termed visual exploratory action - which allows visual perception of affordances, that is, the possibilities for action in one’s surrounding environment. Performatory actions, such as passing, moving to space and tackling, are informed by the perception of affordances that exploratory actions provide. Whether these performatory actions are afforded, however, is constrained by the relations between each individual actor (and their action capabilities), the environment (such as the weather, the ball and social expectations), and the task (such as the laws of the game and the team’s strategy). Given the complexity of these interacting constraints, and the difficulty in quantifying these constraints at any given time, gaining an understanding of how an athlete visually perceives their environment (that is, their visual exploratory actions) is necessary before moving to more complex questions relating to what a player visually perceives. Taking the Ecological approach to visual perception, this thesis aimed to gain an understanding of the visual exploratory actions used by football players to perceive their environment in 360-degrees. To fulfil this aim, a series of four studies were completed. Study 1, a systematic review of literature investigating the technology assisted quantification of visual exploratory actions, showed that eye-movements of football players have been examined extensively, but that representative designs were rarely used to investigate these actions. As a result, there is not a clear understanding of the eye-movements of players during actual football match-play. Further, the reliance on eye-movement registration technology has resulted in experimental designs that primarily present information directly in front of participants or do not require realistic responses. This is problematic given that, during match-play, players are required to perceive their environment in 360-degrees and need to respond with footballing actions. The systematic review of literature showed that there is a need to investigate the visual exploratory head movements of football players, using alternative technologies, while they perform in representative environments. vi Studies 2, 3 and 4 utilised head-mounted microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology to quantify the head movement of footballers while they participated in either a football passing task (Study 2) or 11v11 match-play (Study 3 and 4). Depending on the research question, IMU data were processed to obtain the number, frequency and/or excursion (i.e. size in degrees) of exploratory head movement events. Study 2 investigated the relationship between exploratory action prior to receiving the ball and subsequent performatory action using a novel experimental design. By presenting task relevant information 360-degrees around the participants and requiring a football passing response, this study was able to investigate the relationship between exploratory head movement and passing response speed. Findings revealed that, when players were given 2- seconds or 3-seconds to explore before receiving the ball, they would explore with a lower frequency of head movements with the ball and were able to complete the passing response more quickly, compared to when they were given only 1-second to explore. Importantly, categorical linear regression revealed that when players explored with a higher frequency of head movements before receiving the ball, they were able to respond with a passing action more quickly. Study 3 extended on Study 2 by investigating the relationships between exploratory action before receiving the ball and performance with the ball during 11v11 match-play. In addition, to understand when visual exploration is most important for performance, this study quantified the exploratory head movements of players in various time-periods before ball possession. When players explored with a higher frequency or with greater excursion than their individual average before ball possession, their performatory actions with the ball were more likely to be turns with the ball, a pass to an area that was opposite to where it was received, or a pass in an attacking direction. However, players were not more likely to play a successful pass following higher than average exploratory action. Additionally, the strength of these relationships changed according to the time-period before ball possession that was quantified. These findings showed that extensive visual exploratory action supports players’ performance with the ball, such that they are better able to make use of their surrounding environment. Study 4 represented the first study to investigate the constraining factors on players’ visual exploratory actions during 11v11 match-play. Results showed that playing role, pitch position and phase of play all constrained the visual exploratory actions of players. Players explored most extensively when they had possession of the ball, and least extensively during transition phases of play. In contrast, however, there were no differences between team vii possession and opposition phases of play. Wide players explored more extensively during defensive phases of play (i.e. opposition ball possession), while central players explored more extensively during attacking phases of play (i.e. team ball possession). This deeper understanding of constraining factors on visual exploration can be used to inform the development of representative training designs in football. Together, the findings supported the theoretical basis of the thesis, such that visual exploratory actions supported the discovery of afforded actions and prospective control of movement. Additionally, the findings provide some insight into the constraining factors on visual exploratory action in football. The findings have important implications for research methodology and applied practice. The novel use of wearable technology to quantify visual exploratory head movement throughout this thesis shows the value of these alternative methods for future investigations, particularly in the ability to quantify exploratory head movement in representative environments. Further, by developing the visual exploratory actions of players when they do not have the ball, coaches may see improvements in technical and tactical performance. While the novel methods used throughout this thesis have some limitations, the theoretical underpinnings, methodology and findings of this thesis provide a platform for future investigations of visual exploratory action in football and various other domains.
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Szabo, Miller Ashley Jenette. "Perceived Risk for Concussions in College Football Players." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1374014349.
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Uys, Stefanie M. "The impact of an intervention programme on the decision making speed and accuracy, declarative knowledge, and selected visual skills of U/20 rugby players /." Link to the online version, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/1302.
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Richard, Tobias. "Personal identity in adolescent football players : An explorative study." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Social and Health Sciences (HOS), 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-2051.
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The purpose of this study was twofold: a) To investigate dimensions and a structure of a personal identity in adolescent football players. b) To investigate a link between the players' athletic identity as a part of the personal identity and their self-esteem. An interview guide was made according to the objectives. Seven adolescent football players (four girls and three boys), who all played for the national team, were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Interesting parts were noticed and illustrative quotations were used to present the results.
Twelve identity dimensions were found, six of them had not been regarded in prior studies. Football got a lot of attention in the personal identity but other dimensions were also important. Thus, football did not always have the highest priority in the participants’ lives. The relation between identity importance and prioritized behavior seemed more complicated than prior research have suggested. Public attention due to athletic success was one of the factors enhancing self-esteem. Athletic failures did, according to the participants, affect their self-esteem, in different amount however.
The author discusses the results in relation to relevant literature in the identity and self-esteem area. Identity commitment theory (Stryker, 1980; Stryker & Serpe, 1994) seemed difficult to apply to the result. The link between the participants’ athletic identity and their self-esteem seemed to be more complex than prior studies have shown. It is suggested that the discrepancy between the actual-self and the ideal-self (Higgins, 1987, 1989), the disruption of the identity feedback loop (Burke, 1991) and perfectionism (Flett & Hewitt, 2002) has a stronger affect on the adolescent football players than the need for self-enhancement (Leary, 1999; Leary & Baumeister, 2000).
The study implicates that significant others in the athletes’ surrounding ought to emphasize other dimensions of the athletes’ personal identity to avoid athletic identity foreclosure, thus prevent unsuccessful career transitions.
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Borg, Johan. "Detecting and Tracking Players in Football Using Stereo Vision." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Electrical Engineering, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-8327.
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The objective of this thesis is to investigate if it is possible to use stereo vision to find and track the players and the ball during a football game.
The thesis shows that it is possible to detect all players that isn’t too occluded by another player. Situations when a player is occluded by another player is solved by tracking the players from frame to frame.
The ball is also detected in most frames by looking for ball-like features. As with the players the ball is tracked from frame to frame so that when the ball is occluded, the positions is estimated by the tracker.
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Morgan, Gareth P. "Coaching behaviours and players' motivation in elite youth football." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2006. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7857.
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The first phase of this research project focused on developing an understanding of the current practice behaviours being exhibited by coaches within elite-level English youth football. That is, prior to any further enquiry into this unique setting, it was felt that an investigation should establish, as accurately as possible, the practice behaviours utilised in the coaching of talented youth players. Thus, Study la comprised the contextual validation of a systematic observation instrument (the Elite Youth Football Coaches' Observation Instrument; EYFCOI) that would enable a precise detailing of coaches' practice behaviours to be undertaken that was more holistic than the other observational tools in common use. Subsequently, Study lb used the EYFCOI to carry out an evaluation, over mid-late season, of Under 12, Under 15, and Under 19 coaches' behaviours that found instructional provision to feature prominently within positive learning environments. These behaviours, and players' perceptions in relation to them, were found to be stable throughout the observation period. A significant age group finding, however, was identified in relation to players' perceptions, as younger players were found to have higher levels of enjoyment, exerted effort, and perceived learning than their older peers. Descriptive analysis of the coach behaviour data revealed that coaches of older players provided more frequent verbal instruction, but less frequent demonstrations and questioning strategies. A positive-to-negative feedback ratio of approximately 4: 1 was consistently recorded across the three age groups, with general feedback usage found to dominate over feedback that was informational. Study 2 sought to build on the findings of Study lb by qualitatively investigating the factors that influenced the performance of their role, whilst simultaneously researching players' coaching behaviour preferences. The main findings identified in relation to the factors impacting on coaches' performance of their role included a consistently cited emphasis on developing players, with conflicting opinions expressed in relation to how this is best achieved. The beliefs ranged between the extremes of valuing intense, pressurising, and controlling methods to a much more facilitative approach. Coaches' educational development was found to be primarily achieved through independent reflections. The most significant findings from the focus group interviews with players was a preference for coaches' open questioning usage on the basis that it was most beneficial for learning. Similarly, this same reason was cited for players' desire for feedback to be provided that was specific and informational. The final study assessed the efficacy of an autonomy-supportive coach behaviour intervention that was conducted over a 24-week period in mid-late season. Following an initial baseline period, coaches were supplied with educational support essentially geared towards increasing their usage of open questioning and making specific feedback their dominant feedback type. Support - in the form of quantitative data, video feedback, and behavioural modification strategies - was consistently provided during an intervention period, before being withdrawn post-intervention. The participating coaches were each found to successfully modify their behaviours, although it was found that changes were most effectively realised through coaches' perceived value in the programme of study, their adherence to the programme (reflected most notably in their independently-initiated efforts to achieve behavioural changes), and ultimately, in reaching a behavioural frequency at which the coaches' objectives were best achieved. Overall, the present thesis has extended the knowledge of elite-level English youth football environment, identifying practically-based findings that, it is proposed, can be of use within the development of coach education content and strategies in particular.
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Philp, Fraser Derek. "Validating models of injury risk prediction in football players." Thesis, Keele University, 2018. http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/4993/.
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Association football (soccer) is a popular sport and there is a high risk of injury for participants. Within the context of professional clubs, the risk of injury is also associated with the risk of financial costs. Therefore, injury reduction processes are considered important, and previous studies have sought to identify and model injury risk factors. Although formal screening tests e.g. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and monitoring procedures e.g. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have been developed for modelling and predicting injuries, the processes in current use, lack precision or clinical usefulness. The aims of this thesis were therefore to explore why existing methods of screening, measuring and modelling are not effective in predicting injuries. In order achieve this the following things were done; Literature review to evaluate the UEFA screening process and advocated variables, Validation of the FMS, the most commonly used exercise screening test, against a 3D photogrammetric system (Vicon (©Vicon Motion Systems Ltd)) Injury modelling on a pre-established database designed in accordance with the UEFA guidelines The literature review confirmed that the established database was compliant with the UEFA screening guidelines. The most commonly used screening measure (FMS) for injury risk was found to be an invalid measure and therefore removed from the modelling process. The models developed were unable to prospectively model injuries accurately (R = 0.23), and the primary problem was a large number of false positives i.e. those predicted as having risk of injury not sustaining injury. Reasons for poor model performance could be attributed to inappropriate screening methods, inadequate datasets or inadequate modelling methods for rare events. Future work should focus on addressing the limitations in the existing UEFA screening framework and simultaneously develop better methods of rare event modelling from small datasets.
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Marques, Inês Filipa Costa. "Mortality of elite athletes : an application to football players." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/18092.
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Mestrado em Actuarial ScienceOs benefícios para a saúde resultantes da prática regular de exercício físico, de uma forma moderada, estão cientificamente comprovados. Contudo, quando se trata de uma abordagem sobre atletas profissionais, os benefícios deixam de ser uma clara evidência, surgindo por vezes sinais de alerta para os seus possíveis efeitos adversos. Para alimentar esta controvérsia, muito têm contribuído os estudos recentes que evidenciam anomalias e doenças cardiovasculares, bem como as frequentes lesões em atletas de elite. É neste contexto que surge o principal objectivo deste trabalho: investigar se os atletas de elite vivem mais do que a população em geral. Após uma profunda revisão literária inicial relativa à mortalidade dos atletas de elite, procede-se a uma análise de sobrevivência que tem como foco dois grupos de jogadores de futebol profissionais. Recolheram-se dados relativos à data de nascimento e morte dos jogadores portugueses e espanhóis que representaram a sua selecção, bem como de outras variáveis de interesse para o estudo. Cada grupo de jogadores é comparado com a população geral do respectivo país, usando dados disponíveis na Human Mortality Database, através da estimação de standardised mortality ratios e de curvas de sobrevivência. O years-lost method é também aplicado, fornecendo uma medida de longevidade dos referidos atletas de elite. Ainda é averiguado se a posição dos jogadores e o número de jogos na sua carreira afectam diferencialmente a mortalidade dos mesmos, através dos Cox Proportional Hazard Models. Por fim, as populações dos jogadores portugueses e espanhóis são comparadas entre si.
The health benefits of moderate regular physical activity have been clearly demonstrated and are widely consensual. However, there is a growing debate over the potential adverse effects of strenuous physical activity, particularly at a professional level. Recent findings of cardiovascular anomalies in elite athletes coupled with the high frequency of injuries have brought some sports under increased scrutiny. In this context, the main goal of this work is to investigate whether elite athletes live longer than the general population. After an initial review of the literature on elite athletes' mortality, a comprehensive survival analysis is applied to two populations of professional football players. Lifespan data and specific occupational variables of Portuguese and Spanish football players, who have represented their national teams in their career, were collected from recognized publicly available sources. Each cohort is then compared to the respective standard population, using available data in the Human Mortality Database, through the estimation of standardised mortality ratios and survival curves. The years-lost method is applied to provide a time dimension measure for these elite athletes' longevity. Furthermore, the association of position on the field and the number of games with overall mortality is accessed using Cox Proportional Hazard Models. At the end, a comparison between the mortality of Portuguese and Spanish football players is carried out.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Szczepanski, L. "Assessing the skill of football players using statistical methods." Thesis, University of Salford, 2015. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/34027/.
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Professional football is a business worth billions of pounds a year. Player recruitment is a key aspect of the business with expenditures directly related to it (in the form of transfer fees and wages) accounting for the majority of clubs’ budgets. The purpose of this study is to propose methods to assist player evaluation based on statistical modelling that could be used to support recruitment decisions. In this thesis we argue that if such methods are to serve as the basis of player valuation, they need to have predictive utility, since it is players’ future performance that clubs benefit from and thus should be paying for. We present examples of how simplistic approaches to quantifying a footballer’s skill lack such predictive character. The original contribution of this thesis is a framework for evaluating footballers’ worth to a team in terms of their expected contribution to its results. The framework attempts to address one of the key difficulties in modelling the game of football, i.e. its free-flowing nature, by discretising it into a series of events. The evolution of the game from one event to another is described using a Markov chain model in which each game is described by a specific transition matrix with elements depending on the skills of the players involved in this game. Based on this matrix it is possible to calculate game outcome related metrics such as expected goals difference between the two teams at the end of the game. It enables us to establish a link between a specific skill of a given player and the game outcome. The skill estimates come from separate, location specific, models, e.g. the shooting skill for each player is estimated in a model of converting shots to goals given the shot location. We demonstrate how recognising the involvement of random chance in individual performance, together with accounting for the environment in which the evaluated performance occurred, gives our statistical model a predictive advantage when compared to naive methods which simply extrapolate past performance. This predictive advantage is shown to be present when passing and shooting skills are evaluated in isolation, as well as when measures of passing and shooting skills are combined in the proposed comprehensive metric of player’s expected contribution to the success of a team.
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WOODS, MOLLY ELIZABETH. "COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS BELIEFS AND USE OF CREATINE SUPPLEMENTATION." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2001. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1005683621.
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Henderson, Paul. "Black football players and their academic challenges and aspirations /." Available to subscribers only, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1559851841&sid=7&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Badock, Philip R. "Performance attributes of talented schoolboy Australian Rules Football players." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1992. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1139.
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The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between selected psychological characteristics and performance of a group of talented young Australian Rules football players. The study group consisted of 50 of the best identified schoolboy 15 year old Australian Rules football players in Western Australia. From this group 25 boys were selected to represent Western Australia at the Australian School Sports Council National Football Championships. The selected psychological characteristics were competitive anxiety (trait and state), competitive sport orientation (competitiveness, win and goal orientation) and sport confidence (trait and state). Performance was measured, first, by the selection or non selection of the player in the final team and second, by a high or low performance rating at the completion of the championships. Psychological characteristics of those players who were selected in the team were compared with those who did not make the team in an attempt to identify those characteristics that related to successful team selection. A further comparison of psychological characteristics and performance levels at the completion of the championships was made to determine any common characteristics that identify the higher performing players and possibly to identify predictors of successful performance which could assist with the selection process of other similar groups. The results did not indicate any significant relationships between the selected psychological characteristics of competitive sport orientation, competitive sport anxiety and sport confidence. Nor did the results indicate any relationship between the selected characteristics and the performance of the study group. The results did show however, significant differences between the perceptions of performance as rated by the players themselves and the ratings by the coach, manager, teammates and other independent observer. In every performance rating measure, factor loadings clearly showed that player self-assessments of performance was highly inconsistent with the assessments of the other assessors. This potential area of research may be of significant value in that the player's perception of his performance is not consistent and at variance with the views of the coach and of his teammates.
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Salvati, Emanuele <1994>. "Football condition in China: the case of naturalized players." Master's Degree Thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/17303.
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The focus of this thesis is the recent naturalization of foreign players in China, that led to the debut of the first football player without Chinese ancestry in the Chinese national team.
The first chapter is an introduction to the naturalization in football in all its aspects. I will first clarify concepts such as nation, nationality, and citizenship. Then I will analyze the evolution of the regulations on eligibility, starting from the case of Italy in the thirties to arrive to the modern FIFA eligibility rules.
In the second chapter, I will focus on the Chinese football condition. Starting with an overview of football history in the country, from the very first form of the game passing through the professionalization in the 90s to arrive at the recent years in which the Chinese Super League (CSL) developed very rapidly. The focus of the chapter is the relationship between Chinese authorities, football clubs and players and the reforms Chinese government is doing to reduce the gap with European football, trying to improve both CSL teams and national team level. These reforms aim to turn China into a world elite competitor by 2050 mainly through promotion of football at the grassroots level and league development.
The third chapter reviews the process of naturalization of foreign players that is now a widespread argument in the Chinese football circle, investigating reasons, advantages and drawbacks. For this analysis I based myself on the document “Chinese Football Association temporary regulations on the administration of the naturalized players”, which I translated. The document stipulates rules governing the registration and transfer of players who have recently obtained Chinese nationality or are in the process of doing so.
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Molnar, Kimberly A. "High school football player's nutritional knowledge and application." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2006. https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=4499.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2006.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 81 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
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Melling, Alethea Elisabeth Anne. "'Ladies' football' : gender and the socialisation of women football players in Lancashire, c.1916-1960." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 1999. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/21909/.
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The purpose of this research is to examine the significance of, to use their own term, ladies' football in the context of shifting social values with regard to gender roles and the socialisation of working - class women c. 1916 - 1960. The thesis will focus on ladies' football in Lancashire and surrounding districts from the end of the First World War, to the beginnings of the second wave of feminism, which marked the end of an era for the sport. Firstly, it is important to explain the use of the term ladies' rather than women's football. The term ladies' football was imposed by the patriarchal structures from which it developed in order to feminise the game and distinguish it from male football. This was consented to by the players who did not wish to be considered 'mannish'. The term lasted until the 1960's, when women began to take control of their own game. The term 'girls' is my own term and is used to describe the age group of the majority of the players. This must not be confused with the terms girlish' or girly', which are often used in a derogatory manner to undermine women's sports. Ladies' football developed out of the circumstances of the First World War. As a result of the war women were thrown into male spheres in the home, work place and sports field. Munitions girls were encouraged play football and take part in athletic competitions as a morale boosting exercise to raise money for war related charities. This behaviour, although contrary to traditional gender roles, was approved by the establishment as part of the 'plucky heroine' ideology of munitions work. However, this was only a temporary sanctioning and in the drive to return to pre - war social forms, football was amongst the many male spheres women were expected to relinquish. However, despite ideological and legislative pressure, the sport continued as a subculture throughout the 1920's, 1930's and the period after the Second World War until the early 1960's, when it was eftectively reorganised into its present format. Despite its early success, ladies' football has received limited attention from academics. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the significance of ladies' football in terms of gender roles and the socialisation of working - class women in Lancashire. The thesis will address five salient themes starting with the development of the sport in munitions factories during the First World War. It will go on to explore the sporting 'entente cordiale' that developed as a result of international ladies' football matches arranged between Britain and France immediately after the war. Furthermore, the study will address how the popularity of such teams as Dick, Kerr's Ladies inspired women and girls from mining communities in the north - west and north - east to form their own teams for the duration of the 1921 Miners' lock - Out, in order to raise money to fund the pea - soup' kitchens that fed the miners' children. In 1921, the Football Association banned ladies' football from being played on its grounds, with devastating consequences for the game. The thesis looks closely at the social and political context of this decision and the pro - natalist ideology that governed attitudes towards women's sport until the 1960's. Ladies' football became a very important part of popular culture during and immediately after the the First World War and in the opinion of certain writers, the struggle with the Football Association represented women's struggles to maintain the social and economic advantages they had gained in other spheres. From 1921 - 1925, the 'football heroine' became a significant feature in popular sporting fiction for working - class girls. The thesis looks at the intent of this fiction, and evaluates its didactic role in informing young women about the importance of keeping hold of the rights and freedoms they had gained during the war. Finally, the study will conclude by asking the question: to what extent was ladies' football a victim of its own early success? By examining these salient themes, this thesis challenges notion that ladies' football was insignificant and explores a whole new area of hitherto unanswered questions with regard to working - class women's physical culture.
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Akhlaque, Saba, and Elie Flouti. "Accounting in Football : A Study on the Human resource accounting of football players in Allsvenskan." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Företagsekonomiska institutionen, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-317294.
Full textAbstract:
Human resource accounting has grown in importance over the past few years as organizations that heavily rely on their labour force and their skills seek to account for them as assets to reflect their output. Football clubs fall into that category as players are vital for the success of the team. Accounting regulations such as the UEFA financial fair play exist in order to help football clubs account for their players as intangible assets on their balance sheets. However, there are uncertainties over the effectiveness of existing regulations as youth players and Bosman players for example are exempted and there are difficulties in specifying what it is that players account for. The authors study 4 clubs that compete in Allsvenskan as well as UEFA competitions in order to determine if Swedish teams present a fair and true value of their human resources. The authors find that despite the fact that balance sheets show a great degree of consistency between clubs and all meet minimum requirements set by ruling bodies, financial reporting in football still has some way to go in order to fully reflect the true value of players.
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Blackburn, Botswana Toney Thompson Carolyn. "Racial stacking in the National Football League reality or relic of the past? /." Diss., UMK access, 2007.
Find full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Education and Dept. of Sociology. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2007."A dissertation in education and social science." Advisor: Carolyn Thompson. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed July 30, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-121). Online version of the print edition.
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Gleeson, Nigel. "The utility of isokinetic dynamometry for the assessment of leg strength." Thesis, Staffordshire University, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.309813.
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Hill, Jimmy Matthew. "Extra-curricular activities on the field subcultural learning of in-game infractions among collegiate football players /." Birmingham, Ala. : University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. https://www.mhsl.uab.edu/dt/2009m/hill.pdf.
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Spieler, Martin J. "Predicting starting status [electronic resource] : factors contributing to the success of collegiate football players /." Click here to access thesis, 2006. http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/archive/spring2006/martin%5Fj%5Fspieler/spieler%5Fmartin%5Fj%5F200601%5Fms.pdf.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2006."A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science" ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 27-29) and appendices.
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Kirwan, Rochelle Dian. "Dietary protein versus supplemental protein in collegiate football athletes." Thesis, Montana State University, 2008. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2008/kirwan/KirwanR0808.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if muscle hypertrophy and strength gains in athletes can be equally attained through dietary protein intake versus protein supplementation. Methods: Performance measures, body composition, and blood lipids were compared in redshirt football players who completed an eleven week protocol of either protein supplementation (S, n=6, 28 grams 3x/week) versus whole food protein (NS, n=9, 8-28 grams 3x/week). Subjects completed two 3-day diet records to determine nutrient intake. Results: Both groups reported meeting their protein requirements, but caloric intake was below the recommendation. Similar increases (P=0.003) in lean body mass were measured in the S (pre 72.2 ± 6.6, post 73.0 ± 6.3 kg) and NS groups (69.3 ± 8.6, post 70.9 ± 8.8 kg). No significant differences were found between the two groups in performance variables. For example, bench press increased (P=0.01) from 251 ± 32 to 264 ± 36 pounds in the S group and from 245 ± 26 to 256 ± 28 in the NS group. Conclusion: Both S and NS groups consumed on average at least the recommended protein intake and protein supplementation did not offer any performance or anabolic advantage over whole food protein.
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Chagonda, E. "A comparison of injuries sustained on artificial and natural soccer turfs among premier soccer league football players in Zimbabwe." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97235.
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Background:
The International Football Federation (FIFA), through their Goal project, renovated Rufaro stadium from natural turf (NT) to artificial turf (AT). This was met with mixed feelings especially with regard to injuries sustained by football players. There is no published scientific data on football injuries in Zimbabwe.
Aim:
To determine the frequency of injuries on AT and NT among Premier Soccer League (PSL) players in Zimbabwe.
Objectives:
To determine the attitudes of players regarding the different football playing surfaces, and the incidence, severity and injury types on AT and NT.
Methods:
The 2013 season's16 PSL teams were selected to complete questionnaires and injury report forms. Injuries recorded during matches on AT and NT were analyzed. Outcome measures were injury incidence (injuries/1000 player hours (Phrs) of exposure)compared for AT and NT using rate ratios (95% confidence intervals). All statistical significance were set at p<0.05.
Results:
A total of 325 players responded and 295(90.8%) preferred playing on NT. Of these, 250(76.9%) believed that AT was associated with more injuries. A total of 364 injuries occurred during 4455phrs of exposure giving an injury incidence of 81.7 injuries/1000phrs.A total of 69 games (1138.5phrs) on AT revealed an injury incidence of 85.2 injuries/1000phrs while 201 games (3316.5 phrs) on NT revealed an overall incidence of 80.51 injuries/1000-hrs.This analysis showed no statistically significant difference in the incidence of injury between AT and NT surfaces during matches played, [RR= 1.06; 95% CI: 0.84 – 1.34]. With regard to injury severity, the highest incidence occurred on the AT (31.62/1000phrs in the mild category) and the lowest incidence was on the NT (1.81/1000 phrs in the severe category) .The rate ratios for the severity were however not statistically significant. Comparison of the injuries according to body part injured largely revealed insignificant rate ratios.
Conclusion:
Football players believe that the AT is associated with increased risk of injury. There was no significant difference in injury incidence rates and severity between the AT and NT during the 2013 PSL season in Zimbabwe. The incidence of injury in this study was much higher than comparable European studies and is a need for further studies to explore the underlying reasons for this.
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Stewart, Debbie. "Transition experiences of football players from amateur to professional leagues." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0025/MQ26970.pdf.
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Plaatjie, Mzwandile Ronald. "A comparison of coping strategies of ethnically diverse football players." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1163.
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Muscat, Adele. "Action research : preparing Maltese football players for migratory based transitions." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2017. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/7141/.
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The thesis outlines a collaborative research project that was undertaken between the Malta Football Association (MFA), the Malta National Sports School (NSS) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Drawing on transition frameworks, models and contemporary literature (Schlossberg, 1981; Stambulova 2003; Wylleman & Lavalle, 2004; Morris, Tod & Oliver, 2015; Morris, Tod & Eubank, 2016; Richardson, Littlewood & Gilbourne, 2005; Richardson, Littlewood, Nesti & Benstead, 2012), the research adopted an action research methodology to examine the psycho-social and cultural challenges that young Maltese football players and parents experienced within migratory based transitions. The author adopted the role of practitioner-researcher to understand, plan and support a range of key stakeholders during the transition process. Specifically, Study One (Reconnaissance Phase) examined the challenges experienced by Maltese footballers that had migrated to European professional football. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 male Maltese players who had experienced migration to a foreign club. Results evidenced that players experienced homesickness and lacked psycho-social knowledge and skills for an effective transition. Players also experienced culturally based challenges. The findings are framed around a unique and deeply embedded Maltese cultural identity. Study Two (Reconnaissance Phase) utilised a focus group methodology with parents of players from the Maltese Football Association (MFA) Academy, parents of young players that had previously experienced migration, head coaches from top Maltese nurseries, and coaches from the National Sports School (NSS) and MFA. Findings of Study One were disseminated to facilitate reflection, discussion and to identify issues that required consideration in order to better prepare young players for future migratory based transition. Study Three (Action Planning) used focus groups to disseminate the findings of Study One and Two with the Headmaster of the NSS, and parent representatives of the school. A number of change strategies were developed to improve the school’s programme of preparation for students who may migrate to foreign clubs. A separate action meeting was conducted with the Technical Director of the MFA to discuss and highlight change strategies to improve the MFA’s programme of preparation for young footballers seeking a career abroad in professional football. The Implementation and Monitoring phases focused on applying the action strategies agreed. These were; (i) to experience migration and independent living, (ii) psycho-social and cultural support and development of young players, and (iii) parental education. Regular evaluation of change strategy activities evidenced positive change and also continued to enhance the efficacy of the strategies being implemented. Young players who have migrated overseas over the past year and who had engaged in a programme of preparation prior to migration have coped well with the challenges they have so far faced.
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Coetsee, Tristyn. "The Fifa ban on third-party ownership of football players." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/65641.
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Third?party ownership is a type of alternative financing model in which an investor takes ownership of all or part of a football player’s economic rights and is thereby entitled to a percentage of the transfer fee each time the player is sold. Third-party ownership of players’ economic rights is of growing concern in the global football sphere. Despite this business practice having been partially regulated by FIFA in 2009, third-?party ownership continued to grow. This practice was subsequently banned by FIFA on 1 May 2015. In the international football community, there are different opinions of third-?party ownership. Some state that a complete ban is necessary while others insist that the practice be better regulated. The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that FIFA has come to the correct decision when imposing a blanket ban on third-?party ownership. This dissertation deals with the history of third-?party ownership, the different arguments brought forward by the opposing parties, and how FIFA came to the conclusion to ban the practice. This research assumes a quantitative approach comprising an in-?depth analysis of third-?party ownership from the available case law, journal articles and news articles on what is a considerably opaque topic. The shady practice of third-?party ownership is a difficult topic to research because the majority of the parties enter into non-?disclosure agreements in order to protect themselves. This secrecy has played an important role in perpetuating the existence of third-?party ownership.Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Private Law
LLM
Unrestricted
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Haff, G. Gregory, and Michael H. Stone. "Methods of Developing Power With Special Reference to Football Players." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2015. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4631.
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Power-generating capacity should be a primary training outcome for football athletes. The ability to be explosive and use high levels of strength seems to differentiate between athletes and teams. Developing training interventions that can improve both strength- and power-generating capacity would therefore be considered a paramount endeavor when attempting to optimize the physiological and performance adaptations necessary for competitive success. Too often, strength and conditioning coaches forget that the foundation of powergenerating capacity is in fact high levels of muscular strength. When the development of strength is minimized or excluded from the training plan, the ability to express high-power outputs is compromised. In addition, a failure to use sequenced and integrated training programs decreases the possibility of successfully increasing strength- and power-generating capacity, thus decreasing the potential for competitive success. Therefore, this brief review attempts to explain how strength- and powergenerating capacity can be enhanced to increase the potential for developing the physiological and performance foundation necessary for competitive success with the football athlete.
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Baker, Daniel. "A series of studies on professional rugby league players." Connect to thesis, 2007. http://portal.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2007.0043.html.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Edith Cowan University, 2007."Including: 1. Testing and the relationship of upper body muscular strength, power, speed and strength-endurance to playing position and status in professional rugby league players; 2. Acute training methods that affect the development of upper body muscular power; and 3. Chronic adaptations - the nature, scope and methodology of long-term adaptations in upper body strength and power."--T.p. Submitted to the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science. Includes bibliographical references.
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Cormack, Stuart J. "Neuromuscular fatigue and endocrine responses in elite Australian rules football players." Connect to thesis, 2008. http://portal.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2008.0010.html.
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Rebchuk, Alexander David. "Investigating impact exposure and functional neurological status in collegiate football players." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/58375.
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A single head impact in sport can cause an acute concussion, whereas repetitive head impacts are suspected to cause chronic neurological impairment. However, the diagnostic accuracy of concussion assessment tools are not well understood and sparse research evidence exists regarding the neurological implications of repetitive head impacts. The objective of this thesis was to investigate repetitive head impacts, including impact detection technology and neurocognitive function, over the duration of a collegiate football season. Thirty-five healthy participants were recruited from a collegiate football program for a three-part study. Participants adhered an impact detection sensor (xPatch, X2 Biosystems) to their right mastoid process prior to each game and practice. As well, they completed a weekly battery of neurological testing that included the graded symptom checklist, standardized assessment of concussion, balance error scoring system and King-Devick test. In experiment 1, we investigated the accuracy of the xPatch to classify each detected event as an impact or non-impact. We matched each event to game video and assigned a true positive, false positive, true negative or false negative classification. The sensitivity of the sensor was 77.6%, specificity was 70.4% and overall accuracy was 75.1%. Additionally, we determined that impact count is strongly correlated to cumulative head kinematic load, i.e. cumulative linear acceleration (r²=0.98), cumulative rotational acceleration (r²=0.98) and cumulative rotational velocity (r²=0.99). In experiment 2, we explored the relationship between alterations in neurological status and repetitive head impact exposure using linear mixed models. The number of head impacts sustained was significantly related to the number and severity of symptoms in participants, but not to any other indicator of neurological status. In experiment 3, we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of each neurological test using receiver operating characteristic curves and corresponding area under the curve values. The diagnostic accuracy for the graded symptom checklist was high (0.76-0.93), King-Devick Test was moderate (0.64-0.80), standardized assessment of concussion and balance error scoring system were poor (0.47-0.71). In summary, this thesis identified limitations in current impact detection technology, provided evidence of a link between repetitive head impacts and symptomatology, and determined that the graded symptom checklist can accurately diagnose concussion.Education, Faculty of
Kinesiology, School of
Graduate
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Gerdsen, Willy. "Investigating suitable pitch sizes for young football players in New Zealand." Click here to access this resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/399.
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Whilst smaller pitches have become the norm in junior football, they may still be too large for certain ages and levels of skill. To date there has been no research into the relationships between size of the pitch and the technical kicking ability (distance and accuracy) of young players (8 - 14 years of age). The purpose of this investigation was to examine variables that influence actual kicking distance and accuracy and also to measure what differences in play behaviour (passing and dribbling) emerge from self-selected changes in pitch size for different age groups (9 and 10 years of age). Data were collected on 120 (N=120) junior football players: Playing experience (M=2.85 years, SD=2.56), Height (M=1.44 m, SD=1.08), Weight (M=37.8 kg, SD=7.69), Lengths of lower limbs (knee/ankle: M=35.54 cm, SD=4.27; hip/knee: M=35.54 cm, SD=5.25), Step lengths (M=37.66 cm, SD=8.693), Estimated kicking distance (M=31.13 m, SD=16.63). Participants performed a series of three kicks along the ground, using the inside of the foot, and aiming for a target (25 m away). The distance (M=18.04 m; SD=6.56) and accuracy (M=8.32 m; SD=4.38) of each kick were measured. The children (9 and 10 years of age) were then assigned to teams and asked to construct a small-sided game on two different pitch sizes. The first pitch size used was the recommended regulation size. The second pitch size was self-selected by the players. Any changes to the playing dimensions (e.g., width of the pitch) and playing behaviours (e.g., total number of passes, dribbling) were measured and analysed. Kicking distance is best predicted by the player’s height (20.0%, P < 0.000), or a combination of the player’s height and estimated kicking distance (30.0%, P = 0.002). Kicking accuracy can be attributed to the influence of the player’s step lengths (8.1%, P = 0.016) and both their step lengths and estimated kicking distance (15.1%, P = 0.020). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that the increase in pitch size (18.5% and 25%) resulted in a greater amount of dribbling (63% and 33%) and passing (12%). In general, our results support the idea that young children in New Zealand should be playing on a pitch and at a skill level which matches their football abilities. Grouping young players on a pitch according to their physical (e.g., height) and technical kicking ability (e.g., distance, accuracy) instead of their chronological age, seems to be the key factor to any other set of proposals. The findings of this thesis have important messages that could enhance the effectiveness of coaching, competitive game-play (pitch sizes) and consequently performance at all junior levels of football in New Zealand. Further research should manipulate the number of players per team to see if this factor affects competitive game-play in junior football. Additionally, the mean distances maintained between players in the same team (team-mates) during game play needs to be considered (with regard to the ‘beehive effect’). Further studies should examine different age groups of equivalent skill level and assess their performance in relation to their technical kicking ability on different pitches.
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DeLenardo, Samantha. "Game Changer: Mental Health Strategic Communication Plan for Varsity Football Players." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/24356.
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In the past two years, six National Football League players have died by suicide. Investigations into most of the deaths revealed that the players suffered from brain damage likely caused by repeated concussions. As is the case with many health issues, tragedy often precedes action; the suicides of these high profile football stars have catalyzed action on concussion policy and practice, as well as opened up the conversation about the overall mental health of athletes.
This thesis joins the conversation around mental health and athletes, specifically Canadian varsity football players. Mental health problems and illnesses are presented as especially common, affecting about 1 in 5 Canadians. That is not to underestimate the severity of mental illnesses, which can deteriorate an individual’s quality of life, significantly impact friends and family and, in the most severe cases, also lead to death by suicide. That said, this thesis adopts a theoretical perspective that focuses on the promotion and protection of good mental health.
This thesis is primarily concerned with investigating the social, political, and external factors that negatively impact how football players conceptualize mental health and mental illness, and also the recommended behaviour to seek professional help if needed. The growing body of research concerning the negative impact of mental illness stigma is compelling and leaves no doubt that stigma is a significant barrier to recovery. This thesis explores the stigma process as well as its social function in groups. Next, it investigates how the already powerful stigma around mental illness is further exacerbated by gender and more specifically, how traditional masculine ideology (i.e. men should be strong and powerful) conflicts with stereotypical beliefs about mentally ill people (i.e. weak and/or incompetent). Gender and health are further linked in terms of behaviour. In other words, rejecting health behaviours becomes a strategy some men utilize to project their masculinity, paradoxically contributing to the creation or worsening of many health problems. A health behaviour that is explored in detail is psychological help-seeking, and the psychosocial processes of help-seeking, which are also mainly regulated by masculinity. An overview of the most common mental health problems and illnesses found in male varsity athletes is provided.
All of the above components are then applied to the unique context of varsity football players. The thesis draws on the literature as well as qualitative interview data that explores the experiences of 8 varsity football players at the University of Ottawa. Regarding mental health promotion, the findings show that football players may require adapted communication approaches. To that end, the thesis transitions into an early-stage health communication plan supported by the literature and the primary data. The plan proposes overall outcomes, short term/intermediate objectives, a communication strategy, and a tactical approach. Next, a web-based health resource is suggested as a primary communication vehicle and is outlined in detail. The plan then suggests potential partnerships for extending the strategic communication plan’s reach and credibility. This is followed by suggestions for evaluating both the short term/intermediate objectives as well as the strategic communication plan’s overall impact.
This thesis concludes with a chapter exploring the contributions lifted from the eight qualitative interviews, as well as suggested directions for research, policy and practice.
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Gamble, Paul. "Specificity in the physical preparation of elite rugby union football players." Thesis, Brunel University, 2005. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5366.
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The present thesis explored various applications of training specificity with regard to elite-level rugby union football players of various ages. A novel approach to metabolic conditioning employing skill-based conditioning games was investigated with elite-level senior professional players, during the course of a preseason training period. Training responses were assessed using a submaximal intermittent shuttle test performed at weekly intervals. Significant differences post-training (p<0.01) were observed for %HRmax reached during the final test stage and recovery of HR from the end of the final stage to the end of the final 1-minute rest period. The second study examined effectiveness of a circuit format for strength training in elite senior professional players during a preseason training period. Following the circuit based strength training, deadlift and bench pull I-RM strength scores were significantly improved both in comparison to pre-tests (p<0.01) and end season scores (p<0.01). Bench press scores were also significantly improved following the training period (p<0.01), and post-test bench press scores were improved relative to end season scores, albeit to a lesser extent (p<0.05). An Olympic lift training intervention was undertaken with Junior academy-level rugby union players. The effect of the application of these lifts on mean power output measured using test apparatus that simulated the ruck clean movement featured in rugby union football was examined. The considerably greater increases of the training group on this measure (28% vs 8%) were reflected in greater statistical significance (p<0.01) relative to the improvement for the control group (p<0.05). A significant interaction effect also indicated the training groups responded significantly differently on the test measure following training. A weighted ballistic push up training mode, incorporating a prototype shoulder harness, was investigated in a group of junior academy-level rugby football players. The training group recorded significant improvements in work output measured using a concentric-only push test (p<0.05), whereas countermovement push-up test scores approached significance (P=0.063). The final study employed an overweight ball complex training intervention. Following training the elite academy professional players who served as subjects showed significant improvements (p<0.05) in right-handed and left-handed mean and peak pass velocities.
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Day, J. "Critical transition phases within top-level female football players in Europe." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2018. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/9478/.
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Women’s football has gained in popularity over the last fifteen years and research into this area has developed. (Lopez, 1997; Scraton, Fasting, Pfister, & Bunuel, 1999; Williams, 2003, 2007, 2011; Fasting, 2004; Brus and Trangbaek, 2004; Pfister, 2006; Cauldwell, 2011). This research study has addressed the historical developments and inequalities with women’s football and extended the existing knowledge of women’s football and developed further the understanding of how female players transition through their playing careers. Study One utilized in-depth interviews, (n=6), with senior administrators in the football organization to examine the organizational structure of six football associations (Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands), in Europe, to understand where women’s football is situated within the organization. The status and location of women’s football in the football organization was scrutinized to identify whether this affects the allocation of resources and working practices within women’s football. The results identified the challenges women’s football faced in gaining adequate resource to develop the women’s game. Gaps in the development structures were identified and this led to the development of Study Two which recognized the need to examine how the players navigate through these structures. Transition models (Wylleman and Lavallee 2014 holistic career model) have framed Study Two to explain how the players transition through their football careers. Seventeen elite players from the six European countries involved in Study One, were interviewed to gain an in-depth insight into how they navigate through their playing career. The findings from Study Two identified that the players found the transition from junior elite football to senior elite football problematic. This depended upon whether they had sufficient junior pathways in place to aid in this transition. Key themes identified in Study One were interwoven into this study, historical social cultural acceptance, migration and dual careers reaffirmed the complex nature of elite women’s football and challenged the transition literature and models to explain how women’s football fits into these models. Despite these complexities the players navigate through their careers, however there is little known about the player to why they continue playing football with all the challenges they face. Study Three aimed to redress this, a case study narrative approach (Douglass and Carless 2006), has been adopted during this study to elicit the players own life experiences and to identify and evaluate the decision-making processes they go through, to play at the elite level. Two players from Study Two were interviewed five years on from their original interviews to explore how they have continued to navigate through the complex journey of women’s football. The stories gave a more in depth insight into the player’s careers and about the player. Resilience and player identity emerged to why these players continue to play at the elite level. The themes of migration and having to combine an academic/ vocation and elite sporting career successfully continued to develop from Study One and Two.
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Hardee, Abraham Billy. "Graduation success of scholarship football players at Virginia Tech, 1981-1983." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45153.
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Graduation success of college athletes is becoming as popular
a phrase in the world of college sports as is the term Proposition
48. This phrase has derived from the inability of college
athletes to obtain a degree after their playing eligibilities have
ended. This study focused on several variables that help determine
or judge the graduating success of a student athlete. The particular
variables used were SAT scores, high school GPA, college GPA, and
race.
A positive relation of 93% of all students, 77% relationship
for black student athletes, and 100% for non-blacks was found between
SAT, high school GPA, and college GPA graduating success. It should
be noted that other variables may affect the success or lack of
success of a student athlete; however, these lie beyond the scope
of this study.
Master of Science
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Theron, Nicolas Charle. "Medical conditions and illness in elite football players during international competition." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9034.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-128).Background: Previous clinical research of football players participating in international tournaments has mainly focussed on documentation of injuries and risk factors for injury. However, despite anecdotal evidence that medical symptomatology, illness and medical complaints are common during travel to international competitions, the epidemiology of medical conditions before, during or after elite level football tournaments, has not been well documented. Objective: The aims of the research presented in this dissertation were: 1) to determine the prevalence of medical conditions in elite football players 2) to determine the incidence and nature of medical conditions and illness in the elite football players participating in an international tournament (2009 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament) and 3) to provide data for the medical planning and management of elite football players during future events. Methods: The first component of this dissertation consisted of a comprehensive review of the current literature describing the prevalence and incidence of medical conditions and illness in athletes. The original research component of this dissertation consisted of two parts, and both studies were conducted during the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament, which was held in South Africa in June 2009. All the players in the 8 participating teams (23 players per team – a total of 184 players) were approached by the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC) through their team physicians and invited to participate as research subjects in the studies. Part 1 (descriptive cross-sectional study): Prior to the tournament, all the players completed a previously validated medical history and illness questionnaire. Furthermore, the questionnaire contained sections on player demographics, training history, medication and supplement use, life-style history, family history of atopy, current and past history of medical conditions and detailed sections pertaining to upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), allergies, asthma, exercise associated muscle cramping (EAMC) and history of previous surgery. Part 2 (prospective cohort study): During the 15 days of the tournament each team physician was requested to complete a daily injury, medical illness and treatment log for each player. Finally, data on the environmental conditions at each venue were collected, as recorded by the South African Weather Service. Results: The main findings in part 1 of this study were: 1) exercise associated muscle cramping (EAMC) was the most prevalent medical condition reported, with 64 (46%) of the players reporting a history of EAMC, 2) the prevalence of allergy was 27 (20%) and asthma 6 (4%), 3) the prevalence of dermatological conditions was 16 (12%), 4) the prevalence of gastro-intestinal conditions was 10 (7%) and central nervous system conditions was 6 (4%), 5) URTI one week before the tournament was reported by 7 (5%) of the players, 6) 68 (49%) of the players reported a history of previous surgery and 7) 72 (52%) of the players reported the use of supplements or vitamins and 11 (8%) the use of medication. Knee surgery was the most common anatomical area operated with 33 (24%) of the players reporting previous knee surgery. This was followed by a much lower prevalence of ankle surgery, 8 (6%). In part 2 of the study, a total of 56 injuries and 35 illnesses were recorded during the tournament. The main findings in this study were: 1) an overall injury rate of 64.4 injuries per 1000 match hours or 2.1 injuries per match, 2) an overall rate of 2.7 injuries and 1.7 illnesses per 100 player days, 3) that 0.88 days were lost per injury and 0.46 days were lost per illness, 4) the lower limb was the most commonly injured body part, 5) 11 (20%) of the injuries reported were to the thigh, 6) 15 (44%) of the injuries reported were due to a contusion, 6) 13 (37%) of the illnesses reported were due to ENT conditions, and 7) 7 (20%) were due to respiratory tract symptoms. Summary and conclusion: Illness and injury are common during an international football tournament. The pattern of injury was similar to that previously reported. However, the novel finding of this dissertation was that illness is a significant component to the medical care to a travelling team and needs to be considered by team physicians managing the medical needs of elite football teams.
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Reinke, Derek R. "Predictors of Satisfaction with Sport Leadership in Small-College Football Players." DigitalCommons@USU, 2001. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6159.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigated eight possible predictors of satisfaction levels in smallcollege football players. The sample (N = 442) included eight nonscholarship football programs from the NCAA Division III or NAIA classifications. Measures included Zhang's Revised Version of Chelladurai's Leadership Scale for Sport, and a seven-item subscale of the Scale of Athlete Satisfaction.
The six subscales of the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport each yielded a significant linear relationship with the satisfaction outcome measure: social support (I= .696), situational consideration (I= .665), positive feedback (r = .654), teaching and instruction (I= .627), democratic behaviors (I = .501), and autocratic behaviors (I= -.372). Minimal correlations were found between satisfaction and the two other predictors evaluated: each team's win/loss percentage (I= .164) and each player's estimated amount of playing time (r = .121). With the large sample size, these two modest correlations were also statistically significant. However, as neither accounted for more than 2% of the total variance in satisfaction levels, they are not likely to have practical significance.
The predictors were also evaluated via stepwise multiple regression analysis to assess which combination(s) would account for more of the overall variance. Unfortunately, a mild case of multicollinearity made it difficult to attribute relative importance to the predictors. For example, the situational consideration subscale recorded especially high correlations with several of the other Revised Leadership Scale for Sport subscales. Overall, results indicate that specific coaching behaviors are more associated with player satisfaction in small-college players than are reported in previous samples of other types of athletes. As such, coaches are encouraged to provide support for players in off-the-field endeavors, offer positive feedback on performance goals, and combine knowledge of the sport with the ability to make adjustments in strategies and coaching behaviors.
A comparison of the current sample of nonscholarship, small-college football players and a sample of full-scholarship (NCAA Division I-AA) football players revealed several interesting differences. In the current sample, the correlations between social support and satisfaction, and democratic behavior and satisfaction, were substantially higher. Additionally, a much stronger negative relationship existed between autocratic coaching behaviors and satisfaction among small-college players.
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Cormack, Stuart J. "Neuromuscular fatigue and endocrine responses in elite Australian Rules football players." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2008. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/19.
Full textAbstract:
The first purpose of this research was to establish the reliability of numerous measures obtained from a single and short duration repeated countermovement jump (CMJ) utilising a portable forceplate (Experimental Studies 1 and 2). Secondly, the response of reliable CMJ variables and T, C and T:C to a single elite level ARF match was assessed to identify the pattern of response and highlight those measures with the greatest potential for usefulness as monitoring tools across longer periods (Experimental Study 3). Finally, those variables identified as most valuable in Experimental Study 3 in addition to T, C and T:C; were measured throughout a season of elite ARF competition in order to examine the manner of their response and assess the magnitude of change in these variables in relation to performance and training and competition loads (Experimental Study 4).
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Svennerlind, Malin, and Sewit Hagos. ""Playing football and studying is a good combination" : Dual Career Motivation, Stressors and Coping in Swedish Football Players." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för hälsa och välfärd, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-43877.
Full textAbstract:
Dual career (DC) means that an athlete combines sport and study/work. A balanced DC strongly depends on an athlete's ability to cope with stressors and is of paramount importance to succeed with both studies and sport (Stambulova et al., 2015; Wylleman & Reints, 2010). The study aimed to explore dual career (DC) motivation, stressors, and coping in Swedish football players. The participants were nine male student-football players from seven football clubs in Sweden aged between 22 to 27 (M = 24.84, SD = 1.50) in Division 1, Superettan, and Allsvenskan (three highest levels of football in Sweden). A semi-structured interview guide was designed to explore the study’s aim. Based on the result, a thematic map was developed from the central concept, categories, themes, and sub-themes created from analyzing the corresponding data. The thematic map connects all parts of the results and summarizes the study. The results revealed that internal DC motivation dominated, but education was partly affected by external motivation. Lack of support, dealing with time pressure and the challenge with performance and pressure in DC were the most significant stressors. Student-athletes demonstrated different ways of coping with stressors. Three coping strategies were identified. The participants highlighted physical and mental recovery in DC and the importance of social support. Findings showed that Covid-19 (C-19) positively impacted education, where remote learning was beneficial. The discussion, therefore, highlights the recommendations for flexible academic programs for all student-athletes at university to facilitate DC. The study concluded that internal motivation, combined with social support and previous experiences, is the predominant factor in succeeding with DC.Dubbel karriär (DC) betyder att en idrottare kombinerar sport och studier/arbete. En balanserad DC beror starkt på idrottarens förmåga att hantera stressfaktorer och är en avgörande faktor för att lyckas med både studier och sport (Stambulova et al., 2015; Wylleman & Reints, 2010). Syftet med studien var att utforska svenska studerande fotbollsspelares erfarenheter med fokus på motivation, stressorer och stresshantering. Deltagarna bestod av nio manliga studerande fotbollsspelare, från sju olika fotbollsklubbar i Sverige vars ålder varierade mellan 22 till 27 (M = 24,84, SD = 1,50) i Division 1, Superettan och Allsvenskan (tre högsta fotbollsligorna i Sverige). En semistrukturerad intervjuguide designades för att studera syftet. Baserat på resultatet utvecklades en tematisk karta utifrån de kategorier, teman och sub-teman som uppkom av den analyserade datan. Den tematiska kartan är studies produkt som sammanfattar resultatet och hur de sammankopplade. Resultatet påvisar att dubbla karriärer drivs mer från inre motivation, men utbildning påverkas delvis av yttre motivation. Brist på stöd, hantering av tidspress och utmaningarna med prestation och krav inom DC var de största stressorer. Student-idrottare demonstrerade olika sätt att hantera stressfaktorer och tre hanteringsstrategier identifierades. Deltagarna lyfte fram fysisk och mental återhämtning i DC och vikten av socialt stöd. Resultaten visade att Covid-19 (C-19) påverkade utbildningen positivt, där distansundervisning var fördelaktig. Diskussionen vill därför lyfta fram rekommendationerna för flexibla akademiska program för alla studentidrottare vid universitetet för att underlätta DC. Studien drog slutsatsen att intern motivation, kombinerat med socialt stöd och tidigare erfarenheter, är de dominerande faktorerna för att lyckas med DC.
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Månsson, Tim. "Homegrown Player Rule and the Compensation Scheme for Young Players – Are the Rules Compatible with EU-Law? : And the Rules Effect on Minor Football Players." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för juridik, psykologi och socialt arbete, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-92966.
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