Research data on the health benefits of football are growing rapidly
Research evidence related to different population groups on the health benefits of football is growing rapidly. Several books and hundreds of articles have been published on the topic. The conclusions from this body of evidence have been encapsulated in the Football is Medicine model, which combines perspectives from sports science, sports exercise physiology, sports medicine, sports psychology, and the social sciences of sports.
“Small-sided football games are an intense and versatile combination of strength, endurance, and aerobic high-intensity interval training,” says Associate Professor Kasper Salin from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the Ģֱ. “The physical exercise one gets in football can be used in the prevention and rehabilitation of various long-term diseases.”
Salin continues:
“In the same way, different school and football club projects have shown that football has great potential to improve physical fitness and increase psychosocial well-being, while also developing motor skills, cognitive functioning and learning.”
The first Football is Medicine conference was held in Lissabon, Portugal in 2018. This time around, the conference will be held at the Ģֱ on 14–16 January 2025.
“The event is more multidisciplinary, diverse, and multivocal,” says Mihaly Szerovay, the joint professor of practice for the Ģֱ and the Football Association of Finland. “In addition to scientific presentations, the science-meets-practice perspective will be strongly on display.”
“I would like to highlight the programme’s keynote presentation Women’s football: How we make the traditional football environment more inclusive by Katrine Kryger, an expert at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), as well as a panel discussion on the models and best practices of recreational football internationally.”
Finnish football research and cooperation attract international interest
A tremendous amount of business has been built around football because of its social status, and it has in fact become the world’s most researched sport. Research, development and innovation produces new knowledge and understanding, which are nowadays essential also for the development of football in Finland.
The Finnish experts of football research have recently shared their knowledge at important international forums. In September at the World Football Summit Europe in Seville, Spain, Mihaly Szerovay promoted the cooperation between the Football Association of Finland and the Ģֱ.
“In my presentation I spoke about how cooperation between a football organisation and the academic community can create value for the football community,” says Szerovay.
“This can happen by, for example, collecting scientific studies on football into an easily accessible database as well as offering the Football Association’s license training to our students.”
In April, the researchers travelled to Bilbao, in Spain’s Basque country, to visit with the top-level professional football club Athletic Club.
“Athletic Club focuses on continuous development and data-driven management,” says Senior Lecturer Johanna Ihalainen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. “This is reflected in their daily operations, which are linked to research and development, for example, in preventing player injuries. There is an emphasis on high standards and success as well as a passion for the game.”
The seventh Football is Medicine conference is aimed at a wide range of audiences, including researchers, students, coaches, practitioners in clubs, physical education teachers, doctors and providers of physical activity service. Registration closes on 3 January 2025. For more information and to register for the conference, please visit the conference website.
