The Best Ways to Prevent Football Injuries: What the Latest Research Says
Written by Dr Julian Simpson — Chiropractor with 15+ years of experience, Board Member of the Chiropractic Australia Research Foundation, and author/reviewer of 800+ health articles.
The Best Ways to Prevent Football Injuries: What the Latest Research Says
Love Your Football? Here's How to Stay on the Pitch for Longer
Whether you're pulling on the boots for a local club in Sunbury, playing social football in Melton, or watching your kids race around the oval every weekend, injuries are unfortunately part of the game.
Most players expect the occasional knock or tackle, but surprisingly, many football injuries happen without any contact at all. A simple sprint, sudden change of direction or powerful kick can be enough to sideline a player for weeks.
The good news is that many of these injuries are preventable.
A new comprehensive review published in 2026 analysed 25 high-quality studies from around the world to identify the most effective ways to reduce non-contact lower limb injuries in male football players. The findings provide valuable guidance not only for elite athletes, but also for community footballers across Australia.
Just How Common Are Football Injuries?
Football remains one of the world's most physically demanding sports.
Players are constantly:
Sprinting
Accelerating
Jumping
Landing
Tackling
Changing direction
Kicking with force
Research shows football has a higher injury rate than many industrial occupations, highlighting just how physically demanding the sport can be.
A large systematic review found:
8.1 injuries occur for every 1,000 hours of football exposure.
During matches, injury rates increase dramatically to 36 injuries per 1,000 hours.
During training, injury rates are much lower at 3.7 injuries per 1,000 hours.
In other words, match day is where the biggest injury risk lies.
Most Football Injuries Affect the Legs
The review confirmed that approximately 75% of football injuries involve the lower limbs, including the:
Hamstrings
Groin muscles
Quadriceps
Knees
Ankles
Calves
Even more surprisingly, 58.5% of injuries occur without any physical contact.
Rather than being caused by tackles, they're often the result of:
Fatigue
Muscle weakness
Poor movement patterns
Sudden acceleration
Rapid deceleration
Sprinting
Cutting and pivoting
These injuries are often preventable with the right preparation.
Hamstring Injuries Are Still Number One
Among muscle injuries, hamstrings remain the biggest problem.
The review found:
Hamstring injuries account for up to 37% of all muscle injuries
Adductor (groin) injuries make up 23%
Quadriceps injuries account for 19%
These injuries frequently keep players out of training and competition for several weeks and have a frustrating tendency to recur if rehabilitation isn't completed properly.
Why Do Non-Contact Injuries Happen?
Unlike contact injuries, non-contact injuries usually develop because the body isn't coping with the demands being placed upon it.
Common contributing factors include:
Intrinsic factors
Previous injury
Poor flexibility
Muscle weakness
Muscle imbalances
Poor running mechanics
Reduced hip mobility
Fatigue
Extrinsic factors
Heavy fixture schedules
Inadequate preseason preparation
Rapid increases in training load
Playing surface
Recovery time between games
Fortunately, many of these can be modified.
What Prevention Strategies Actually Work?
The researchers reviewed 25 studies and identified 12 different injury prevention strategies.
Some were highly effective.
Others had little evidence behind them.
Here are the interventions with the strongest support.
1. Nordic Hamstring Exercises (One of the Best-Researched Programmes)
The Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) consistently emerged as one of the most effective injury prevention exercises available.
This simple partner exercise involves:
Kneeling on the ground.
Having a teammate hold your ankles.
Slowly leaning forward while resisting the movement using your hamstrings.
Catching yourself with your hands.
Returning to the starting position.
The movement strengthens the hamstrings while they lengthen (eccentric strengthening), which closely mimics how injuries occur during sprinting.
The results were impressive:
One study involving 942 footballers from 50 teams found:
52 hamstring injuries occurred in the control group.
Only 15 injuries occurred in the Nordic Hamstring group.
Other studies consistently showed reductions in:
New hamstring injuries
Recurrent hamstring injuries
Overall injury burden
Sprint performance improved at the same time.
Example Nordic Hamstring Progression
Although programmes varied slightly between studies, a commonly used progression is:
Weeks 1–2
2 sessions per week
2 sets of 5 repetitions
Weeks 3–4
2–3 sessions per week
2 sets of 6–8 repetitions
Weeks 5–10
3 sessions per week
3 sets of 8–12 repetitions
Maintenance during the season:
1 session weekly
2. Copenhagen Adduction Exercise
Groin injuries are the second most common muscle injury in football.
The review found strong evidence supporting the Copenhagen Adduction Exercise.
This exercise strengthens the inner thigh muscles eccentrically while improving hip stability.
Players performing the Copenhagen exercise demonstrated:
Increased eccentric hip adduction strength
Better muscle balance
Reduced groin injury risk
One review reported approximately a 41% reduction in groin injury risk when eccentric adductor strengthening was included.
Basic Copenhagen Exercise
Side plank position
Top leg supported by a partner or bench
Bottom leg lifted to meet the top leg
Slowly lower back down
Progressions include:
Bent knee version
Straight leg version
Increased repetitions
Longer holds
Typically performed:
2–3 times weekly
2–3 sets of 6–10 repetitions
3. FIFA 11+ Warm-Up
The strongest overall evidence supported the FIFA 11+ injury prevention programme.
Unlike a traditional warm-up, FIFA 11+ combines:
Running drills
Balance training
Core stability
Plyometric exercises
Strength exercises
Landing technique
Agility work
Several studies reported impressive reductions in injuries.
One large study involving more than 1,500 collegiate footballers found:
665 injuries in the control group
285 injuries in the FIFA 11+ group
That's a 46.1% reduction in injuries.
The programme also reduced:
Time lost through injury by 28.6%
ACL injuries
Overall lower limb injuries
FIFA 11+ Overview
The programme usually takes 20 minutes before training or matches.
It consists of:
Part 1
Easy running
Dynamic mobility
Part 2
Strength and control exercises including:
Single-leg balance
Squats
Core stability
Jump training
Part 3
Faster running
Cutting
Acceleration drills
Performed before every training session and game.
Why a Holistic Injury Prevention Approach Works Best No single exercise can prevent every football injury. The best results come from combining several evidence-based strategies, including: Progressive strength training Dynamic warm-ups like FIFA 11+ Nordic Hamstring Exercises Copenhagen Adduction Exercises Running technique coaching Load management Mobility and flexibility work Individual assessment of movement patterns This multidisciplinary approach helps address the many factors that contribute to injury risk rather than focusing on just one muscle or one exercise.
4. Strength Training Matters
General strength training was another major finding.
Studies showed stronger athletes experienced fewer injuries, particularly when programmes targeted:
Hamstrings
Glutes
Adductors
Core
Quadriceps
Researchers also found that building fatigue-resistant strength helped protect muscles late in games when many injuries occur.
5. Stretching Has a Role
Stretching alone won't prevent every injury.
However, studies found structured stretching programmes improved:
Hip rotation
Hamstring flexibility
Ankle mobility
Overall movement quality
Improving hip mobility may reduce stress placed on the knees and groin during sprinting and kicking.
Dynamic stretching before activity and targeted mobility work after training appear to provide the greatest benefit.
6. Training Load Is Important
One interesting finding was that players completing consistent amounts of high-speed running experienced fewer injuries than those with sudden spikes in workload.
Large week-to-week increases in sprinting significantly increased injury risk.
Gradually building fitness is far safer than trying to "catch up" after missing training.
What Didn't Work So Well?
Not every strategy produced convincing results.
The review found limited evidence supporting:
Bounding (plyometric-only) programmes
Ankle taping for long-term protection
Although ankle taping can provide short-term support, studies found its mechanical benefits often disappeared within 15–45 minutes of play.
This suggests taping alone shouldn't replace strength, balance and rehabilitation exercises.
Can Chiropractic Care Help Footballers?
While this review focused on injury prevention rather than treatment, many of the identified risk factors—including reduced joint mobility, movement dysfunction, muscle imbalance and restricted flexibility—are commonly addressed as part of a comprehensive musculoskeletal management plan.
For footballers, chiropractic care may help by:
Assessing spinal and lower limb biomechanics
Identifying movement restrictions
Improving joint mobility where appropriate
Supporting rehabilitation alongside strengthening programmes
Providing advice on recovery, training loads and injury prevention
When combined with evidence-based exercise programmes such as the FIFA 11+, Nordic Hamstring Exercises and Copenhagen Adduction Exercises, chiropractic care can play an important role within a broader injury prevention strategy.
The Bottom Line
Football will always carry some risk of injury, but many of the most common non-contact injuries are preventable.
This comprehensive review found that the strongest evidence supports:
Nordic Hamstring Exercises for reducing hamstring injuries.
Copenhagen Adduction Exercises for reducing groin injuries.
FIFA 11+ warm-up programmes, which reduced overall injuries by 46.1% and time lost through injury by 28.6%.
Progressive strength training.
Appropriate mobility work.
Gradual increases in training load.
Good running mechanics and adequate preseason preparation.
Whether you're playing competitive football, coaching juniors or simply enjoying a kick with mates, investing just 15–20 minutes in injury prevention before training could help keep you on the field all season.
How Chiropractic Care May Help
At Health Wise Chiropractic, we take a comprehensive approach to posture-related care.
Treatment may include:
We focus on addressing both the symptoms and the underlying biomechanical stress contributing to neck dysfunction.
About the Author
Dr Julian Simpson is an Australian chiropractor with over 15 years of experience in musculoskeletal healthcare and rehabilitation.
He is a Board Member of the Chiropractic Australia Research Foundation and has reviewed and written more than 800 evidence-based health articles focused on spinal health, rehabilitation, sports injuries and conservative care approaches.
His treatment focus includes:
Chiropractic adjustments
Sports chiropractic
Massage therapy
Shockwave therapy
Laser therapy
Non-surgical spinal decompression
Dr Simpson provides patient care through Healthwise Chiropractic, serving communities including Sunbury, Melton, Diggers Rest and surrounding regions.
Reference
Kunene SH, Mmitsi MB. Preventative strategies for non-contact lower limb injuries among male football players: A scoping review. S Afr J Physiother. 2026 May 13;82(1):2281. doi: 10.4102/sajp.v82i1.2281. PMID: 42266208; PMCID: PMC13243745.
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