RECREATIONAL FOOTBALL - ALL IN ONE TRAINING FOR AGE 60+ PHYSIOTHERAPY

M. Julin¹, T. Risto²

Background: The role of physiotherapy in health enhancing practice is important. People live longer and healthy lifestyle promotion is vital for any society. Physiotherapists have an important role on health educators and clinical exercise experts. Traditionally the toolbox for physiotherapists has included therapeutic exercise regimens. Often this means gym, water or group exercises, but it could be much more. Growing scientific evidence is showing that ball sports, recreational football among others, can be very effective and motivating way to exercise to improve well-being.

Purpose: Our international project established recreational football activity for persons 60+ years of age. Training took place twice a week for an hour for 12 months. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity levels during single training session and more closely during small-sided game session, which covers approximately half of the single training session time.

Methods: 15 senior recreational football participants in Finland wore Polar Team Pro GPS-based tracking system during a training session. The Polar system is capable to record movement, inertial sensory metrics and heart rate monitoring data with wearable player tracking system. Eight men and seven women took part for the measurements. Their mean age was 67,8 (SD± 5,2). The analyzed session time was 41mins 29sec.

Results: The mean heart rate (HR) during the small-sided game session was 130,2 bpm (SD± 21,6). The mean maximum HR during the session was 160,1 bpm (SD± 27,4). Participant´s maximum HR was estimated using the formula 206,9-(age*0,67) leading the mean maximum HR 161,6 bpm (SD± 3,5). The ratio percent between session´s mean HR and estimated maximum HR was 80,6%. The mean distance covered during the session was 1600,5 meters (SD± 304,3). Interestingly, according to Borg´s scale (6-20) the mean ratings of perceived exertion was 13,3 (SD± 1,1).

Conclusion(s): Recreational football has been described all-in-one type of training with broad-spectrum health and fitness effects. Our results revealed that the peak activity levels during small-sided football game can be very close to individual´s maximum HR level. Also, the intensity levels were maintained relatively high throughout the whole game session. The intensity level was well tolerated among the seniors, as indicated with the moderate ratings in perceived exertion. Recreational football activated all participants, also those who have no prior experience on football or ball sports. Despite of the high intensity levels, the injury rates were low during the 12 weeks of intervention.

Implications: Physiotherapy profession has an important role in preventing, reversing, as well as managing lifestyle-related conditions - important actions to people´s health and well-being in the modern society. In the practical level of physiotherapy there should be a large-scale toolbox available for all the practitioners. Evidence-based new approaches for health promotion, such as recreational football, should be incorporated to physiotherapy practice toolboxes. Not all the medicine needs to be taste bad. Recreational football is medicine. It is social, fun, variable, and adjustable for participants of all skill levels and ages.

Funding, acknowledgements: EU Eramus+ Sport project / 603552-EPP-1-2018-1-FI-SPO-SCP

Keywords: Recreational football, Health promotion, Physical activity

Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: Coventry University

Committee: Coventry University Research Ethics Committee

Ethics number: P92159