Preventing Injuries in Young Football Players

By Ana Espino | Published on June 18, 2026 | 4 min read

Football is the most widely played sport among children and adolescents worldwide. While it promotes physical fitness and social development, it also exposes young players to a significant risk of injury, particularly involving the lower limbs. Ankle sprains, knee injuries, muscle strains, and contact-related trauma are common causes of time lost from sport and may sometimes have long-term consequences for both health and athletic participation.

Over the past several years, various injury prevention programs have been developed to reduce these risks, including FIFA 11+, FIFA 11+ Kids, and other neuromuscular training protocols. However, evidence specifically focusing on children and adolescents has remained fragmented. To evaluate their effectiveness more precisely, Chinese researchers conducted a meta-analysis pooling data from randomized controlled trials involving young football players.


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Nearly a 40% Reduction in Injury Risk

The authors analyzed nine randomized controlled trials involving more than 16,600 young players aged 3 to 18 years, representing over 1.2 million hours of football exposure. The prevention programs generally combined balance, coordination, muscle strengthening, postural control, and plyometric exercises performed during warm-up sessions.

Results showed that these programs significantly reduced the overall risk of injury. Players who participated in an injury prevention program experienced approximately a 38% reduction in injury incidence compared with control groups (IRR = 0.62).

Benefits were also observed across several specific injury categories:

• 32% reduction in lower-limb injuries
• 33% reduction in knee injuries
• 28% reduction in ankle sprains

Researchers also observed a reduction in muscle injuries, as well as a favorable trend for hip and groin injuries, although the available evidence remains insufficient to confirm these effects with certainty. Both contact and non-contact injuries also appeared to be less frequent among players participating in preventive training programs.

Age-stratified analyses further suggested that the benefits were even greater among children under 13 years of age than among adolescents. The authors propose that this enhanced response may be related to greater neuromuscular plasticity and generally lower training loads in younger athletes.


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Integrating Prevention from the Earliest Years of Participation

This meta-analysis confirms that structured injury prevention programs are an effective tool for improving the safety of young football players. Protocols such as FIFA 11+ and FIFA 11+ Kids appear particularly valuable, especially when incorporated regularly into training sessions.

However, the authors highlight several limitations. The included studies differed substantially in their methodologies, intervention durations, and levels of participant adherence. Some subgroup analyses were also based on a limited number of studies, reducing the precision of certain findings. In addition, long-term data remain insufficient to determine whether the benefits persist over multiple seasons.

Despite these limitations, the results support the systematic implementation of injury prevention programs from the earliest stages of football participation. By improving balance, coordination, and movement control, these interventions could not only reduce the short-term risk of injury but also promote safer and more sustainable athletic development among young athletes.


About the author – Ana Espino
PhD in Immunology, specialized in Virology  
As a scientific writer, Ana is passionate about bridging the gap between research and real-world impact. With expertise in immunology, virology, oncology, and clinical studies, she makes complex science clear and accessible. Her mission: to accelerate knowledge sharing and empower evidence-based decisions.