Incidence of Football Injury During International Tournaments

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of injury of the Trinidad and Tobago National Men's Football Team involved in three international tournaments and associated training camps (ITATC) within a 14-month period and compare the data with that published for the Sweden National Team. A retrospective analysis of injury records assessed the number and types of injuries, time absent from training, and outcomes for each injury for the Trinidad and Tobago Football Team. There were 50 significant injuries: 42 (84%) were mild injuries and 3 (6%) were severe. Injury incidence for training was 14.6 injuries/1000 hours (95% CI [10.1, 19.1]) and for game exposure was 86.6 injuries/1000 hours (95% CI [64.1, 109.1]). The incidence of injury for Trinidad and Tobago Football Team involved in ITATC was found to be much higher than for both league football and another national team. The ITATC period could represent the highest incidence of injury seen in national teams. Most injuries were mild and of a noncontact nature.