FEATURE: FIFA 11+ +… KIDS FIRST! BY DR MARIO BIZZINI, ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND Football (soccer) is the most popular prevention programmes (labelled with the intervention compared to the control sport worldwide, and is played on the number “11”) in diff erent scientifi c group. The interventions were focused amateur or recreational level by almost studies, demonstrating how simple on improving the structure and content 300 million people (as estimated exercise-based programmes can of the training by educating and by FIFA). signifi cantly decrease the incidence supervising the coaches and players. of (non-contact) injuries in female The prevention program included general In 1994 the Fédération Internationale de and male amateur football players. interventions such as improvement of Football Association (FIFA), the governing warm-up, regular cool-down, taping of body of association football, created its The fi rst scientifi c study on injury unstable ankles, adequate rehabilitation, Medical Assessment and Research Centre prevention in football was Jan Ekstrand`s promotion of the spirit of fair play and (F-MARC) with the aim “to prevent thesis in the 80s (Sweden). For about ten sets of exercises designed to improve football injuries and to promote football 20 years, nothing else on this topic coordination, stability of ankle and knee, as a health-enhancing leisure activity, was published (!). In 2000, F-MARC fl exibility and strength of trunk, hip and improving social behaviour”. In its 22 conducted its fi rst study on prevention leg muscles. Based on the experiences years of activities (1994-2016), F-MARC of football injury in male Swiss youth with this pilot study and in cooperation developed and evaluated its injury teams, showing 21% fewer injuries in with international experts, F-MARC VOLUME 36 • JUNE ISSUE 2018 13