Players at home

Aggressive preventive actions promoted by governments were required to face the Covid-19 outbreak. However, from March 2020 on, many healthy youth football players have seen their sporting activities disrupted by the restrictions on outdoor exercise. This study described physical activity and quality of life during lockdown (April 2020) of young people who played organized football in Italy according to sex, environmental features, age and competitive level.
1163 young football players aged 12-17 years (185 girls) completed a web-based questionnaire that included the Youth Physical Activity and the Youth Quality of Life (Short Form) Questionnaires; information on lifestyle and football-specific activity were also collected.
We found that: (i) on average, exposure to football practice reduced to 3.2 hours/week, was higher in elite clubs and changed in nature, being mainly performed individually; 19% of participants practiced football less than 1 hour/week; (ii) only 56% of the participants reported 7 or more hours/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which decreased with age and changed according to the geographical context; (iii) perceived quality of life was lower in youth playing for non-elite clubs and decreased with age in girls; (iv) coaches, rather that official initiatives, were the primary source of football exercises practiced at home.
These findings depict a status of general deconditioning and susceptibility to injuries that should be considered when football could restart. Governing bodies, football Associations and clubs could exploit these results to take informed decisions and support evidence-based interventions during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

面对新冠疫情的爆发，各国政府需采取积极的预防措施。然而，自2020年3月起，众多健康的年轻足球运动员因户外运动限制而遭遇了体育活动的中断。本研究描述了意大利有组织足球运动青少年在疫情期间（2020年4月）的身体活动状况及生活质量，并根据性别、环境特征、年龄和竞技水平进行了分析。1163名12至17岁的年轻足球运动员（其中女生185人）完成了基于网络的问卷调查，包括青少年身体活动问卷和青少年生活质量（简版）问卷；同时收集了生活方式和足球专项活动的相关信息。研究发现：（i）平均而言，足球训练时间减少至每周3.2小时，精英俱乐部中该时间更长，且训练性质发生改变，主要转变为个人训练；19%的参与者每周足球训练时间少于1小时；（ii）仅有56%的参与者报告每周有7小时或以上的中等到剧烈体力活动，且这一比例随着年龄的增长而下降，并受地理环境的影响；（iii）非精英俱乐部的青少年感知的生活质量较低，且女生的生活质量随着年龄的增长而下降；（iv）教练而非官方倡议成为家庭中足球训练的主要来源。这些发现描绘出了一种普遍的体能下降和易受伤状态，在足球可能重新启动时应予以考虑。管理机构、足球协会和俱乐部可以利用这些结果，在疫情期间及之后做出基于证据的决策并支持干预措施。