Abstract
M.Phil. (Biokinetics)
As with any other athletic activity, football participation carries an inherent risk for injury.
Inadequate rehabilitation and incomplete healing have been identified as some of the
key reasons for the high levels of injury in football. The majority of football injuries occur
in the lower extremities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship
between functional movement patterns and injury in junior football players. South
African youth development players (119) participated in the study. This study adopted a
quantitative and descriptive research approach. An injury questionnaire (retrospective)
was completed and Functional Movement Screening (FMS) was used to assess each
participant. The relationship between injuries suffered previously and FMS score was
analysed. Kolmogorov-‐Smirnov and Shapiro-‐Wilk tests were used to determine
normality. A Levene’s test for equality of variances was conducted. Independent sample
t-tests were used to test inter-group differences. The confidence level was set at 95%
(p≤0.05). The findings reflected that injuries, in this group, were prevalent with 87.3% of
the sample having sustained a previous injury. Lower limb injuries were the most
prevalent (76%); 58.8% of the lower limb injuries were of a non-contact nature and
41.1% were due to contact. The mean FMS score was 12.9, which, according to
previous research, is linked to an increased risk for injury. There was a significant
difference in FMS score between players who sustained a lower limb injury, compared
to those who suffered an injury to another part of the body (p=0.032). This study found
that injury was prevalent in junior football players and that FMS is a useful tool to screen
for injury risk. The primary recommendation is for injury prevention strategies to be
established in youth development football in South Africa.