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Rennie G, Chesson L, Weaving D, Jones B. The effects of rule changes in football-code team sports: a systematic review. SCI MED FOOTBALL 2024:1-14. [PMID: 39052002 DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2024.2375752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Rule changes within football-code team sports aim to improve performance, enhance player welfare, increase competitiveness, and provide player development opportunities. This manuscript aimed to review research investigating the effects of rule changes in football-code team sports. A systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus) was performed to August 2023; keywords related to rule changes, football-code team sports, and activity type. Studies were excluded if they failed to investigate a football-code team sport, did not quantify the change of rule, or were review articles. Forty-six studies met the eligibility criteria. Four different football codes were reported: Australian rules football (n = 4), rugby league (n = 6), rugby union (n = 16), soccer (n = 20). The most common category was physical performance and match-play characteristics (n = 22). Evidence appears at a high risk of bias partly due to the quasi-experimental nature of included studies, which are inherently non-randomised, but also due to the lack of control for confounding factors within most studies included. Rule changes can result in unintended consequences to performance (e.g., longer breaks in play) and effect player behaviour (i.e., reduce tackler height in rugby) but might not achieve desired outcome (i.e., unchanged concussion incidence). Coaches and governing bodies should regularly and systematically investigate the effects of rule changes to understand their influence on performance and injury risk. It is imperative that future studies analysing rule changes within football codes account for confounding factors by implementing suitable study designs and statistical analysis techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Rennie
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Catapult Sports, Melbourne, NSW, Australia
| | - Lucy Chesson
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
| | - Dan Weaving
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Applied Sports Science and Exercise Testing Laboratory, The University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, Australia
- Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Ben Jones
- Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) Centre, Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK
- Division of Physiological Sciences and Health Through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- School of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- England Performance Unit, Rugby Football League, Manchester, UK
- Rugby Department, Premiership Rugby, London, UK
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López-Valenciano A, Moreno-Perez V, Campo RLD, Resta R, Coso JD. The Five-substitution Option Enhances Teams' Running Performance at High Speed in Football. Int J Sports Med 2023; 44:344-351. [PMID: 36669526 DOI: 10.1055/a-1982-9808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this investigation was to describe how the introduction of the five-substitution option affected football teams' running performance. A comparative analysis was performed in 17 professional football teams for the 2019-2020 (up to three substitutions) vs 2020-2021 (five substitutions option) seasons in LaLiga. The five-substitution option increased the number of substitutions (from 2.9±0.1 to 4.2±1.0 substitutions/match, respectively; p<0.01, Effect Size (ES)=2.11) but it did not change the time selected for the first substitution (from 57.5±13.0 to 56.2±13.7 min; p=0.06, ES=0.1). Total running distance was similar between seasons but running distance at 21.0-23.9 km/h (from 3.0±0.4 to 3.2±0.4 km; p=0.01, ES=0.6) and at≥24.0 km/h (from 3.0±0.6 to 3.2±0.5 km; p=0.01, ES=0.3) were higher with the five-substitution option. These increases were associated with a higher distance covered by starting players (p<0.05) rather than an effect of substitute players.: With the five-substitution option, team coaches increased the number of substitutions per match which enhanced the possibilities of the team's staff to manage players' physical load. The five-substitution option allowed also increased running performance at≥21.0 km/h during the matches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Víctor Moreno-Perez
- Sports Research Centre (Department of Sport Sciences), Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Ricardo Resta
- Department of Competitions and Mediacoach, LaLiga, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Del Coso
- Centre for Sport Studies. Rey Juan Carlos Univeristy, Spain
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