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Advances in Football Science: Integrating Technology, Performance, and Well-Being
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Advances in Football Science: Integrating Technology, Performance, and Well-Being

A special issue of Sports (ISSN 2075-4663).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 633

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luís Branquinho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biosciences Higher School of Elvas, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Portalegre, Portugal
Interests: public health; sport psychology; sports medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. José Eduardo Teixeira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
1. SPRINT—Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 6300-559 Guarda, Portugal
2. Department of Sports Sciences, Polytechnic of Guarda, 6300-559 Guarda, Portugal
3. Department of Sports Sciences, Polytechnic of Cávado and Ave., Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: training load; team sports; football; sports medicine; performance; monitoring; metabolic diseases; cardiovascular diseases; epidemology; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Never has before have science and technology been as integral to football as they are today. This is driven by growing scientific evidence on training, performance, and their application across diverse fields in sports science, including performance analysis, sports medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, education, biomechanics, and exercise physiology. Modern approaches emphasize an integrated strategy to address the multifactorial nature of football performance, combining technical-tactical skills with perceptual, psychophysiological, and wellness determinants. Football medicine focuses on injury prevention, rehabilitation, return-to-play frameworks, and improving players' well-being through strategies targeting recovery, travel effects, nutrition, sleep, strength, and conditioning. Additionally, advancements in wearable technology and tracking systems have revolutionized training load monitoring, match analysis, talent identification, and training design. AI-driven analytics aid in talent identification, tactical insights, and individualized training programs, providing deeper, data-driven approaches to optimizing performance. By embracing evidence-based innovations, we can enhance player development and push the boundaries of football performance, health and wellbeing. We invite researchers and professionals to contribute to the Special Issue: Advances in Football Science: Integrating Technology, Performance, and Well-Being, helping to push the boundaries of what is possible in the sport.

Dr. Luís Branquinho
Guest Editor

Dr. José Eduardo Teixeira
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • football science
  • performance analysis
  • football medicine
  • health and wellbeing
  • strength and conditioning
  • wearable and tracking technology
  • match analysis
  • observation
  • rehabilitation strategies
  • decision-making
  • psychology
  • pedagogy
  • physiology
  • talent identification
  • scouting
  • training task design
  • artificial intelligence
  • machine learning

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 229 KiB  
Article
Age-Related Effects of Physical Performance on Technical and Tactical Outcomes in Youth Soccer
by Patrik Hegedüs, Dániel Csala, János Tóth and János Tóth, Jr.
Sports 2025, 13(6), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13060162 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 36
Abstract
This study explores how age influences the relationship between physical performance (PP) and technical–tactical parameters (TPs) in youth soccer, analyzing 80 matches across four age groups: U15, U17, U19, and NB1 (adults). Team-level data were examined to assess how maturation affects the integration [...] Read more.
This study explores how age influences the relationship between physical performance (PP) and technical–tactical parameters (TPs) in youth soccer, analyzing 80 matches across four age groups: U15, U17, U19, and NB1 (adults). Team-level data were examined to assess how maturation affects the integration of physical and technical demands. Physical metrics included total distance (TD) and total high-intensity distance (THID), while TP metrics involved actions such as pressing, tackling, and ball possession. Pearson’s correlations and general linear models (GLMs) were used to identify associations between PP and TPs across age categories. The results showed age-related trends in performance integration. U19 and NB1 players demonstrated moderate-to-strong correlations between PP and TP variables, with TD and THID positively associated with pressing and tackling, indicating increasing synergy with age. U17 players showed emerging integration, while U15 players exhibited no significant correlations, suggesting developmental variability. Limitations include reliance on team-level correlational data and the absence of individual physiological or cognitive assessments. These findings suggest that training approaches should be tailored to players’ developmental stages, with increasing emphasis on combining physical conditioning and tactical understanding as players mature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Football Science: Integrating Technology, Performance, and Well-Being)
13 pages, 218 KiB  
Article
Return-to-Play Timeline and Recovery Predictors After COVID-19 Infection in Elite Football Players
by Agnes Sziva, Zsuzsanna Kives and Zsolt Szelid
Sports 2025, 13(5), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13050147 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 371
Abstract
The pandemic period significantly impacted professional football, leading to mandatory SARS-CoV-2 testing and quarantine. Our study aimed to examine the factors influencing time of recovery after a positive test, including return-to-training (RTT) and return-to-first-match (RTFM) of male football players in a first-division Hungarian [...] Read more.
The pandemic period significantly impacted professional football, leading to mandatory SARS-CoV-2 testing and quarantine. Our study aimed to examine the factors influencing time of recovery after a positive test, including return-to-training (RTT) and return-to-first-match (RTFM) of male football players in a first-division Hungarian team between 8 May 2020 and 30 June 2022. Infection was determined using mandatory RT-PCR testing 3 times per week, which later decreased to 1 to 2 times per week, in 55 elite players. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized based on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services symptom list and modified with relevant factors of return-to-play in football. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2-positive players in the three consecutive years was 5.26; 21.43 and 45.71%. Mild symptoms were present in test-positive players, completing the questionnaire (n = 31), predominantly loss of smell and dry cough. Post-infection fatigue levels correlated with the perceived performance decline. In players with precisely documented dates (n = 18), the average RTT was 18.7 days, while the RTFM was 67.3 days. Older players returned to training faster than their younger counterparts and the RT-PCR Ct number had a weak negative correlation with RTFM. Mental support was provided by family and friends in 68% of the players. This study highlights the variability in return-to-play timelines and the role of age, symptom severity and mental help in recovery and emphasizes the need for individualized rehabilitation in elite football. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Football Science: Integrating Technology, Performance, and Well-Being)
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