Finnish Youth Footballers' Perceptions on Artificial Turf: A Survey Research

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Youth Sports

Background:

• Modern artificial turf surfaces in football lack evidence of increased overall injury risk.
• Despite evidence, football players often perceive artificial surfaces as increasing injury risk compared to natural grass.
• Previous research on player perceptions primarily involved adult players accustomed to natural grass.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perceptions of Finnish youth football players regarding artificial turf surfaces.
• To compare youth players' views on injury risk and surface preference with existing adult data.
• To explore age-related differences in perceptions among youth players.

Main Methods:

• An online questionnaire was distributed to 136 youth players (aged 11-20) from three Finnish football clubs.
• The questionnaire included basic player information and ten multiple-choice questions on injuries and surface preferences.
• Descriptive statistics and two-proportion Z-tests were used to analyze injury perceptions and surface preferences.

Main Results:

• Nearly half of the youth players believed injuries are more common on artificial turf.
• A significant age-related difference was observed: 58% of 11-15-year-olds agreed, versus 19% of 16-20-year-olds (p=0.001).
• Over half of respondents perceived a higher likelihood of knee and overuse injuries on artificial turf, favoring natural grass for matches but showing no preference for training surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Finnish youth football players perceive an increased injury risk associated with artificial turf.
• Player age is a significant factor influencing these perceptions, with younger players reporting greater concern.
• Familiarity with artificial turf may contribute to more positive perceptions compared to previous studies involving less experienced players.