Football is one of the world's most popular sports, demanding a combination of speed, endurance, technical skill, strength and tactical awareness. Players repeatedly accelerate, decelerate, sprint, change direction, jump, tackle and kick while making rapid decisions under fatigue. Depending on their position, footballers typically cover between 8 and 13 kilometres during a match, performing dozens of high-intensity efforts throughout the game.

These physical demands also make football one of the highest-risk sports for injury. Research consistently demonstrates that injury rates during matches are substantially higher than during training, highlighting the importance of preparing athletes for the specific demands of competition.

At Foundation Clinic, our physiotherapists work with footballers across all levels of the game, from junior players through to competitive athletes. Through our work with Tauranga AFC, our team understands the demands of football and develops rehabilitation programmes that prepare players for a safe and confident return to training and competition.

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What Are The Most Common Football Injuries?

Research consistently shows football has an overall injury incidence of approximately 8 injuries per 1,000 hours of exposure, with match injury rates being around ten times higher than training injury rates. Lower limb injuries account for the vast majority of injuries sustained.

A recent five-season study of professional football players reported:

• Approximately 8.9 injuries per 1,000 hours of exposure.
• Match injuries occurring almost twice as frequently as training injuries.
• Hamstring injuries as the single most common injury.
• More than one-quarter of injuries resulting in over four weeks away from football.
• Older players demonstrating a higher injury risk than younger players.

Hamstring injuries: These are consistently reported as the most common injury in elite football. They typically occur during sprinting, rapid acceleration, or kicking and are associated with high-speed running demands. Rehabilitation must restore hamstring strength, sprint mechanics, and the ability to tolerate repeated high-speed running before return to competition.

Groin Injuries: Groin pain commonly develops through repeated kicking, cutting and changes of direction. Adductor injuries can become persistent if athletes return before restoring adequate strength and load tolerance. Progressive strengthening, movement retraining and gradual exposure to football-specific kicking loads are critical components of rehabilitation.

Knee Injuries: Rapid deceleration, pivoting and cutting movements place considerable stress on the knee. ACL injuries remain among the most serious injuries in football due to their lengthy rehabilitation and high physical demands following reconstruction.

Ankle Sprains: These remain one of the most common traumatic football injuries, often occurring during tackling, landing or changes of direction. Although many players return quickly, inadequate rehabilitation significantly increases the likelihood of recurrent injury and persistent instability.

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Football Rehabilitation Should Replicate the Game

Successful rehabilitation is much more than simply becoming pain free.

Football players transition constantly between walking, jogging, sprinting, cutting, jumping, tackling and kicking. Rehabilitation needs to progressively expose athletes to these same demands while restoring confidence, strength and movement quality.

To find out more about why Football rehabilitation should be active and sport specific, head to our Football rehabilitation services page.

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References:

Bayrak, A. (2025). Exploring injury profiles in professional football: Evidence from a five-year study and the role of the Functional Movement Screen. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 17, 217.

Forsythe, B., Knapik, D. M., Khazi-Syed, D., Chang, J., Bohn, C., Hand, C., Korrapati, A., Lavoie-Gagne, O., Chiampas, G., Mandelbaum, B. R., & Chahla, J. (2025). Analysis of injury epidemiology in soccer players in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup as reported by team physicians. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 7(2), 101074.

López-Valenciano, A., Ruiz-Pérez, I., Garcia-Gómez, A., Vera-Garcia, F. J., De Ste Croix, M., Myer, G. D., & Ayala, F. (2020). Epidemiology of injuries in professional football: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(12), 711–718.

Zeng, Y., Ji, W., Shi, Y., Liu, W., & Ji, W. (2025). Sports injuries in elite football players: Classification, prevention, and treatment strategies update. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 7, 1643789.