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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1542300
This article is part of the Research Topic Muscle and Tendon Injuries in Sporting and Tactical Populations: Mechanisms, Prevention and Rehabilitation View all 8 articles

The Role of Playing Position in Soccer Injury Characteristics: Evidence from Sub-Elite Athletes

Provisionally accepted
Makete Thomas Thema Makete Thomas Thema Suzanne Jacobs Suzanne Jacobs *Linda Van Den Berg Linda Van Den Berg Anita Strauss Anita Strauss Mzwandile Prescott Mahlangu Mzwandile Prescott Mahlangu
  • Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study examines the association between playing position and injury characteristics among subelite male soccer players in South Africa. Using a cross-sectional survey, 223 players from four universities were assessed for injury prevalence, type, mechanism, and severity during the 2023 soccer season. Midfielders experienced the highest injury frequency (43.6%), followed by defenders (30.0%), forwards (17.9%), and goalkeepers (8.6%). Lower limb injuries were predominant across all positions (89.6%), with defenders (94.6%) and midfielders (95.1%) at greatest risk, while goalkeepers sustained a significant proportion of upper limb injuries (44.4%) due to their specialized role. Soft tissue injuries were most common among midfielders (78.0%) and defenders (67.6%), whereas goalkeepers reported higher rates of bone-related injuries (66.7%). Defensive actions, such as tackling, accounted for most injuries among defenders (56.8%), while aerial play contributed substantially to goalkeeper injuries. No statistically significant differences in injury severity were found across positions. These findings highlight the influence of playing position on injury characteristics and underscore the need for position-specific injury prevention strategies tailored to sub-elite soccer players.

    Keywords: Soccer injuries, playing position, sub-elite athletes, injury prevention, South Africa

    Received: 09 Dec 2024; Accepted: 03 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Thema, Jacobs, Van Den Berg, Strauss and Mahlangu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Suzanne Jacobs, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa

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