Environmental considerations
Environmental conditions have the potential to have a negative impact on the player’s well-being. A variety of preventative strategies can be used in soccer to minimise this impact, involving:
Temperature regulations
Controlling the body’s core temperature is important for optimum performance in soccer and the prevention of illness. A lower core body temperature can increase the risk of hypothermia and a higher core body temperature can increase the risk of hyperthermia. The different types of temperature regulation are:
Climatic conditions
Climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity and rain can hinder the performance both in the athlete’s training session or actual soccer game. In hot conditions, the high temperature and humidity can affect the athlete’s body temperature and their performance in training or the game.
In hot conditions the temperature and humidity can affect body temperature and athletic performance. It increases the risk of dehydration and hyperthermia, causing them to feel dizzy, to lack in coordination and/or feel fatigue, which would affect their performance. To prevent this, the athlete would need to increase fluid intake, acclimatize to the conditions and take regular breaks in the shade. A hot climate can also sunburn the skin when they are out on the field. To prevent this, the athlete should make sure that they are wearing appropriate clothing that covers exposed skin, and apply SPF 30+ sunscreen. In cold conditions, low temperature and high winds, can cause the athlete's core body temperature to drop and also increase the risk of hypothermia. They will also be more at risk of muscle strains, breathing difficulties and may find it difficult to perform efficiently during soccer training or the game.
Rain can also affect the temperature regulation and impact the safety conditions of soccer. The rain will affect the conditions of the soccer field, making the surface become slippery and muddy, which increases the risk of injury due to falls, collisions from not being able to stop/lack of control. If the grounds of the soccer field are too wet, the game or training should be postponed. For the safety of the participants, the game should also be cancelled or postponed if there is a storm.
Guidelines for Fluid Intake
Appropriate hydration is extremely important during exercise, especially for high intensity and continuous sports such as soccer. Fluid intake helps the athlete’s temperature regulation and helps them maintain their optimum performance. It is important that fluid intake happens before, during and after the soccer game or training, because even a small loss of fluid can affect the player’s performance. It is recommended that an athlete should take 200-300ml of fluid every 15 minutes during physical activity in hot humid conditions. Although, in soccer, the athlete only has half time or substitution time to drink water or a sports drink, so it is vital that they intake plenty of fluids during those breaks (but not way too much). It’s also important that they continue to drink fluids after performance so that their body doesn’t dehydrate.
- maintaining temperature regulation
- minimising negative impacts of climatic conditions
- enforcing guidelines for fluid intake
Temperature regulations
Controlling the body’s core temperature is important for optimum performance in soccer and the prevention of illness. A lower core body temperature can increase the risk of hypothermia and a higher core body temperature can increase the risk of hyperthermia. The different types of temperature regulation are:
- Convection - is air moving across the body that can either cause heat loss or heat gain. This can be an issue in soccer because if the air moving across the is hot, then it will increase the body temperature of the athlete, but if it is cool, it will decrease the body temperature of the athlete – both hindering the health and well-being of the athlete.
- Radiation – is the transfer of heat to and from the atmosphere. Similar to convection, this is also an issue. This is difficult to control during a soccer match, but it is important that the player is drinking plenty of fluids and constantly having breaks in the shade if the radiation is high. If the radiation is low, the athlete should keep there body moving to keep the body warm and participating in a warm up before the soccer match will be essential in preventing illness or problems during the game.
- Conduction – is heat transferred from the skin to an object or from an object to the skin. For example, if the atmosphere is cold and the athlete is participating in soccer training at night, the athlete can wear suitable clothing (e.g an appropriate jumper/jacket) to keep the body and muscles warm during exercise and to avoid the risk of hypothermia.
- Evaporation – is heat lost through perspiration. To avoid sweating leading to dehydration, it is important that the athlete drinks plenty of fluids throughout training or the soccer match.
Climatic conditions
Climatic conditions such as temperature, humidity and rain can hinder the performance both in the athlete’s training session or actual soccer game. In hot conditions, the high temperature and humidity can affect the athlete’s body temperature and their performance in training or the game.
In hot conditions the temperature and humidity can affect body temperature and athletic performance. It increases the risk of dehydration and hyperthermia, causing them to feel dizzy, to lack in coordination and/or feel fatigue, which would affect their performance. To prevent this, the athlete would need to increase fluid intake, acclimatize to the conditions and take regular breaks in the shade. A hot climate can also sunburn the skin when they are out on the field. To prevent this, the athlete should make sure that they are wearing appropriate clothing that covers exposed skin, and apply SPF 30+ sunscreen. In cold conditions, low temperature and high winds, can cause the athlete's core body temperature to drop and also increase the risk of hypothermia. They will also be more at risk of muscle strains, breathing difficulties and may find it difficult to perform efficiently during soccer training or the game.
Rain can also affect the temperature regulation and impact the safety conditions of soccer. The rain will affect the conditions of the soccer field, making the surface become slippery and muddy, which increases the risk of injury due to falls, collisions from not being able to stop/lack of control. If the grounds of the soccer field are too wet, the game or training should be postponed. For the safety of the participants, the game should also be cancelled or postponed if there is a storm.
Guidelines for Fluid Intake
Appropriate hydration is extremely important during exercise, especially for high intensity and continuous sports such as soccer. Fluid intake helps the athlete’s temperature regulation and helps them maintain their optimum performance. It is important that fluid intake happens before, during and after the soccer game or training, because even a small loss of fluid can affect the player’s performance. It is recommended that an athlete should take 200-300ml of fluid every 15 minutes during physical activity in hot humid conditions. Although, in soccer, the athlete only has half time or substitution time to drink water or a sports drink, so it is vital that they intake plenty of fluids during those breaks (but not way too much). It’s also important that they continue to drink fluids after performance so that their body doesn’t dehydrate.