Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) MATCH SCHEDULING POLICY International Breaks & Rest and Recovery in Asia
John Didulica Chief Executive PFA POLICY POSITION Building the football season
Football needs to create an uncompromised season that recognises: (a) international match breaks, and (b) a flexible match schedule that effectively caters for the AFC Champions League. The illusion that football has “clean air” should be at an end. Competing sports are increasingly looking to extend their seasons and build a 365-day news cycle. In our administration of football, we can continue to contort around these other sports, or build the best possible calendar for our teams, clubs, players and fans INTERNATIONAL MATCH CALENDAR POLICY
The current competition format of the A-League does not adopt the FIFA International Match Calendar, with the A-League continuing to operate during designated FIFA International Match Breaks.
The A-League competition schedule should align with the FIFA International Match Calendar to ensure there is no longer a conflict between international and A-League matches. GUIDING PRINCIPLES What factors are critical…
Recruiting players of international standing
Competition Integrity
Quality of Players and Teams on the park CURRENT LANDSCAPE The number of A-League Games Missed by Players Due to National Team Duties on FIFA International Match Dates
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17*
*There is one further FIFA international match break scheduled for this season, so this is an estimate CURRENT LANDSCAPE Regular season matches effected by conflict with FIFA International Breaks for 2015/16
20
16
12 %
8
4
0 2016/17 CURRENT LANDSCAPE Regular Season matches missed by leading players during recent season due to national team call- ups during FIFA International Breaks
20
15
% 10
5
0 CURRENT LANDSCAPE The Number of A-League players included in Socceroos squads for major tournaments
9
6
3
0 2006 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup 2014 FIFA World Cup 2015 AFC Asian Cup REST & RECOVERY Existing Policy Positions Football Federation Australia (FFA) is currently guided by a policy of a minimum of 72 hours between matches. The 72 hours applies from the final whistle to the kick-off of the next match and does not account for the impact travel has on recovery. Based on currently available research, 72 hours between matches, when accompanied by long haul travel, is not aligned with the principles that must underpin a match scheduling policy, these being: (a) Competitive fairness; (b) Player wellbeing and safety; and (c) Competitiveness on the international stage REST & RECOVERY POLICY PFA Position
The current FFA policy does not provide sufficient recovery time when long haul travel is undertaken. Accordingly, the policy of the PFA is: • A minimum of 72 hours between matches when long haul travel is not undertaken. • As close as possible to 96 hours between matches when long haul travel is undertaken. It must be a priority to afford players the greatest possible recovery period between matches, given the obvious benefits to performance and player wellbeing. FAILING TO ACCOUNT FOR IMPACT OF EXTENSIVE TRAVEL Recent examples of where a rigid approach to match scheduling created unacceptable risks
During March 2015 Western Sydney Wanderers Had Melbourne Victory been successful in the played nine (9) matches in four (4) weeks combined 2015/16 elimination final they would have played with over 35,000 kilometers of air travel two (2) matches in 72 hours combined with over 10 hours air travel between the matches
Impact of Current Policy
A-League teams competing in the Asian Champions Western Sydney, Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar League (ACL) can cross over 10 time-zones en route on average will undertake 37,882 kilometers of air to matches. travel excluding ACL and FFA Cup matches over the course of the 2016/17 A-League season
"I know we speak about the 72-hour rule in football, but I don't know how much consideration is taken into 24 hours being travel,” Melbourne Victory Head Coach Kevin Muscat IMPACT OF TRAVEL ON PERFORMANCE & RECOVERY What the Research Says….
Proposed Time Between Matches and Recovery Variables*
96 Jet-lag symptoms (e.g. Performance may be sub- sleep disruption and optimal prior to the increased daytime fatigue) disappearance of these 72 occurs following the loss of symptoms synchrony between Travel fatigue is Repeat sprint, circadian rhythms (e.g. induced by the maximal sprint, body temperature) and demands of air travel, 48 jump can take external cues (e.g. light including the up to and dark cycle) schedule, cramped greater than 72 conditions and hours to return 24 associated sleep to baseline disruption5
0 Standard Recovery Long Haul Travel
Minimum Baseline Recovery Aggravation by Travel
*All underpinning research can be obtained by contacting the PFA. TRAVEL IMPACTS ON SLEEP; INCREASES RISKS What the research says… • An inverse relationship has been observed between sleep duration and illness and injury risk. • Since reduced sleep quantity and quality have been reported both during and following long haul travel, players could be at an increased risk of illness and/or injury following long-haul travel. • Sleep is important for both physiological and psychological recovery. The performance recovery time may be prolonged due to disrupted sleep on long-haul flights. • Long haul travel has also been associated with an increased risk of illness, independently from sleep.
In summary, this long-haul travel following a match increases a player’s susceptibility to illness and injury, particularly if required to play another match soon after arrival. THANK YOU [email protected]