Training Load and Player Monitoring in High-Level Football: Current Practice and Perceptions

Training load (TL) is monitored with the aim of making evidence-based decisions on appropriate loading schemes to reduce injuries and enhance team performance. However, little is known in detail about the variables of load and methods of analysis used in high-level football. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide information on the practices and practitioners' perceptions of monitoring in professional clubs. Eighty-two high-level football clubs from Europe, the United States, and Australia were invited to answer questions relating to how TL is quantified, how players' responses are monitored, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of monitoring. Forty-one responses were received. All teams used…