Initiated in 2019, the Drake Football Study is a decade-long research project dedicated to monitoring the physical and mental well-being of football players. Spanning ten years, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the long-term health impacts of playing football, offering a comprehensive analysis of both physical and psychological aspects as they evolve over time.
The study initially enrolled over 170 male and female players, capturing data from the early stages of their playing careers and continuing to track their journey as they transition into retirement.
Recent findings from the Drake Football Study have uncovered that 20 percent of professional women’s footballers experienced disordered eating within a 12-month timeframe, which is 1 in 5 women. These results highlight a significant concern within women’s football, underscoring the prevalence of disordered eating patterns among athletes.
The most recent sub-study, titled Unmasking Mental Health Symptoms in Female Professional Football Players, also indicates that female footballers are nearly twice as likely to experience sport-related psychological distress following each surgery. These findings shed light on the significant mental health challenges faced by women in professional football, particularly in the aftermath of surgical procedures.
Among the 74 players surveyed in this sub-study, 55 percent reported experiencing sport-related psychological distress within a 12-month period, a rate consistent with findings across other elite sports. Additionally, three percent of these athletes reported engaging in substance misuse during the same timeframe.
These statistics highlight the pervasive mental health struggles within the professional football community, mirroring trends seen in other high-performance sports.
Over the past decade, FIFPRO has taken a leading role in addressing mental health challenges within football. This effort began in 2013 with a pioneering pilot project aimed at assisting member unions in creating and implementing strategies to protect players’ mental well-being. Since then, numerous additional studies and initiatives have been launched, further strengthening the support network for athletes.
“Players are screened pre-season for musculoskeletal injuries, for their level of endurance, strength and speed, for cardiovascular abnormalities, and the same should apply for mental health,” said FIFPRO’s Chief Medical Officer Prof Dr Vincent Gouttebarge via FIFPRO’s website.
“In Australia, for instance, thanks to the work done jointly by FIFPRO and Professional Footballers Australia, mental health screening in pre-season is now embedded in the minimum medical requirements. It’s a big step forward.”
The findings in women’s football align with those observed in other sports but are less prevalent compared to aesthetic or weight-class sports like gymnastics, judo, wrestling, or boxing. Despite this, the results still raise significant concerns regarding player welfare, emphasising the need for continued attention to the well-being of athletes across all disciplines.
The initial findings of the project, derived from studies on male professional footballers, revealed a low prevalence of knee and hip osteoarthritis (the degeneration of joint cartilage). The research also indicated that pain is a reliable symptom for suggesting the presence of osteoarthritis. Additionally, the likelihood of developing knee osteoarthritis was found to increase by 1.5 times with each injury and by just over four times following surgeries. These insights underscore the significant impact of injuries and surgical procedures on the long-term joint health of football players.
Although the 10-year Drake Football Study focuses primarily on joint pain in the ankles, hips, and knees of players and its potential long-term effects on their well-being, it also seeks to investigate mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression, which are commonly reported by athletes. Additional data from the study is expected to be published in the coming months.
The Drake Football Study is initially funded by The Drake Foundation and receives support from Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Mehiläinen in Finland, and Push Sports in the Netherlands.
