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Efficacy of the FIFA cooling break heat policy during an intermittent treadmill football simulation in hot conditions in trained females

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dc.contributor.authorBrown, H.A.
dc.contributor.authorChalmers, S.
dc.contributor.authorTopham, T.H.
dc.contributor.authorClark, B.
dc.contributor.authorMeyer, T.
dc.contributor.authorJowett, A.
dc.contributor.authorJay, O.
dc.contributor.authorPériard, J.D.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractObjectives: To investigate the efficacy of the current FIFA cooling break heat policy against alternative cooling configurations in attenuating physiological strain during a football simulation in the heat. Design: Five randomised counterbalanced experimental trials in 40 °C and 41 % relative humidity (32 °C wet-bulb globe temperature). Methods: Twelve females (age 25 ± 5 y, V̇O2peak 51 ± 5 mL·kg−1·min−1) completed five 90-min football simulations with different cooling configurations: regular match without cooling breaks (REG), 3-min breaks without cooling (BRKno-cool), 3-min breaks with cooling (BRKcool: current FIFA policy; chilled fluid and ice towel across neck/shoulders), 5-min extended half-time without cooling breaks (ExtHTonly), and 5-min extended half-time with 3-min cooling breaks (ExtHTcool). Rectal (Tre) and skin temperature (Tsk), heart rate, whole-body sweat rate (WBSR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Data are presented as means and 95 % confidence intervals [CI]. Results: Final Tre was lower in ExtHTcool (38.4 °C [38.1, 38.7], P < 0.001) than REG (38.7 °C [38.4, 39.0]), ExtHTonly (38.7 °C [38.4, 39.0], P = 0.003) and BRKno-cool (38.7 °C [38.4, 39.0], P = 0.006), whereas it was similar in BRKcool and REG (P = 0.062). Mean heart rate was lower in ExtHTcool than REG (3 beats·min−1 [2, 4], P < 0.001). WBSR was similar across trials (P > 0.133), whilst RPE was lower in ExtHTcool (0.6 [0.3, 0.9], P < 0.001) but not BRKcool (0.2 [− 0.0, 0.5], P = 0.089), than REG. Conclusions: The FIFA heat policy offers minimal physiological or perceptual benefits to females performing a football simulation in the heat. However, combining the cooling breaks with an extended half-time, which is not currently part of the FIFA heat policy, attenuates thermal and cardiovascular strain.
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2025; 28(6):491-497
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.jsams.2025.02.003
dc.identifier.issn1440-2440
dc.identifier.issn1878-1861
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11541.2/42230
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier Australia
dc.relation.fundingInternational Federation of Association Football
dc.rightsCopyright 2025 The Authors (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Access Condition Notes: This is an open access article under the CC BY license
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2025.02.003
dc.subjectfootball
dc.subjectsport policy
dc.subjectsweating
dc.subjectthermoregulation
dc.titleEfficacy of the FIFA cooling break heat policy during an intermittent treadmill football simulation in hot conditions in trained females
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.mmsid9916951429201831

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