Finch C, Donohue S, Garnham A, Seward H
Department of Epidemiology and Preentative Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
J Sci Med Sport. 2002 Sep;5(3):266-73. doi: 10.1016/s1440-2440(02)80012-3.
The Victorian Football League Under 18 (VFL U18) competition provides a pathway to the elite senior level of Australian football. Players involved in the VFL U18 competition also play football in other contexts, including for school and local clubs, and can have considerable additional work and educational demands. A total of 103 elite junior Australian football players from six VFL U18 clubs participated in a survey that asked about their football playing habits and other commitments. The median age of players when they first joined their VFL U18 squad was 16.3 years. The players participated in a median of five weekly training sessions during the last two weeks of the 1999 preseason and played a median of five preseason games. Fifty percent of the players expected to participate in 3-4 training sessions per week and 25% expected to play more than two games per week during the 1999 season. Half of the players reported ambitions to play Australian Football League (AFL) football. Further research is needed to determine whether or not high participation levels have negative impacts on performance and injury risk in these players.
维多利亚足球联盟18岁以下（VFL U18）比赛为澳大利亚足球精英成年组比赛提供了一条晋升途径。参与VFL U18比赛的球员也在其他环境中踢球，包括为学校和当地俱乐部踢球，并且可能有大量额外的工作和学业要求。来自六个VFL U18俱乐部的总共103名澳大利亚青少年精英足球运动员参与了一项调查，该调查询问了他们的足球比赛习惯和其他事务。球员首次加入其VFL U18球队时的年龄中位数为16.3岁。在1999年季前赛的最后两周，球员们每周参加训练课程的中位数为五次，参加季前赛比赛的中位数为五场。50%的球员预计在1999赛季每周参加3 - 4次训练课程，25%的球员预计每周参加两场以上比赛。一半的球员表示有志于参加澳大利亚足球联赛（AFL）。需要进一步研究以确定如此高的参与度是否会对这些球员的表现和受伤风险产生负面影响。
