Exploring the FIFA 11+ and Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Collegiate Female Athletes

At Cryojuvenate, we love to celebrate the achievements of our team – and this time, we’re shining a light on our brilliant Sports Therapist, Ellie. As part of her degree, Ellie recently completed her dissertation, a major piece of independent research that all university students must undertake in their final year. These projects are no small feat – typically 8,000–12,000 words long – and involve not only months of academic writing but also practical testing, data collection, and critical analysis. We found Ellie’s dissertation so informative and relevant that we wanted to share it with you. Of course, we’ve cut it down to make it more accessible, but it still offers a fascinating insight into both the depth of work graduates put into their studies and the science behind Football Warm-Up protocols in sport.

Ellie’s research is especially relevant to us at Cryojuvenate because we see such a wide range of clients – from competitive athletes looking to improve performance and reduce injury risk, to everyday individuals focused on recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term joint and muscle health. Understanding the science behind injury-prevention warm-ups, eccentric strength, and conditioning helps us better support those who come through our doors for cryotherapy, sports massage, compression therapy, or vitamin support.

Her blog: 📝 Can a Football Warm-Up Work for Rugby Players? Exploring the FIFA 11+ and Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Collegiate Female Athletes, gives you a snapshot of the rigorous research, testing, and thought that goes into answering key questions in sports science – and why this knowledge matters in the real world of recovery and maintenance.

Football Warm-Up, Performance & Prevention

 

Injury prevention has become one of the most critical aspects of athletic performance, especially in high-intensity, contact sports like rugby. While warm-up routines have long been used to prepare athletes physically and mentally, the quality and structure of these warm-ups can directly influence both performance and injury risk.

Enter the FIFA 11+ Warm-Up Programme, originally designed for football players. This structured warm-up has shown promising results in reducing injuries and improving muscle activation in football. But with many shared movement patterns between football and rugby—like sprinting, jumping, and changing direction—could this warm-up be effective for female rugby players, too?  A recent study explored just that.

What Is the FIFA 11+ Football Warm-Up?

 

The FIFA 11+ is a warm-up programme developed by the FIFA Medical and Research Centre (F-MARC) in collaboration with leading sports science institutions. It’s a 20-minute, sport-specific warm-up protocol consisting of three main components:

 

 

✅ Running exercises – General movement to raise body temperature and heart rate

✅ Strength, balance, plyometrics and neuromuscular training – Exercises like squats, lunges, Nordic hamstring curls and single-leg balance drills

✅ Advanced running drills – Simulating game-specific movement patterns

 

Originally designed to reduce injuries—particularly to the hamstrings, knees, and ankles—the FIFA 11+ has been shown to reduce lower limb injuries by up to 30% in footballers.

But what about rugby?

Why Hamstring Strength Matters in Rugby

 

Hamstring muscles are central to speed, power, balance and injury prevention, especially in field sports like rugby. These muscles are heavily activated during sprinting, deceleration, tackling, and kicking.

In fact, hamstring strains are among the most common non-contact injuries in rugby, with studies suggesting a rate of 2.7 injuries per 1,000 hours in female players. These injuries often occur during the late swing phase of sprinting, where the hamstring undergoes an eccentric contraction (lengthening while under tension) to decelerate the lower leg.

Without eccentric strength, this motion places significant strain on the muscle fibres. Poor warm-up routines, lack of strength training, and prior injury all increase the risk.

This is why building eccentric hamstring strength through targeted exercises like the Nordic Hamstring Curl is essential—not only for performance but for long-term injury prevention.

The Study: Testing the FIFA 11+ on Female Collegiate Rugby Players

 

A research study conducted by a final-year Sports Therapy undergraduate aimed to investigate whether the FIFA 11+ warm-up could be transferred from football to rugby, particularly in collegiate female rugby players.

Insert from Google AI: Collegiate female rugby playersCollegiate female rugby players combine their education with competitive play, often through university programs that offer athletic scholarships and a chance to compete at national levels in organizations like the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) and the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR). These programs provide pathways for athletes to develop their skills, with many producing players who go on to professional careers in leagues such as the English Premiership or represent their countries on the international stage.

✅ Key Study Facts

 

• Participants: 10 female collegiate rugby players (aged ~21)
• Test Used: NordBord system by VALD Performance (measures eccentric hamstring strength)
• Protocol: i) Pre-test: Eccentric knee flexor peak torque (both legs) ii) FIFA 11+ warm-up performed (Level 1) iii) Post-test: Repeated strength assessment

The goal was to determine whether the FIFA 11+ warm-up acutely improved eccentric hamstring strength and therefore might help reduce injury risk.

The Results: Did the FIFA 11+ Work

 

The results showed no statistically significant difference in Eccentric Hamstring Strength before and after the FIFA 11+ warm-up.

• Left leg peak torque: Slight decrease post-warm-up
• Right leg peak torque: Also showed a decrease
• Paired t-test results: No significance (p > 0.05)

This means that a single warm-up session did not improve eccentric hamstring strength in the short term. However, it did not significantly decrease their eccentric hamstring strength. This indicates that it effectively prepared the athletes without inducing early muscular fatigue. By maintaining hamstring function, we can help prevent injury.

What Might Explain These Results?

 

Despite the proven benefits in football, this study suggests the FIFA 11+ may not immediately enhance hamstring strength in rugby players. Here’s why:

• Mismatch Between Sport Demands: Football and rugby, while similar in some physical aspects, differ in their physical intensity and technical demands. Rugby involves more physical contact and different muscle activation patterns. The FIFA 11+ may not be tailored enough to rugby-specific movements.
• Inexperience with Nordic Exercises: Some participants were unfamiliar with Nordic hamstring curls, which can affect performance and accuracy in strength testing. While a familiarisation trial was included, the learning curve could have influenced results.
• Player Variation: Differences in players’ body size, position, and experience all affect baseline hamstring strength. Heavier forwards, for instance, often generate more force than lighter backs, potentially skewing results.
• Fatigue Factor: Some participants appeared fatigued after the warm-up, likely due to its intensity and unfamiliarity. This may have reduced strength output during the post-test
• The Role of Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Injury Risk: Beyond this study, there’s overwhelming evidence that eccentric hamstring training is essential in sports like rugby
• Players with poor eccentric strength are more likely to suffer injuries
• Asymmetries between legs increase injury risk (especially when one leg is 10%+ weaker)

Strength training using Nordic hamstring exercises (NHE) improves fascicle length and force output

Interestingly, many professional teams still don’t implement NHE protocols consistently, despite the known benefits.

Is the FIFA 11+ Really Effective for Rugby Players?

 

Not at all. While this study showed no short-term performance benefit, that doesn’t mean the FIFA 11+ has no value. In fact, previous studies show that long-term use of structured warm-up protocols:

• Reduces injury rates
• Improves neuromuscular control
• Boosts confidence and performance
• Supports better motor control under fatigue

What might be needed is a rugby-specific adaptation of the FIFA 11+ — something more aligned with the sport’s physical and technical requirements.

Recommendations for Coaches, Athletes & Therapists

 

If you’re working in rugby, football, or any field sport with high-speed sprinting and contact, consider these strategies:

✅ Implement Regular Nordic Hamstring Exercises: Make them a core part of your strength & conditioning programme, not just a one-off warm-up.

✅ Customise Foitball Warm-Up for Your Sport: Use the FIFA 11+ as a template but adapt it for rugby (e.g., scrum drills, tackling movements, ruck-specific agility).

✅ Monitor Strength Asymmetries: Tools like the VALD NordBord or Isokinetic Dynamometers Can a Football Warm-Up Work for Rugby Players? Exploring the FIFA 11+ and Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Collegiate Female Athletes, gives you a snapshot of the rigorous research, testing, and thought that goes into answering key questions in sports science help identify players at risk of injury due to strength imbalances.

✅ Be Consistent: Warm-up protocols only work if they’re done consistently over time. Treat them as a performance enhancer, not just a ritual.

Final Thoughts

 

The FIFA 11+ is a proven injury prevention tool in football. But when applied to rugby, especially in col female players, it may need adjustment and longer implementation periods to be effective.

This study is a great step forward in asking whether we can cross-apply protocols between sports — and where the gaps are. In the meantime, combining evidence-based warm-ups with targeted strength training remains the most powerful way to reduce injury risk and optimise athletic performance.

👣 What’s Next?

 

At Cryojuvenate, we work closely with athletes of all levels to:

✅ Support recovery and injury prevention

✅ Offer cutting-edge Whole Body Cryotherapy, Localised Cryotherapy, Sports Massage, Compression Therapy and Red Light Therapy 

✅ Combine modalities for better and faster recovery

✅ Help you perform at your best — and recover faster

👉 Want to assess your hamstring strength or reduce injury risk? Book in your session with our sports therapy team at Cryojuvenate