Atlanta’s stature in the passion-stirring world of professional soccer is growing.
Last month, the U.S. national soccer federation broke ground in metro Atlanta on its future headquarters and national training center. And next month, the city will play host to the kick-off game of the 2024 Copa América, which is set to feature Argentine superstar Lionel Messi – a preview of Atlanta’s more high-profile hosting duties that will come in 2026 when the next World Cup edition gets underway.
The sport’s rising popularity in the region and across the country was part of the motivation behind a new Emory University study that aims to examine the health benefits of recreational soccer on adults between the ages of 40 and 65.
“In the U.S., for some reason, most people stop playing sports, even on a recreational level, in their mid-20s. … We think [soccer] has the potential to move the needle when it comes to the epidemic of physical inactivity,” said Dr. Felipe Lobelo, an associate professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health, and a lifelong soccer player.
The Emory study is part of a global health movement dubbed “Football Is Medicine,” whose research findings have buttressed soccer’s potential as an effective healthcare intervention, especially when it comes to improving cardiovascular health.
According to an article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2018, “More than 150 peer-reviewed articles published in 35 international scientific journals tell us that football is a joyful, social and popular sporting activity that is effective and versatile; a multipurpose type of training with marked positive effects for almost all types of people and across their lifespan.”
According to Lobelo, soccer is a complete work-out because it combines aerobic, strength, and interval training.
“It’s a more efficient way to use your time,” he said. “We see many more benefits than for example, you know, jogging or doing just strength training or doing just interval training. Soccer essentially combines the three.”
Like other team sports, soccer comes with the potential for social connection and positive mental health benefits. The equipment needed is minimal.
Funded by the American Heart Association, the study will measure participants’ blood pressure and gather glucose and lipid panels before and after their participation in the 12-week program. Validated surveys will assess changes to nutrition choices, sleep patterns and stress and anxiety levels.
Researchers aim to recruit 50 adults for the study.
They are looking for people between 45 and 60 because “that’s the group that has the highest risk and is in the biggest window for prevention of heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks,” Lobelo said.
To reduce the risk of injury, especially among those new to soccer, coaches will guide study participants through lengthy warm-ups and structured drills. Researchers want to figure out a way to make the recreational soccer program sustainable so that participants choose to continue to play after the study is done.
Years ago, Lobelo helped organize a similar soccer study specifically aimed at Latino men who were overweight and at risk of diabetes. He said they wound up losing an average of 15 pounds.
Lobelo said he would hope research like his could trigger a change in how health industry professionals think of soccer and other sports – not just fun, recreational activities but also bona fide tools of medicine.
“So perhaps your insurance company offers you an opportunity to subsidize your membership into a recreational soccer program,” Lobelo said. “This could be something doctors prescribe.”
People interested in participating in the Emory soccer study can reach out to researchers via the following website: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/hearthealthunited/about-us/.
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