Disability Risk for Male Professional Soccer Players: A Question of Age? A New Method Based on Transfermarkt®'s Collaborative Data

The soccer industry generates billions in revenue, largely from matchday sales, commercial activities, and television rights. A significant portion of club revenues are spent on player wages making their availability for games and training economically vital. Any period of injury-related absence functions as a form of temporary disability, creating significant financial exposure for teams, insurers, and reinsurers. Preventing injuries is crucial for soccer clubs to mitigate financial and sports risks associated with player unavailability. Transfermarkt® database has been utilized to develop an accurate method to estimate the incidence of injuries among male soccer players. To propose the most appropriate preventive measures, medical teams of soccer clubs should consider other risk factors than age, such as the history of injuries and the player's position in the field. This new model offers a practical framework for insurers, reinsurers, and club medical teams to better quantify disability risk, refine prevention strategies, and improve the prediction of injury-related downtime.