Mapping Adaptive Processes in Football: A Scoping Review of Research Approaches

Sullivan, A ORCID: 0000-0003-1370-8385, Vanrenterghem, J, Robinson, MA ORCID: 0000-0002-5627-492X and Drust, B (2026) Mapping Adaptive Processes in Football: A Scoping Review of Research Approaches. Football Studies. ISSN 3051-2689

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Abstract

The adaptive response to football is a complex physiological process that occurs across various levels of biological of organisation as a system attempts to adapt to training and match stimuli both acutely and chronically. Despite extensive research on football training adaptations, no systematic mapping exists of the measurement approaches used across different biological levels, creating gaps in our understanding of how researchers operationalise and study adaptive processes in this complex sport. A scoping review per PRISMA-ScR was conducted. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed articles assessing acute and chronic physiological, neuromuscular, biomechanical, or physical performance responses to training interventions and match play in healthy, uninjured male football players (professional, semi-professional, youth, university levels) using pre-post measurements. SportDiscus, PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus were searched to June 19, 2025. Three reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts against eligibility criteria. 472 studies met inclusion criteria. Study outcome measures were extracted and categorised by biological level. Of 472 studies, 217 (46%) measured at a single level, 146 (31%) at two levels, 84 (18%) at three levels, and 25 (5%) at four levels. Organism-level measurement was most common, appearing in 336 studies (71%). The most frequently used outcome measures at each level were countermovement jump (organism level, n = 148), lactate (cellular level, n = 75), maximal heart rate (tissue/organ level, n = 65), and VO2max (organ system level, n = 42). This review represents the first attempt to systematically map measurement approaches across cellular through organism biological levels in football adaptation research, revealing concentrated effort towards organism-level assessments with limited multi-level integration. The findings reveal where football adaptation research has focused but not yet how well those approaches capture adaptive mechanisms.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1106 Human Movement and Sports Sciences; 4207 Sports science and exercise
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC1200 Sports Medicine G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date of acceptance:	21 April 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	29 April 2026
Date Deposited:	28 Apr 2026 10:17
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2026 00:50
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.footst.2026.100043
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28484

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