INTRODUCTION: Frequent matches and training sessions in elite football result in high training loads and constrained time for recovery. Careful planning of training loads, using valid and reliable tools, may assist to reduce injury risk and increase physical performance [1]. Monitoring individual training load, perception of wellness and sleep may be useful tools for tracking training load and the response to training and matches, and therefore improve training preparations. An important question is therefore how training load is related to wellness, sleep and readiness to play. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess how wellness, sleep, readiness to play vary in the days pre- and post-match over two consecutive seasons within one elite football team. METHODS: Thirty-one players (age 25.5±5.1 yr) from an elite Norwegian football team participated in the study over two consecutive seasons. Sixteen players participated in both seasons, while the remainder participated in either season. Each player reported daily their individual session rating of perceived exertion training load (sRPE-TL), wellness questionnaire [2], hours of sleep and readiness to play via a mobile-app. The data was pooled into days (-3 to +3 relative to match day [MD]) and analyzed using a linear mixed effects model, adjusting for training load, training load x day interaction, season trend and random effects for player and week. RESULTS: Large day-to-day differences of sRPE-TL (ES: 1.1-2.5; p<0.01), hours of sleep (ES: 0.5-1.1; p<0.01), readiness to play (ES: 0.7-2.4; p<0.01) and wellness (ES: 0.3-1.5; p<0.01-0.03), with the exception of MD-1, were observed in the periods of MD-3 to MD+3 days relative to the matches in season 1. In season 2, these equivalent day-to-day differences were very similar for sRPE-TL (ES: 0.7-2.5; p<0.01), hours of sleep (ES: 0.4-1.1; p<0.01-0.02), readiness to play (ES: 0.7-2.7; p<0.01-0.05) and wellness (ES: 0.4-1.6; p<0.01), with the exception of MD-1. CONCLUSION: The study shows that sRPE-TL, wellness, hours of sleep and readiness to play are sensitive to day-to-day differences in the days before and after the match, and are consistent over two seasons in this cohort. Hence, these variables are practical to include in a player monitoring regime. Furthermore, training load had an effect on wellness and readiness to play the day after the match, but not on the other days, highlighting the impact of the match.
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