title: Effects of long-haul transmeridian travel on player preparedness: Case study of a national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe the effects of eastward long-haul transmeridian air travel on subjective jet-lag, sleep and wellness in professional football (soccer) players prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single cohort involving twenty-two male professional football players representing a national football team.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data was collected from players prior to and following international travel from Sydney, Australia to Vitoria, Brazil. In total there were three flights, 19-h and 14,695km of travel east across 11 time-zones. Training load and wellness measures were obtained in the week prior to and following travel, whilst sleep and jet-lag measures were collected on the day prior to travel (Pre), the day of arrival and for five days following travel (Post 1-5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to Pre, perceived jet-lag was significantly increased on Post 1 to 4, with significantly greater levels on Post 1 compared to Post 5 (p<0.05). Self-reported sleep duration during travel was 5.9 (4.8-7.0) h, which was significantly lower than all other nights (p˂0.01), except for the night of arrival, where time in bed and sleep duration were significantly reduced compared to Post 1-4 (p˂0.01). Lastly, compared to the week prior to travel, mean wellness was significantly reduced during the week following travel (p˂0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reported sleep disruption during and following eastward long-haul transmeridian air travel, together with exacerbated jet-lag symptoms may result in reduced player wellness. Consequently, player preparedness for subsequent training and competition may be impeded, though physical performance data is lacking.
authors.affiliation: Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar. Electronic address: peter.fowler@aspetar.com.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.affiliation: Sports Medicine Department, Football Federation Australia; Research and Development Department, Arsenal Football Club, United Kingdom; Research and Development Department, Edinburgh Napier University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCall
authors.affiliation: Sports Medicine Department, Football Federation Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Sports Medicine Department, Football Federation Australia; Sport & Exercise Discipline Group, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duffield
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D064870:Air Travel; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D020179:Jet Lag Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D057566:Self Report; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Jet-lag syndrome; Recovery of function; Sleep; Soccer; Wellness questionnaire