Why multi-sport athletes beat single-sport athletes.

Does playing other sports make you a better footballer?

While it seems intuitive that concentrating solely on football would be the best way to improve your prospects within the sport, there is actually a lot of evidence to the contrary suggesting that playing a range of sports is the best way to maximize your potential.

A lot of professional footballers grew up playing a variety of sports; legendary Soviet keeper Lev Yashin (the only keeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or) played Ice Hockey alongside Football and Paolo Maldini, widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time, was an avid tennis player. Examining other sports Lebron James, the four time NBA MVP, was once a top American Football prospect at Wide Receiver.

A prime benefit behind playing a range of sports is that it can mitigate risk of injury. Only playing one sport can leave you at risk of injury with muscle groups that aren’t regularly trained being neglected. Playing a range of sports can help work those different muscle groups, keeping youngsters fit, healthy, and on the football field.

Rene Wourmhoudt (a leading strength and conditioning coach within the Dutch FA) exalts the virtues of playing multiple sports; he claims that children who play just one sport are four times more likely to get injured than those who play multiple. 

Playing multiple sports has other physical benefits beyond mitigating risk of injury. Different sports prioritise different skills, all of which can have great use in football. Swimming mitigates the risk of injury as practically all muscle groups are utilised while also placing more of an emphasis on upper body strength that will help players hold off opponents while on the ball.

The same can be said for other sports such as Tennis and Rugby. The benefits of playing a range of sports are clearly recognised by Ajax’s Academy, where it is estimated that youngsters will spend around 45% of their time performing activities not related to football, with the club holding regular Judo, Gymnastics and Athletics sessions for its players.

There are also clear mental benefits for youngsters who play a range of sports. Just one benefit is that it will reduce the risk of youngsters burning out on Football. As well as this, concentration can be aided by playing a range of sports; each sport poses unique challenges which forces players to think about problems faced in different ways.

Teamwork can be positively impacted as playing a variety of team sports, thus participating in a variety of different teams, can encourage players to engage more positively with their teammates as they are more comfortable interacting with others in that setting. Youngsters who have more experience playing in a variety of different teams are more likely to feel comfortable with their team on the football pitch.

Obviously a player who wants to excel at football should continue to prioritise time with the ball at their feet, but at the same time the benefits of playing a range of sports are clear to see.

The physical and mental benefits can manifest themselves in a better functioning team and improved players, so we at Bloomsbury Football Foundation encourage our players to diversify their sporting interests!

How many other sports do you play outside of football, and how often? How do these sports help you with your own football development?