Association between Recovery Status and Performance among Male Players in the Northwest Regional Football League of Cameroon

Abstract

This study examined the association between recovery status and performance among male players in the Northwest Regional Football League of Cameroon. The study addressed the second objective of a broader investigation of training adaptations and player performance and combined quantitative and qualitative evidence. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used. The sampling frame comprised 30 teams organised into four pools; two pools were selected by ballot, two teams were purposively selected from each selected pool, and all eligible players in the four participating teams were enumerated. The quantitative sample comprised 114 male players from Rising Star FA (n=25), SAMISA FA (n=31), SIMAF FA (n=23), and ACHICO FA (n=35), while four head coaches participated in semi-structured interviews. Recovery status was assessed with the Hooper Recovery Index, covering sleep quality, fatigue, stress and muscle soreness, and performance was assessed using the performance measures adopted in the broader study. Quantitative data were analysed with frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, Pearson product-moment correlation and simple linear regression; coach interviews were analysed thematically. The overall Hooper Index was 12.82 ± 7.69. Although 49.1% of players were classified as having excellent recovery, 49.2% were classified as having poor or very poor recovery and 1.7% having good, demonstrating substantial inter-individual variation. Recovery status was significantly and inversely associated with performance (r = ?.624, p < .001). The regression model was statistically significant, F(1,112) = 71.49, p < .001, and recovery status accounted for 39.0% of the observed variance in performance (R² = .390; adjusted R² = .384). Coach interviews indicated that rest, sleep, hydration, nutrition, stretching and light recovery activities were commonly used, whereas formal recovery programmes and advanced modalities were limited. The findings indicate that poorer recovery status is associated with lower player performance in this regional football context. However, because recovery interventions were not experimentally assigned and players were nested within four teams, the findings were interpreted as associational and predictive rather than causal. Routine monitoring of sleep, fatigue, stress and muscle soreness, combined with context-appropriate recovery planning, may assist coaches in managing player readiness.