Physical Education Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia.

Speech Title: Immune System Measurements and Recreational Football: Effect of 16 weeks Intervention and 6 Month Follow Up
Abstract:
Purpose: Keeping in view the popularity of football in Saudi Arabia, purpose of the study was to explore the effects of six a side recreational football on immune system measurements in untrained males.
Methods: Twelve male students with mean age 19.50 yrs were selected from King Fahd university of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM)as a subject for the present study. They were divided into two teams of 6 each and were offered recreational football for 16 weeks. Football sessions were conducted on 40x30m outdoor artificial pitch. Training sessions were organized twice a week. Average playing time during the study was 26.92 minutes. Heart rate of each player in both teams was monitored during all football sessions using Polar FT7. Measurements were taken at baseline, after week no. 8, week no. 16 and follow up measurements were taken after 6 months. Repeated measure anova was employed to find with in group differences after 16 weeks of football. Level of significance was set at .05
Results: Repeated measure anova revealed significant change in IgA values (F_2.14, _23.59 = 12.95, p = 0.00), IgM values (F_1.85, _20.35 = 21.63, p = 0.00) and IgG values (F_2.02, _22.28 = 7.522, p = 0.003) with in the SFG group. Repeated measure anova also revealed significant change in WBC values with in the SFG group after 16 weeks of football (F_{3, 33} = 11.37, p = 0.00), neutrophil (F_1.67, _18.39 = 13.84, p = 0.00), lymphocyte (F_1.55, _17.10 = 15.90, p = 0.00), monocyte (F_1.24, _13.73 = 6.45, p = 0.019) and eosinophil values (F_1.57, _17.27 = 9.93, p = 0.002) with in the SFG group after 16 weeks of football. However no significant change in basophil values with in SFG group after 16 weeks of football (F_1.32, _14.53 = 1.61, p = 0.230).
Conclusions: Immune system responded to six a side recreational football intervention in untrained males. Immune proteins (serum IgA, IgG and IgM) increased significantly after 16 weeks of vigorous football sessions (average heart rate 165.18 b\min), follow up period of 6 month also reported increase in IgA, IgG and IgM values. Similar results were obtained for WBC, neutrophil, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophil after 16 weeks of intervention and 6 month follow up. However no changes were seen in basophil count over the same period.