Association between football training experience and attentional networks in boys aged 7–11 years
A cross-sectional study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22085016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jiaxian Geng (0009-0000-0526-9779, Fujian Normal University), Fanying Meng (0009-0001-5293-2059, Fujian Normal University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1839375-1839375 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1839375 |
| PMID | 42388768 |
| OpenAlex | W7165020563 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 53 |
Background: While physical exercise has been shown to benefit the attentional networks in adolescents, older adults, and clinical populations, the specific associations regarding typically developing children remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between football training experience and attentional sub-networks in boys aged 7-11 years. Methods: = 47, with no systematic extracurricular sports training, engaging only in regular school physical education classes). All participants completed the Attention Network Test to assess the efficiency of three sub-networks: alerting, orienting, and executive control. Results: The football group showed significantly higher efficiency in both the alerting and executive control networks compared with the control group, with the latter characterized by a smaller conflict effect. Conversely, no significant group difference was found in orienting network efficiency. Conclusion: These findings suggest a selective association between football training experience and attentional networks, specifically highlighting advantages in the alerting and executive control networks. This study provides empirical support for considering football as a developmentally appropriate activity that is associated with specific attentional advantages in boys aged 7-11 years
Attention network · Attentional control · Executive functions · Football · Football players · Functional Brain Connectivity Studies · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Sport Psychology and Performance
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| Highly cited | No |
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