Injuries and Suspensions

Contents

What Sportmonks provides

Each sidelined record covers a single period of unavailability for a player and includes:
– Player ID and team ID
– Season ID
– Type ID indicating the nature of the absence
– Category classifying the type of sidelined record.
– Start date of the unavailability period
– End date, where known (null if the player is still unavailable)
– Number of games missed
– A completed boolean indicating whether the player has returned to availability

The type include adds a human-readable label to the type ID, such as the specific injury type or suspension reason. The sideline nested include (accessed as sidelined.sideline) returns additional detail about the record where available, including the injury category and further context on the absence.

How to access sidelined data

There is no standalone endpoint for sidelined records. They are accessed as includes on other endpoints.

Via the teams endpoints — use the sidelined include to return all players currently unavailable at a given club, or sidelinedHistory to return the full historical record of absences:

GET https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/teams/{team_id}?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=sidelined

Via the players endpoints — add the sidelined include to a player request to return their current or historical unavailability records directly on the player profile:

GET https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/players/{player_id}?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=sidelined

Via the fixtures endpoints — use the sidelined include on a fixture to see which players from either participating team are currently unavailable ahead of the match:

GET https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/fixtures/{fixture_id}?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=sidelined

To retrieve additional detail on each absence, chain the sideline include:

GET https://api.sportmonks.com/v3/football/teams/{team_id}?api_token=YOUR_TOKEN&include=sidelined.sideline;sidelined.player;sidelined.type

What you can build with sidelined data

Pre-match availability reports using the sidelined include on fixtures to display which players are ruled out ahead of a match, covering leagues including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Champions League, and beyond.

Team injury trackers using the sidelined include on teams to show the current absentee list for a club, updated as players return to fitness or new injuries are recorded.

Player profile injury history using the sidelinedHistory include on teams, or the sidelined include on a player record to display a timeline of all absences throughout a player’s career.

Fantasy football squad management tools surfacing injury and suspension status alongside player selection data to help users make informed picks.

Betting pre-match context features displaying team news and availability alongside odds and match previews

Availability

Sidelined data is included in all Starter, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise plans. Coverage varies by league. You can explore and test the sidelined includes using the Sportmonks Postman collection or the API tester in MySportmonks.

Try it free. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial, and the forever-free plan gives you immediate access to the Danish Superliga and Scottish Premiership with no credit card required.

Is there a standalone endpoint for injury and suspension data?

No. Sidelined data is accessed as an include on the teams, players, and fixtures endpoints. Use whichever access point best fits your use case.

What is the difference between sidelined and sidelinedHistory?

The sidelined include returns current absences. The sidelinedHistory include, available on the teams endpoints, returns the full historical record of all unavailability periods for every player at the club, including absences that have since been resolved.

How do I get the specific injury type or suspension reason for each absence?

Add the type include alongside sidelined to return the human-readable label for each type ID. For additional detail on the specific absence, chain the sideline include as sidelined.sideline.

How do I know if a player is still currently unavailable?

Each sidelined record includes a completed boolean. A value of false means the player is still unavailable. A null end_date also indicates the absence is ongoing with no confirmed return date.

Is the sidelined data available on all plans?

Yes. Sidelined data is included in all Starter, Growth, Pro, and Enterprise plans.

Written by David Jaja

David Jaja is a technical content manager at Sportmonks, where he makes complex football data easier to understand for developers and businesses. With a background in frontend development and technical writing, he helps bridge the gap between technology and sports data. Through clear, insightful content, he ensures Sportmonks' APIs are accessible and easy to use, empowering developers to build standout football applications