Implementation of an injury prevention programme in community netball: An observational study

The Netball KNEE programme is a freely available, netball-specific injury prevention programme promoted to netball coaches. However, little is known about its implementation. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Netball KNEE programme in community netball, and determine if implementation differed by player age. Four netball clubs participated. Training sessions (n = 67) were observed to determine if coaches used Netball KNEE programme activities as intended, modified or not at all during training, and whether feedback on technique was provided. No team performed the recommended number of activities without modification. On average, only 12%, 18% and 14% of the recommended number of activities were performed as intended in the 7-10, 11-13 and ≥14 years age groups, respectively. Warm-up/footwork activities (30%; 0-80%) were more frequently performed than strength (0%; 0-50%), balance/landing (0%; 0-50%), and agility (0%; 0-25%) activities (p < 0.001). Feedback was required in 65% of activities, but frequently not provided (56%). Netball KNEE programme implementation is low in community netball, particularly strength, balance/landing and agility activities. This finding, and lack of provision of feedback on technique, is concerning as improving movement patterns is a key aim of injury prevention programmes.