A Collaborative Approach to Co-Creating Contact Confident, an Evidence-Informed Tackle Safety and Technique...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Injury Prevention
• Coaching Interventions

Background:

• Tackle technique training is vital for rugby injury prevention and performance.
• A gap exists in implementing research findings in real-world settings, particularly for women and girls in rugby.
• There is a need for tailored, evidence-based coaching interventions for female rugby players.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the development of an evidence-informed tackle coaching intervention for women's rugby union.
• To address the research-to-implementation gap in tackle technique training for female athletes.
• To create a scalable resource for improving tackle and ball carrier skills.

Main Methods:

• A 7-step process, adapted from previous work, was employed.
• Organizational support was secured, and research evidence combined with applied experience.
• Intervention content ('Contact Confident') was co-created with women's rugby experts and implementers.
• Iterative feedback from early implementers refined the intervention's practical relevance.

Main Results:

• An evidence-informed tackle coaching intervention, 'Contact Confident,' was successfully developed.
• Stakeholder collaboration was key to co-creating a practically relevant intervention.
• The intervention is designed as a scalable resource for skill development.

Conclusions:

• Stakeholder collaboration is essential for developing and implementing effective injury prevention interventions.
• The 'Contact Confident' intervention offers a valuable, scalable resource for women's and girls' rugby union.
• The intervention has potential relevance for other genders and sports, with future research needed for global evaluation.