Co-Creation of an Injury Prevention Implementation Strategy for a Girls' Football Team in a Community-Based Club

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Injury Prevention
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Effective implementation of injury prevention (IP) strategies in youth sports is crucial but challenging.
• Co-creation approaches involving end-users may enhance strategy adoption and adherence.
• Understanding coaches' and players' experiences is vital for optimizing IP implementation in community football clubs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate football coaches' and players' experiences with a co-created injury prevention (IP) implementation strategy.
• To explore coaches' and players' visions for improving IP implementation.
• To assess the extent to which the co-created strategy increased the use of IP exercises.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-method design utilizing observations and semi-structured focus group interviews.
• Co-creation of an IP implementation strategy with five youth girls' football coaches.
• Interviews analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis; observations conducted at baseline, 5 weeks, and 7 months post-implementation.

Main Results:

• Observations indicated increased IP exercise duration and frequency at 5 weeks, with limited changes at 7 months.
• Coaches reported mixed experiences and challenges, while players generally had positive experiences with IP.
• The co-created strategy resulted in a limited increase in the use of IP exercises.

Conclusions:

• Co-creation can lead to initial positive engagement but sustained implementation of IP exercises requires addressing cultural and stakeholder engagement factors.
• Players' positive experiences and coaches' mixed feedback highlight the need for tailored support and buy-in.
• Future improvements necessitate engaging multiple stakeholders, fostering a club-wide culture shift, and enhancing knowledge transfer for effective IP implementation.