Injury prevention and return to play strategies in elite football: no consent between players and team coaches

Injuries are a common problem in football. To improve prevention strategies, the players’ (p) and coaches’ (c) views need to be disclosed as they have a strong impact on return to play decisions. The aim of this study is to reveal current opinions with regard to injury prevention and return to play strategies to introduce new strategies in elite football.

In a retrospective data analysis of elite salaried football players (n = 486) and team coaches (n = 88), a detailed investigation by means of a standardized questionnaire was carried out. In a preseason period of the 2015/16 season and as part of a large interventional research project in elite salaried German football, a request about players’ and team coaches’ knowledge and opinions was performed. Topics such as injury prevention, return to play after injuries, the importance of screening tests, general problems of injuries in football, or the decision-making in terms of prevention and return to play in elite football were investigated.

The study revealed a high interest in injury prevention and screening tests among players and coaches (p 82.5%; c 99.1%). The participants of the study reported warm-up exercises (p 76.4%; c 74.7%), regeneration training (p 54.1%; c 56.3%), and core stability (p 53.8; c 70.1%) as the most important prevention methods, but the additional investigation of the teams’ current daily training routine showed that the transfer is incomplete. Coaches are more familiar with scientific published warm-up programs like FIFA 11 + than players (42.5 vs. 12.6; p < 0.001). Knee injuries (p 90.7%; c 93.1%) and ACL injuries in particular were reported as the most severe and common problem in elite football. Players and coaches expressed different attitudes concerning return to play decisions. While players want to decide themselves (81.4%), team coaches consult medical advice ahead of the decision of return to play after injuries (83.5%; p < 0.001). Decisions against the doctor’s recommendation are often made by both groups (p 64.4% vs. c 87.1%; p < 0.001).

The basic knowledge of prevention and injuries is sufficient in elite football, but the transfer from theoretical knowledge to practical routine is suboptimal. The study also shows possibilities to improve the prevention process and communication between players, coaches, doctors, and physiotherapists, while there is no consent between players and coaches regarding return to play decision.