The Effectiveness of a Coach-Focused Intervention on Preventing Knee Injuries in Amateur Football Players

NCT06846008 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: APPI2-MSK-2025-KNIPS_2.0
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 320
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to find out if a coach-focused intervention can help prevent sudden-onset, severe knee injuries in youth and senior amateur football players. The main question it aims to answer is: Does a coach-focused intervention reduce the number of sudden-onset, severe knee injuries? Researchers will compare a coach-focused intervention, designed to help coaches to use effective injury prevention training, to usual football practice to see if the intervention can prevent sudden-onset, severe knee injuries in football players. Participants will: Either receive weekly information and motivation on effective injury prevention training or continue their usual football practice for 14 weeks. All will receive a weekly text message with a survey link to report any sudden-onset knee injuries among their players for 18 weeks.

Conditions

Knee Injuries

Keywords

knee injury; injury prevention training; football; coaches; players

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The incidence of acute severe knee injuries in players.

  The difference in incidence of acute severe knee injuries (\>28 time-loss days from training and matches) per 1000 hours of player exposure in players belonging to coaches in the intervention group compared with players belonging to coaches in the control group (usual practice) throughout the intervention period.

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Incidence of acute knee injuries

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

• Incidence of acute minimal knee injuries

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

• Incidence of acute mild knee injuries

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

• Incidence of acute moderate knee injuries

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

• Time-loss days of acute knee injuries

  From baseline to end of the intervention, 14 weeks after baseline.

Study Arms (2)

Injury prevention training

EXPERIMENTAL

Evidence-based injury prevention training programs and exercises will be send weekly to participants in the intervention arm. Additionally, participants in the intervention arm will be encouraged to access a study specific online platform containing information, inspiration, pep-talks and posters on injury prevention training.

Usual practice

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Usual training

Other: Usual Practice

Interventions

Ahead of the Game BEHAVIORAL

Evidence-based injury prevention training programs and exercises will be send weekly to participants in the intervention arm. Additionally, participants in the intervention arm will be encouraged to access a study specific online platform containing information, inspiration, pep-talks and posters on injury prevention training.

Usual Practice OTHER

Usual training

Usual practice

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Coach or manager at Danish amateur football teams at levels from under 14 (U14) years to senior teams.
• Minimum 18 years of age.
• Access to a mobile phone and computer.

You may not qualify if:

• Limited Danish language skills, which prevents full understanding of the provided material and questionnaires.
• Affiliation to teams playing under a license ranking by the Danish Football Association where training by a physical trainer is required according to the license criteria of the Danish Football Association).
• Affiliation solely with old boys'/girls' teams (where the players have to be aged 32 and 29 , respectively, in the current season ).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Marius Henriksen: lead
• University of Copenhagen: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Parker Institute

Frederiksberg, 2000, Denmark

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Knee Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Leg Injuries; Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Elisabeth Bandak, PhD

  The Parker Institute

  STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2025
• First Posted: February 25, 2025
• Study Start: February 23, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2025
• Study Completion: June 30, 2025
• Last Updated: August 12, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

DK (1)