Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Risk Management Tool

Why It Matters

By institutionalizing risk‑management in injury prevention, the Aspetar tool helps clubs lower medical costs and maintain competitive performance, setting a new standard for health governance in professional sport.

Key Takeaways

• Aspetar launched first structured sports injury risk tool.
• Tool categorizes risks across team, player, season factors.
• 809 risks identified; 265 prioritized for mitigation this season.
• Mitigation focuses on training, communication, load management strategies.
• Collaborative implementation engages medical, technical, and management staff.

Summary

The video introduces Aspetar’s Sports Injury and Illness Risk Management Tool, the first systematic solution designed to move injury prevention beyond generic protocols and embed formal risk‑management principles into professional sport. By guiding clubs through a structured process of risk identification, prioritization, and mitigation planning, the tool aims to create individualized prevention programs tailored to each organization’s unique challenges.

During the 2022‑2023 season the tool was deployed across all 18 professional football clubs in Qatar, uncovering 809 distinct injury and illness risks. These risks were sorted into three categories—team‑related, player‑related, and season‑related—with the majority falling under player factors and season considerations receiving the highest priority. Clubs collectively selected 265 high‑priority risks for active mitigation, developing specific tasks and assigning clear responsibilities.

Implementation emphasized collaboration: medical staff, technical coaches, club executives, and sometimes the athletes themselves co‑created mitigation actions. The most common interventions involved individualized training programs, enhanced communication strategies, and load‑management protocols. This joint approach ensured that risk‑reduction measures were practical, actionable, and integrated into daily operations.

The tool provides a scalable framework for consistent injury‑prevention practices and establishes a data‑driven foundation for future research. For clubs, it translates into reduced downtime, optimized player performance, and potential cost savings, while offering the broader sports industry a replicable model for systematic health risk management.

Original Description

Applying the principles of risk management in male professional football...

Introducing the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Risk Management Tool.

➡️➡️ If you work in sports medicine, sports performance, or athlete health and safety, explore the paper and download the tool

🔗 https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/60/1/11