Bahar Hassanmirzaei, Montassar Tabben, Yorck Olaf Schumacher, Hafid Mammeri, Mokhtar Chaabane, Raouf Nader Rekik, Rui Drumond, Souhail Chebbi, Roald Bahr

ABSTRACT

Objective

Risk management in sports aims to minimise injury and illness risks while optimising athlete performance through systematic identification, assessment and mitigation strategies. Existing frameworks offer theoretical guidance, but practical tools for consistent implementation are not available. Our objective was to develop, identify and evaluate the implementation feasibility of a practical tool for identifying, prioritising and mitigating injury and illness risk in male professional football clubs in Qatar.

Methods

All 18 professional clubs in Qatar participated in a league workshop introducing the risk management plan (RMP) tool before the 2022–2023 season. Teams then engaged in structured risk assessment workshops involving medical and technical staff, identifying risks categorised as team, player or season related. Risk priority was determined using a standardised scoring system, and tasks were allocated among the responsible parties to reduce risk. Results All 18 clubs implemented the newly introduced RMP tool. A total of 809 risks were identified across all teams (45 risks per team), with player-related risks accounting for the majority (72%). Teams prioritised 265 (33%) of the identified risks for mitigation, with individualised training programmes, communication strategies and load management being the most frequently planned interventions. Task implementation involved a collaborative approach to risk mitigation, including 58 individuals (4.2±2.1 per team) across medical and technical roles.

Conclusion

The Aspetar RMP tool was adopted by all Qatar’s clubs, facilitating a structured approach to injury and illness risk identification and management. Identifying risk profiles and planning mitigation tasks reflected a mix of player-specific and team-level actions, and a collaborative approach involving both medical and technical staff.