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Background Current injury prevention programmes in football are limited by a one-size-fits-all approach, which predominantly focuses on preventive exercise programmes while ignoring differences in risk profiles between individuals and teams.Objective To address this gap, we developed a new data-driven, customisable approach based on the principles of risk management. We collaborated with key stakeholders to identify focus areas for injury and illness prevention and determine their priorities.Setting The team medical and coaching staff included members from 17 professional football clubs, the national team and a youth football academy in Qatar.Methods In 2015, we launched a series of annual workshops under the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Programme. The workshops included club medical personnel and fitness coaches in a process to develop team-specific programmes for injury and illness prevention based on the principle of risk management. Over 2 years, workshops refined focus areas through discussions, surveys and small-group presentations, culminating in the creation a novel programme for football injury prevention.Results Out of 44 focus areas first identified, 23 were selected as priorities for inclusion in multimodal injury and illness prevention programmes. The identified focus areas represent a variety of aspects, including social/behavioural/lifestyle, exercise programmes/training, load management, recovery and equipment. The top priorities included communication, the Nordic hamstring exercise, training load, recovery strategies, nutrition, sleep, warm-up, the Copenhagen adduction exercise and core and dynamic stability.Conclusion We have developed a comprehensive framework for preventing injuries and illnesses in football grounded in the general principles of risk management. This framework has proven feasible and led to the creation of a new multicomponent programme, The Aspetar IP2 (Injury and Illness Prevention for Performance) NetWork, focusing on a range of areas beyond preventive exercise programmes only.

Objectives To examine the association between generalised joint laxity (GJL) and injury rates in Middle Eastern male youth athletes.Design Prospective observational study consisting of GJL screen and injury audit (season 2009/2010).Setting Aspire Sports Academy Doha, Qatar.Participants A total of 226 adolescent male athletes (mean age: 14.2 years; SD: 1.7; range: 10–18) involved in 15 sporting activities were grouped into contact and non-contact sports. All available athletes were included in this study.Outcome measures A seasonal injury audit, athletes’ anthropometric characteristics, for example, weight, height and body mass index and screen for GJL to determine Beighton Score (BS).Results The 226 athletes sustained 596 injuries and 75% reported at least one injury over a seasonal injury audit. Players in contact sports were injured more often than players in non-contact sports (more frequent injuries than injury-free time in contact sports; 127 days (95% CI 93 to 160) vs 176 days in non-contact sports (95% CI 118 to 234) (p