Elite professional soccer players’ experience of injury prevention

Figures & data

Table 1. Example of revealing a single condensation from one interview

Holistic reading approach

The player experiences that the culture in the club and within the players has to facilitate an environment where it is allowed to make an extra effort to improve

Selective reading approach

“Sometimes the other will be like … wow you’re serious about this, huh? Me, L and M got that a lot, right? I don’t know why there is this prejudice. I think it’s just an old fashion approach, where you get in at practice, tie you boots and if you win a game you can have a beer afterwards. That old-fashion approach … it still lives within some players. I don’t think that everyone has gotten beyond the fact that the ones that work a bit harder … it certainly isn’t a disadvantage. Sometimes it’s just like … are you going to the gym again, trainer’s pet?”

“I am 100% certain that if we had to do it ourselves … if we had the choice between doing that an fooling around with the ball, then half of us would be doing the exercises and the other half would be playing, right?”

“The place where I came from a lot of us just went to the gym and did the exercises, right? No one asked any questions if you did that”

“Not necessarily everyone went to the gym afterwards, but no one had any smart remarks if they did. I mean … some players just came in and went afterward because they had a family or other commitments. And that’s ok … but it’s also ok to work harder, you know?”

“The level of playing makes a big difference in the clubs … you know … what you can do that isn’t frowned upon. The higher the level the more serious it gets”

Condensation

An environment where you can make an effort to improve

Table 2. All the condensations from one interview

Agreement within the staff on injury prevention

Confidence in the medical staff

The need for proper facilities

Well-structured exercises

An environment where you are allowed to make an effort

Idols as an inspirational source

Previous experiences with injuries

The bodily experience with the exercises

Table 3. Example of revealing the theme “being a part of a performance environment”

Quote	Condensation	Code	Theme
“To me the collaboration between the staff and management is essential in injury prevention.” #6	The collaboration on different levels within the organisation	Organisation	Being a part of a performance environment
“… we lived in sort of a bubble, where we had a dialog with the coaches and the entire club. They showed interest in what we were doing, right?” #1
“When the coach wasn’t there, the level of engagement was extremely low.” #4	A coach that emphasises IP
“We had a much better dialogue with the rest of the club. They were interested in what we were doing.” #8	An organisation that prioritizes IP
“The club just showed that injury prevention was important for them and thereby for me.” #6
“It doesn’t matter if it’s just two exercises, you have to do it 100% or it doesn’t do anything.” #7	Discipline within every training session	Training environment
“The level of playing makes a big difference in the clubs… you know … what you can do that isn’t frowned upon. The higher the level the more serious it gets” #3	An environment where you can make an effort to improve
“I have to stay fit, otherwise somebody else will take my place.” #2	A competitive environment
“I feel like I’m getting better than the others and I want that” #7
“The better the facilities, the more I want to do the exercises … simple as that.” #6	The positive effect of the club facilities	Facilities
“It was very structured. We did the exercises together to make sure that everybody did them.” #4	Structured exercises
“The less injuries I have the better I can perform on the pitch” #6	Focus on performance enhancement	Performance
“… being able to perform regularly without the interruption of injuries.” #4
“I see him outshining us all and he’s the one that works the hardest and most focused of us all” #3	Successful role models
“Our physios definitely believe in the exercises and that we will benefit from them.” #5	Confidence in the medical staff	Medical staff
“The overall purpose was that we would get stronger.” #1	Purpose of the exercises
“No matter how self-discipline you are it’s just not possible to do an exercise 100% if somebody isn’t doing the group isn’t doing their best.” #7	A squad that works hard every day	Squad mentality
“It was such a great training environment. It was such a pleasure to be a part of.” #4
“I have responsibilities for my teammates. If I’m ready and you are ready, we can develop as a team.” #7	Being a part of a team

Figure 1. Interaction between the three emerging themes of the text.