Expectations and Responsibilities of Players and Team Coaches in the Return-to-Play Process

Abstract

The decision on football players’ return to play after minor or severe injuries is based on multiple factors and usually made by several persons. The different stages of the return-to-play process after football injury involve several rather different situations that require the expertise of an interdisciplinary team. At the beginning of treatment, the main decision-maker is the team physician or, after surgical treatment, the surgeon. During the subsequent healing process, players are supported by experts such as physiotherapists, rehabilitation coaches, athletic coaches and sports scientists, who decide on the player’s progress to the next return-to-play stage. In the last phase of the return-to-play process, which includes the return-to-team training and competitive matches, both team coaches and football players are mainly responsible for the decision to go back on the field. Thus, the successful return to play of football players after injury requires the expertise and specific skills of different experts with a working relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Nevertheless, the key players in the entire return-to-play process are the injured football players themselves and their team coaches; therefore, their knowledge, expectations and aims should always be taken into consideration by the medical team.