An Investigation into whether the primier soccer league teams in South Africa have an 'ideal' medical team structure

Abstract

Aim of the study To investigate whether the Premier Soccer League Teams (PSL), in South Africa, have an ‘ideal’ medical team structure Objectives of the study Identification of medical professionals involved in the PSL and its leadership, the qualifications and experience of the medical professionals in PSL teams and whether the specialties of the medical professionals were clearly defined in order to avoid conflict within the team. Determination of the protocol that was followed when a player was injured and subsequent management and the influence on a player’s rehabilitation and return to activity. Setting The Premier Soccer League offices were contacted in order to conduct the research. Design The research design for this study was a descriptive survey. Methodology A purposeful sample of team managers and head coaches was chosen from 12 PSL teams. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect the data. A questionnaire was faxed to each participant and two follow-ups were made on the questionnaires that were not returned. Results The response rate was 54%. The composition of the medical teams comprised mainly of physiotherapists (85%) followed by sports physicians (77%), massage therapists (62%), dieticians (31%), sports psychologists (15%) and no podiatrist. Eight out of 13 participants reported having a sports physician as the head of the medical team while 4 participants reported the team leader to be a physiotherapist. Four out of 13 participants reported that their medical professionals were not all qualified and experienced in sport. The specialties of the medical professionals were clearly defined and each team had its own protocol for when a player was injured. The medical team had a positive influence on the management of injuries. Conclusion The PSL teams do not have an ‘ideal’ medical team structure. Keywords PSL, Medical team, structure, soccer