Harmonization and Implementation of Sports-related Concussion Guidelines in European Football for Youth - the REFORM Erasmus + Project

This project is a multi-phase observational study using a participatory action research design. It includes the identification, documentation, and evaluation of educational tools to improve concussion management practices in European youth football. Each phase of the study is guided by the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) to ensure systematic evaluation and measurable outcomes.

The project adopts a stakeholder-centered methodology, involving key stakeholders, including football associations, healthcare professionals, and academia, from Norway, Germany, Croatia, and Türkiye. This structured approach ensures that each phase aligns with specific objectives, outputs, and outcomes, enhancing the project's coherence and impact. The LFA was chosen for its structured, outcome-oriented methodology, which aligns well with the goals of this multi-phase, transnational project. LFA facilitates clear goal-setting, stakeholder engagement, and systematic monitoring, ensuring alignment between the project's objectives and measurable outcomes. Compared to other participatory research approaches, LFA's emphasis on stakeholder-driven planning ensures that the developed educational tools are practical, culturally relevant, and widely applicable across diverse European football contexts.

The project will use a stakeholder approach to collaboratively observe, assess, and document innovative educational materials and resources for concussion awareness that emerging in routine practice. This process will be interdisciplinary and transnational, ensuring that the materials are harmonized and build upon each other to meet the needs of various stakeholders. The project will use surveys to articulate training and educational standards to ensure a high-quality standard that can be scaled across European national football associations down to grassroots levels in each country.

Through a participatory process, the project will solicit expert opinion and keep an ongoing dialogue with multiple facets of stakeholders to guarantee an evidence-based joint European educational awareness set that meets the demands of the coaches and board, as well as fostering an awareness in the players and their families.

Setting and Participants The project will be conducted in collaboration with football associations from Norway, Germany, Croatia, and Türkiye. Participants will include selected football clubs from these countries, chosen to represent diverse cultural and operational contexts.