Abstract
Background and Objectives:National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) soccer coaches implement numerous warm-up and flexibility strategies to prepare athletes for training and competition. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) developed the 11+ injury prevention program to reduce non-contact injuries. This study aimed to analyze the level of familiarity with and implementation of the evidence-based FIFA 11+ amongst NCAA Division I (DI) and Division III (DIII) men's and women's soccer coaches.Materials and Methods:NCAA soccer coaches in the United States received an Institutional Review Board-approved survey hyperlink. A total of 240 coaches completed the survey. The respondents represented 47.5% men's and 52.5% women's teams distributed within DI and DIII programs. Descriptive statistics are reported as frequency counts and mean +/- standard deviation where applicable. Pearson's chi-square tests were performed to assess potential differences with a significance level set at alpha < 0.05.Results:The results indicated that approximately 62% of the respondents reported being familiar with the FIFA 11+ program. Of those coaches familiar with the program, 15.0% reported full implementation, 57.5% reported partial implementation, and 27.5% reported no implementation. Chi-square analyses revealed significant differences in FIFA 11+ implementation based upon division level (chi(2)= 4.56,p= 0.033) and coaching certification levels (chi(2)= 13.11,p= 0.011).Conclusions:This study indicates that there is a gap between FIFA 11+ knowledge and actual implementation. To reduce the risk of non-contact injury, there is a need to educate coaches and athletic trainers on the purpose of the FIFA 11+ program and how to perform the exercises correctly.