My name is Freja Petrie and I am a PhD candidate in Sport and Exercise Sciences at Swansea University. Along with my supervisors, we would like to invite you to participate in an important study aimed at improving our understanding of the training and healthcare resources available to rugby players and how this may affect their ability to enjoy the game safely. We are particularly keen to gather data that would provide evidence for the development of strategies to improve player welfare and reduce concussion incidence.
The purpose of this study is to gather data on the resources that are available to rugby players, such as regular training and pitch-side healthcare, in addition to rugby playing experience. We hope that the data gathered will provide evidence to suggest how injury prevention and management protocols should be designed so that they are suitable for the resources and playing experiences at all levels of the sport.
You have been approached as a potential participant in this study as a person currently playing rugby at any level. Your participation in this research is voluntary. You are free to withdraw consent and discontinue participation at any time without influencing any present and/or future involvement with Swansea University or your team. Your consent to participate in this research will be indicated by your signing and dating the consent form. Signing the consent form indicates that you have freely given your consent to participate, and that there has been no coercion or inducement to participate by the researchers from Swansea University.
You will access the survey via an online link and will be asked to complete a consent form before beginning the survey. You will be given the contact details of the research team should you have any questions relating to the study. You will then be free to complete the survey in your own time. At the end of the survey you will be asked if you would like to be contacted for an interview to further discuss these topics in more depth.
If you would like to take part in an interview, the research team will contact you to discuss a convenient time and other logistics. These interviews may take place online via zoom or, if local to Swansea, in person at the Bay Campus or at your rugby club.
Your answers to the survey will be completely private, and anonymised when we write up what you said, so no one will know any comments came from you directly. A member of the research team will analyse the questionnaire data and later the transcripts to identify the key topics and themes to develop key insights.