Coaches’ and referees’ perceptions of the BokSmart injury prevention programme

Abstract

The South African Rugby Union launched the BokSmart nationwide injury prevention programme to reduce rugby-related catastrophic injuries. The aim of this qualitative study was to evaluate the coaches and referees’ perceptions of the implementation of BokSmart. Seven focus groups were conducted with coaches (n = 43) and referees (n = 7) from a variety of socioeconomic status and age groups. The RE-AIM framework was used to categorize the findings. There was consensus that BokSmart was capable of reducing catastrophic injuries in players. However, coaches’ perceptions varied by socioeconomic status : mid/low socioeconomic status coaches described infrastructure-related barriers. Referees felt incapable of policing all BokSmart regulations. In general, most coaches, referees and trainers felt that the training course could be shorter and more practical. The barriers identified in this study could be hindering optimal BokSmart implementation. These barriers differed by role (coach/referee) and socioeconomic status of the coaches (high, mid or low).