Deconstructing Injury Malpractice in Youth Football Academies: A Novel Tripartite Empowerment Model for Governance
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.62255/mjhp.v4iSuppl%201.334Abstract
Background: Youth football academies combine adolescent development with intense performance selection, creating high-risk governance environments. Injury malpractice extends beyond clinical negligence, manifesting as suppressed reporting and premature return-to-play (RTP) driven by hierarchical pressures.
Objective: To deconstruct systemic injury malpractice patterns and synthesize a novel "Tripartite Empowerment Model" for academy governance and safeguarding.
Methods: A systematic synthesis of multidisciplinary literature (2000–2025) spanning sport medicine, safeguarding, organizational studies, and ethics, encompassing surveillance cohorts, qualitative studies, and policy analyses.
Results: Analysis reveals that malpractice stems from weak disclosure systems rather than medical ignorance. Under-reporting, fueled by athletes' fear of losing playing time, is the central harm pathway. Heterogeneous RTP criteria and passive surveillance further exacerbate injury recurrence. The evidence strongly supports reconstructing governance around three domains: (1) confidential athlete symptom-reporting and meaningful assent, (2) protected medical triage authority free from coaching interference, and (3) transparent organizational accountability through mandatory RTP audits and parent inclusion.
Conclusion: The synthesized Tripartite Empowerment Model offers a critical framework to dismantle performance-driven silence. By empowering athletes to disclose, protecting clinicians to decide, and obliging clubs to transparently audit decisions, academies can bridge the gap between formal policy and lived practice, fulfilling their fundamental duty of care.
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