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REFORM Project Newsletter – January 2025

REFORM Project Newsletter – January 2025

Dear REFORM Team and Partners,

Happy New Year! As we begin 2025, we are pleased to share the latest updates and progress in the REFORM project. This year marks an important phase in our journey toward improving concussion awareness and management across European football.

Website Launch: Mind the Concussion

We are happy to announce that the REFORM project’s official website is now live: MindTheConcussion.com.

The website will serve as a central platform for sharing our progress and resources, including:

  • Updates on project activities.
  • Educational materials aimed at improving concussion awareness.
  • Findings and publications as they become available.

We encourage national federations and stakeholders to visit and follow the website as we continue to build its content over the coming months.

Presenting REFORM at UEFA Medical Symposium

The REFORM project will be presented at the UEFA Medical Symposium, which will take place from February 4–6, 2025, in Lugano, Switzerland.

This presentation will provide an overview of our work so far, focusing on:

  • Initial trends and findings from our survey and focus groups.
  • Identified gaps in concussion education across stakeholder groups.
  • The next steps in developing harmonized educational materials for football across Europe.

We look forward to sharing our insights and engaging with UEFA and other partners to highlight the importance of concussion awareness in football.

Survey and Focus Group Updates

With survey data collection complete, we now have input from 4,862 respondents across players, parents, coaches, and referees. This robust dataset provides a foundation for actionable insights that will inform our educational tools and training courses.

Additionally, the 12 focus groups, spanning 4 countries, are in their final stages and will be completed by the end of January. These sessions provide deeper, qualitative insights into how concussion education can be tailored to meet the needs of each stakeholder group.

Data Analysis in Progress

Early findings from the data analysis phase are already guiding the development of our materials:

  • Strengths:
    • High participation in general first aid courses (86%).
    • Strong awareness of the dangers of continuing to play with concussion symptoms (90%).
  • Gaps:
    • Limited participation in concussion-specific workshops (5.6%).
    • Misconceptions persist about concussion symptoms, with 15.9% believing unconsciousness is required for diagnosis.
    • Cultural barriers and stigma around reporting symptoms remain a challenge, particularly for players.

These findings will shape the educational content and messaging for national federations and other stakeholders.

Looking Ahead

In the coming months, we will focus on:

  1. Finalizing Data Analysis:Incorporating survey and focus group findings into our materials.
  2. Developing Educational Resources:Creating tools tailored to players, coaches, referees, and parents.
  3. Engaging Federations:Highlighting opportunities for collaboration and implementation at the national level.

Invitation to Collaborate

We invite national football federations and other stakeholders to follow our progress and explore opportunities for collaboration. Your involvement is key to ensuring that the REFORM project delivers meaningful, practical solutions to improve concussion awareness and management across Europe.

Visit our website MindTheConcussion.com for updates and resources, and feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas.

Thank you for your continued interest in the REFORM project. Together, we are building a safer and more informed football community.

Best regards,

REFORM Project Team