Objective To explore the beliefs and perceptions of professional female footballers and staff regarding injury prevention and performance protection in professional women’s football. Methods This qualitative study applied semistructured interviews with 18 participants from 3 top-tier teams from 2 countries (Portugal and England) and 4 nationalities, including 2 physiotherapists, 5 players, 3 team doctors, 2 head coaches, 3 strength and conditioning coaches, 2 managers, and 1 head of performance. Data analysis applied constant comparison analysis, using principles of grounded theory. There were no major differences in the perspectives of players and staff, and the findings are presented together. Results Identifying and reporting injuries and recognising potential injury risk factors were mentioned to influence the prevention of injury. Participants stated that the growth and evolution of women’s football could influence injury risk. Before reaching the professional level, exposure to potential risk factors, such as lack of recovery, limited awareness and opportunities for prevention (eg, preventive exercises and load management strategies), was believed to impact players’ injury risk. Players further described their experiences and the ‘bumpy road’ to becoming a professional player, their current context and potential future improvements for women’s football regarding injury prevention and performance protection. Conclusion Professional female football players face different injury risks during different moments of their careers. According to elite players and staff, amateur and semiprofessionals have limited resources and lack injury prevention strategies. Professional players and staff perceived the current preventive measures as good and relied on the value of individualised care and a multidisciplinary approach. In the future, more resources and structured injury prevention strategies are needed in youth and non-professional levels of women’s football to reduce injury risk and allow more players to reach their maximal performance. No data are available. Data are not available considering the nature of the study, the relevant data were presented in the manuscript.

中文翻译：

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“考虑到现实，我很幸运”：职业球员和工作人员如何看待女足的伤病预防和表现保护

目的 探讨职业女足运动员和工作人员对职业女足损伤预防和表现保护的信念和看法。方法 这项定性研究采用半结构化访谈的方式，对来自 2 个国家（葡萄牙和英格兰）和 4 个民族的 3 支顶级球队的 18 名参与者进行了调查，其中包括 2 名物理治疗师、5 名球员、3 名队医、2 名主教练、3 名体能教练、2经理1名，绩效负责人1名。数据分析采用了不断的比较分析，利用了扎根理论的原理。球员和工作人员的观点没有重大差异，调查结果一起呈现。结果 识别和报告伤害以及识别潜在的伤害风险因素会影响伤害的预防。参与者表示，女足的发展和演变可能会影响受伤风险。在达到职业水平之前，暴露于潜在的风险因素，如缺乏恢复、有限的意识和预防机会（例如，预防性练习和负荷管理策略），被认为会影响球员的受伤风险。球员们进一步描述了她们的经历和成为职业球员的“坎坷之路”、她们目前的背景以及女足在伤病预防和表现保护方面未来可能的改进。结论职业女足球运动员在职业生涯的不同时期面临着不同的受伤风险。根据精英球员和工作人员的说法，业余和半职业球员的资源有限，并且缺乏伤害预防策略。职业球员和工作人员认为当前的预防措施很好，并依赖于个性化护理和多学科方法的价值。未来，女足的青少年和非职业级别需要更多的资源和结构化的伤病预防策略，以降低伤病风险，让更多的球员达到最佳表现。无可用数据。考虑到研究的性质，无法获得数据，相关数据已在手稿中提供。