Participant Information shet

Study Title: A Delphi study to identify research priorities within Major League Soccer

Invitation

I would like to invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide if you want to participate, I would like you to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please read this participant information sheet, which will explain the nature of the project and what would be required if you wish to take part. If you have any further questions or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact the research team (Lead Researcher – Professor Paul Chesterton – contact details are at the end of this information sheet).

What would taking part involve?

The purpose of the study is to identify research priority topics to help inform future research within Major League Soccer.

Note the study is a “Delphi study” which is a well-established approach to answering research questions through the identification of a consensus view across experts. This will take the shape of three rounds of survey questions, each informed by the responses of the previous round. Finally, participants will be invited to take part in a focus group.

Please only complete the online survey if you are you currently work for an MLS club in a player support capacity (e.g, medical/sports performance role).

If you agree to take part, you can follow the link in the initial correspondence which will provide access to an online survey. Following this link, an initial information page will explain the studies context. If you wish, you will complete a series of on-line questions. In round 1, we will ask you to answer a range of questions relating to the current research landscape of the MLS and different aspects of football science in the MLS. The survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. By completing the survey in full you are consenting to take part.

You will be asked at the end of the survey if you would like to be contacted for the second and subsequent rounds of the Delphi (rounds two and three), if so please include your preferred email address. Following the closure and analysis of the first round, (if you consent) we will email you again to participate in round 2. This round involves you looking at an anonymised summary of the question topics identified by all the Delphi participants in order to help prioritise the identified questions. In the final round we will ask you to participate in another decision process in order to arrive at a final agreement of topic prioritisation.

Following the completion of the final round, we will invite you to participate in an online focus group. Please include your email address if you wish to participate. If you do not wish to participate in the focus group you can leave this blank. All interviews will take online via Microsoft TEAMS and would last around one hour. You would be required to complete a consent form prior to the focus group commencing. The interviews will include themes included in the survey but will allow you to expand upon answers and offer further insight.

Do I have to take part?

It is up to you to decide to join the study or not. Please read through this information sheet and contact Professor Paul Chesterton if you require any further information.

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?

If you choose that you do not want to take part, then please do not complete the survey. Once you have completed the survey, you are consenting to take part in that specific round of the study and are unable to withdraw. For subsequent rounds you can withdraw at any point up until completing the survey for that round.

You will be asked at the end of the survey if you would like to be contacted for follow-up rounds of the Delphi. Contact e-mails will be removed from the survey responses and kept separately on a TU password protected server and used only to contact participants regarding future rounds (and not linked to the data set).

In the final round you will be asked if you wish to take part in a focus group. If so please include your preferred email address. Leave blank if you do not wish to be contacted. Due to the interactive nature of focus groups, it is not usually appropriate to withdraw data collected. You can withdraw from the focus group at any point you wish, however your data collected up to that point within the focus group cannot be withdrawn.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

The study aims to provide the researchers with an understanding of the future research priorities in MLS, from the viewpoint and perspective of the practitioners who currently support athletes.

Are there any disadvantages in taking part in this study?

There are no disadvantages of taking part in this study. All survey data is anonymous, and you will not be asked for your name or your employers name throughout the survey. Only at the end of the survey if you wish to be considered for follow-up Delphi rounds or the focus group would you be asked to provide an email address. During the follow-up focus group if consented to and selected for, no personal information/details will be requested (i.e., current employer).

What if there is a problem?

Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might suffer will be addressed. If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should ask to speak to Professor Paul Chesterton in the first instance who will do his best to answer your questions. If you have further concerns, then please contact:

Professor Meez Islam

School of Health & Life Sciences

Centuria Building

Teesside University

Middlesbrough

Email: m.islam@tees.ac.uk

How will my information be kept confidential?

All survey data will remain confidential from the outset. If you supply your email address as indicated above, this will be stored on a password protected document on a Teesside University server in line with organisational policies. Only the lead researcher will be able to access this. Following completion of the survey and respondents being contacted/invited for interview all email addresses will permanently be deleted.

If during the focus groups should any abusive or unprofessional behaviours or actions be disclosed and/or discovered, then confidentiality will be breached, and the relevant personnel will be informed.

What will happen to the results of this study?

Results will be used solely for the purposes of this study and no individual results will be revealed or shared. Following appropriate review of transcriptions focus group recordings (visual and audio) will also be permanently deleted.

Who has reviewed the study?

Teesside University School of School of Health & Life Sciences Research Ethics Committee have reviewed the study.

Researcher contact details:

Professor Paul Chesterton

Teesside University

p.chesterton@tees.ac.uk

Personal data including special category data obtained for the purposes of this research project is processed lawfully in the necessary performance of scientific or historical research or for statistical purposes carried out in the public interest. Processing of personal data including special category data is proportionate to the aims pursued, respects the essence of data protection and provides suitable and specific measures to safeguard the rights and interests of the data subject in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Thank you for reading this information sheet.