Table 2.

Examples of future research directions in topics for which the current evidence base is limited or conflicting, and in topics where there is no current research

Research topic	Focus	Current evidence base		What is the clinical and practical relevance of this research? (i.e., impact on policy and practice)	What is the priority for this research to be carried out? (low/medium/high)
		Limited	Conflicting
Current evidence base is limited or conflicting
Biomechanics/ injury	Landing technique influence on injury risk	Yes	No	Could direct landing training programmes undertaken at all levels with potential for recommendations and coach training to infiltrate community netball	Medium
Biomechanics/ injury	Lower limb movement screening and injury risk	Yes	Yes	Any links/associations could direct effective screening content	Medium
Injury risk and influence	Role of physical capacity and other factors. Particularly with high-level athletes	Yes	Yes	Would enable a higher standard of decision making and athlete care through implementing training programmes that could mitigate/improve risk	High
Recovery	Effective recovery modalities; specifically during congested fixtures	Yes	No	Current wider research on recovery modalities are extendable to netball. Best strategies during periods of congested fixtures could benefit teams test-series or tournaments	Low
Match-play	Differences in technical-tactical characteristics between levels of play	Yes	No	Would support in directing training progressions through playing careers	Medium
Performance	Influence of fixture scheduling on individual and team performance	Yes	No	Could support in directing set up or scheduling of major events	Medium
Physical qualities	Normative standards and reliability of tests relative to the position and level of the athlete	Yes	No	Would support talent identification and development, and monitoring the progress of a programme	Medium
Physical qualities	Effects of strength and power training in netballers	Yes	No	Could direct more specific training and preparation for performance, but some current wider research could be extended to the sport	Medium
Training and match load	The quantification of external and internal training load in senior professional and international athletes	Yes	No	Could influence daily and seasonal training practices	High
Training load	The appropriateness of training in preparation for match-play	Yes	No	Would allow for more effective training, robust programming, return to play plans and athlete development	High
No current research
Biomechanics/ injury	Ground reaction forces interaction with injury outcomes/risk			Useful to assist in developing mechanisms to mitigate injury risk	Medium
Injury epidemiology	Systematic review/meta-analysis on injury epidemiology			Quick and effective information to inform policies and an opportunity to decrease injury risks at all levels	Medium
Injury epidemiology	Injury, and concussion, burden and recurrence rate at different age groups and playing standards			Important for long term health of player population; would enable the evaluation of current practices and development of programmes to try reduce recurrence	High
Injury risk and influence	Impact of specific rehabilitation protocols			Would inform practice to a greater depth than what already is delivered and could be used to update current practice guidelines	High
Fatigue	The influence of physical qualities on transient, acute and chronic fatigue and recovery profiles			Would impact on training planning, modalities and scheduling to improve tolerance and recovery, especially in congested test series. Understanding the dose response relationship of netball would enhance specificity of training and adaptations	Medium
Recovery	The efficacy and effectiveness of sleep hygiene, with a focus on recovery and performance			Could guide the choice of appropriate recovery strategies but wider research on recovery is extendable.	Low
Match-play	Influence of game events and interactions on performance outcomes and/or activity profile			Could impact on how game is played/approached, and the training undertaken to prepare	Medium
Match-play	Fast Five competition			Could support the preparation for players transitioning between competitions	Low
Nutrition	Energy expenditure in senior and age group elite athletes			Would improve level of support to players, contributing to nutritional intervention. Would link to player health, particularly around RED-s	Medium
Nutrition	Nutritional behaviours of elite athletes, influence of age and experience			Could guide nutritional interventions and help education and management around RED-s.	Medium
Physical qualities	Relationship between physical qualities and match-play activity profile and/or recovery kinetics			Would impact upon training specificity and prescription and inform the direction of many of the other fields	Medium
Psychology	Injury; influence of psychological support during rehabilitation			Would impact on the support provided to players during rehabilitation, especially long term return to play processes, but some wider literature could be extended to netball	Medium
Psychology	Psychological skills of elite athletes, the effect of mental skills training and impact of team dynamics and culture			Would enable more sport specific psychology support	Low
Training load	The quantification of training load in across age-grades and playing standards			Would improve understanding of Long-Term Player development in netball and specifically in female populations	High

Notes on the clinical and practical relevance and research priority for each topic, based on the potential impact, are also provided