RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 The association between hip and groin injuries in the elite junior football years and injuries sustained during elite senior competition JF British Journal of Sports Medicine JO Br J Sports Med FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine SP 799 OP 802 DO 10.1136/bjsm.2009.062554 VO 44 IS 11 A1 B J Gabbe A1 M Bailey A1 J L Cook A1 M Makdissi A1 E Scase A1 N Ames A1 T Wood A1 J J McNeil A1 J W Orchard YR 2010 UL http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/11/799.abstract AB Objective To establish the relationship between the history of hip and groin injuries in elite junior football players prior to elite club recruitment and the incidence of hip and groin injuries during their elite career. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Analysis of existing data. Participants 500 Australian Football League (AFL) players drafted from 1999 to 2006 with complete draft medical assessment data. Assessment of risk factors Previous history of hip/groin injury, anthropometric and demographic information. Main outcome measurement The number of hip/groin injuries resulting in ≥1 missed AFL game. Results Data for 500 players were available for analysis. 86 (17%) players reported a hip/groin injury in their junior football years. 159 (32%) players sustained a hip/groin injury in the AFL. Players who reported a previous hip or groin injury at the draft medical assessment demonstrated a rate of hip/groin injury in the AFL >6 times higher (IRR 6.24, 95% CI 4.43 to 8.77) than players without a pre-AFL hip or groin injury history. Conclusions This study demonstrated that a hip or groin injury sustained during junior football years is a significant predictor of missed game time at the elite level due to hip/groin injury. The elite junior football period should be targeted for research to investigate and identify modifiable risk factors for the development of hip/groin injuries.