Abstract
Significant technological developments and advancements for teams have increased the diversity of support roles on a team. In multidisciplinary teams, collaboration incorporates various methods of sports performance research and support to achieve optimal performance. A crucial consideration in multidisciplinary sports teams is establishing evidence-based practice (EBP) processes, involving the integration of coaching expertise, athlete values, and the most relevant research findings in the decision-making processes of coaches and practitioners. This study aimed to (1) examine the perceptions of coaches and practitioners concerning the importance of research areas in sport science, (2) determine their perceptions regarding the use and implementation of EBP and its barriers in sport science, (3) assess the perceived barriers to sport science research applications, and (4) examine their preferred sources of information when using EBP in sports. This study adopted a fully mixed concurrent equal status design. Qualitative data were collected in the form of semi-structured interviews with coaches and sport science practitioners (n=11) and analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring themes. Quantitative data were collected through the administration of a questionnaire to high-performance coaches (n=111) to assess their perceptions on the importance of research evidence, preferred knowledge sources, and EBPs. The quantitative data were analysed using the independent t-test and chi-square test with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.05. The research findings revealed three key themes: (1) perceptions of sport science knowledge, (2) collaboration, and (3) decision-making. The coaches reportedly engaged in EBPs in the areas of training monitoring load (46%), mental health and preparation (56%), and strength and conditioning/fitness (45.9%). Additionally, the coaches identified online platforms, social media, conferences, seminars, and sport science practitioners as preferred knowledge sources. In the practical application of EBPs, the coaches experienced barriers such as high financial costs, time constraints, limited knowledge of sport science, challenges in knowledge translation, and a lack of staff. The study results indicated the positive perceptions of coaches towards research evidence and sport science knowledge and their willingness to collaborate with sport science practitioners. In lieu of the project aims, this study achieved the development of a multidisciplinary sport science support framework to enable collaboration between coaches and sport science practitioners and promote EBPs.