The UEFA Injury Study was initiated in 2001 by one UEFA Medical Committee member analysing injury data submitted by nine top European football clubs. Since then, the number of clubs participating annually has increased to 23, and the gathering of information has been extended to national-team elite, youth and futsal tournaments.

In total, data on more than 11,000 injuries has been collected, providing clubs with benchmarks on how to prevent injuries. This has given rise to numerous articles and presentations – notably during the fifth UEFA Sports Medical Symposium (a symposium organised every four years) in 2010 and the UEFA Elite Coaches Forum in 2011.