Football doctor seminar in San Marino

San Marino has hosted a seminar under the auspices of UEFA's Football Doctor Education Programme (FDEP), which sees the UEFA member associations exchanging information and know-how in the crucial field of football medicine.

The FDEP was launched in early 2012, and invaluable expertise has subsequently been passed down through the UEFA member associations in a series of cascaded courses. The San Marino Football Federation (FSGC) staged its seminar at the association's Casa del Calcio.

The seminar was attended by doctors and physicians who work together with the FSGC, and the agenda covered the broad palette of topics addressed by the FDEP since its inaugural event in Vienna in 2012 – all of which are aimed at nurturing progress in the football medical field.

San Marino's event proved to be invaluable, with participants also having to complete practical exercises. "It was a great success," said Simone Grana, FSGC chief medical officer. "All nine doctors successfully passed their tests and I think they enjoyed it. [The FDEP] represents a great opportunity for growth and we are grateful to UEFA for this opportunity."

UEFA is at the forefront of football medical work, promoting major initiatives and activities through its Medical Committee chaired by Dr Michel D'Hooge. The European governing body's commitment to football medicine, and the prevention and treatment of injuries through the FDEP, has brought unanimous positive feedback from national associations, who have all approached the programme with an excellent spirit of cooperation for the general good of the European game.

The FDEP seeks to disseminate advice and information concerning the work undertaken by the modern football doctor. Programme topics include emergency treatment of players; roles and responsibilities of the football medic; diagnosis and treatment of injuries; prevention and rehabilitation of injuries; and anti-doping. Content for the programme has been designed in conjunction with the UEFA Medical Committee and sports medicine experts.

This content is being filtered down through the member associations via workshops taking place at national level, and various national associations have already contributed by hosting FDEP seminars. As a result, national association medical representatives are being given help and guidance in transferring the knowledge shared in senior international football down to the medical staff and club doctors at all levels.

To spread the knowledge quickly and efficiently, UEFA supplies educational tools – technical handbooks; 40 to 50 trained course delegates, who are there to advise the associations at any time; and an extensive online platform with articles for interactive elearning. The doctors are asked to impart the knowledge gained within their country as effectively as possible.