2.4 Health And Wellbeing (2)

Health and Performance

Ensuring a healthy and safe working environment

Professional footballers play out their career in full view of the general public and media, and are exposed to conditions likely to induce mental health problems, on top of common injuries that often occur in a player's career. Players are just as likely to suffer from both physical and mental health problems as the rest of the population – and FIFPRO works to protect and raise awareness of these issues.

Topics in Health and Performance

What you should know

Injuries in football need an industry-tailored approach

The risk of injury for footballers is far higher than in many other occupations and can have a lasting impact on a player’s career. FIFPRO is continuously researching the causes, long-term effects and overall impact of injuries in the game, ensuring that both preventative and reactive measures are in place to support players.

Adequate education on symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest

The presence of a defibrillator at every match and training session is of paramount importance. Of equal importance is the need to ensure an adequate education about symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, and resuscitation (CPR), not only among players but also among other people working in football.

Health issues can be mental, not just physical

While footballers may be more likely to suffer from physical injuries due to their type of profession, the mental wellbeing of players also needs to be considered. Footballers ply their trade infront of thousands of fans in stadium, and in front of millions on television, online and social media. This can bring about pressures that very few have experience of.

Drake Football Study

“We strive to promote and protect the health and related quality of life of professional footballers during their careers but also beyond”

— by FIFPRO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge