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UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme (UEFA FDEP)

The UEFA FDEP is the leading education programme for medical professionals working in national associations who want to develop their skills and knowledge to provide better protection for players.

Programme overview

The UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme (FDEP) is a three-part programme teaching doctors from all 55 UEFA member associations the key skills required of the modern football doctor. The programme adopts a blended learning approach, marrying face-to-face workshops where doctors learn and practise techniques with an online e-learning support platform containing instructional videos, tests of participants’ knowledge and process guidelines for doctors to refer to at any time. The first workshop covers various topics related to trauma and emergency treatment of players on the pitch, the second reviews the diagnosis and treatment of football-specific injuries, and the third covers a broad variety of topics related to player protection, including nutrition, psychology and rehabilitation.

Quick view

Type of learning
E-learning Face-to-Face
Skills Trained
Soft skills Hard skills
Estimated hours of learning
20
Contact us

Faq

  • Who Medical doctors nominated by their football national association and capable of running and teaching the workshops at national level upon completion of the workshop
  • When One workshop per year (workshop 1 held every two years, workshops 2 and 3 are each held every four years)
  • How Long 2.5 days per workshop
  • Where Across Europe
  • Price Covered by UEFA
  • Number of participants 55 (one per national association)
  • Academic certification Continuing professional development (CPD) after workshop 1
  • Language English

Important dates

  • 30 Sep 2024 Workshop 1 - Lisbon, Portugal

Takeaways

  • Deeper theoretical and practical knowledge of the requirements of the modern football doctor
  • Broader network of medical professionals in national associations
  • CPD credit (subject to successful completion of workshop 1)
  • Accreditation to cascade the programme in their own country (on passing the final exam)

IS THIS PROGRAMME
SUITED FOR YOU?

Dr. Merab Vardzukashvili

Dr. Merab Vardzukashvili

39, Georgian
National Team Head Doctor of the Georgian Football Federation

Merab is a sports medicine doctor since over 10 years. He used to work at national and international levels in different clubs and for the national team. He then has decided to be a part of the FDEP family because football doctors in his country needed to have one good educational system model and the UEFA FDEP meets their needs. The FDEP programme gave them the opportunity to speak the same “football medicine” language with other participants.

Skills

  • Sports injury treatment
  • Rehab
  • Prevention

Looking for

  • an increased knowledge in taking care of players on the field.
  • an exchange of experience and best practices of foreign colleagues.
  • a better communication with colleagues when traveling out of Georgia.

Roadmap

1. Trauma & medical emergencies Every two years;

This workshop takes place every two years. The dates and place for the next edition (season 2024/25) are not confirmed yet.

The workshop will include the following modules:

  • Cardiac Arrest and Choking
  • Medical Emergencies
  • Trauma Emergencies
  • Head injuries
Trauma & medical emergencies
2. Injury diagnosis & treatment Every four years;

The workshop will include the following modules:

  • Overview of Football Injuries
  • Managing Injuries in Competitive Situations: The Laws of the Game
  • Muscle Injuries
  • Groin Injuries
  • Knee Injuries
  • Ankle Injuries
  • Overuse Injuries
Injury diagnosis & treatment
3. Protecting the player Every four years;

The workshop will include the following modules:

  • Injury Prevention
  • Rehabilitation in Football Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Football Nutrition
  • Fatigue and Recovery in Football
  • Nutritional Supplements
  • Anti-Doping
  • Match and Tournament Preparation
  • Pre-competition and Pre-Transfer Medical Screening
Protecting the player

What our students and experts say

Sean Connelly
"Here in Wales and the UK, there is a huge demand for this level of pitch-side trauma course, firstly, from healthcare professionals currently working in football but also from graduating healthcare professionals seeking employment in the game. The FAW has, to date, cascaded over 30 FDEP Workshop 1’s and all have been well received, and the demand continues to increase. Player welfare is paramount and the UEFA FDEP workshops are helping to ensure that this is maintained." Sean Connelly Medical Services Manager & Lead Physiotherapist - Football Association of Wales
Edwin Goedhart
"I attended the first UEFA-organised FDEP in 2012 and have been running the cascaded workshops in the Netherlands since 2013 biannually. The workshop has been a great integration into the KNVB to train the medical team into key aspects of football medicine. The theory and hands on structure of the course is very extremely well-received by the participants. We run this course twice per year in order to give the team physicians the chance to refresh their memory." Edwin Goedhart Chief Medical Officer - Royal Netherlands Football Association
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