Strict medical safety requirements for women’s soccer
Faster pace of the game, greater strength of the players, and more high-energy collisions. The increasingly tougher nature of women’s soccer places great demands on the medical monitoring of players. “It’s part of the professionalism of Swedish coaches that they listen to medical advice,” says Professor Mats öDz.
Mats öDz is Professor of Sports Physiology at the University 91̽, Cardiologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and director of the Centre for Lifestyle Intervention, CLI, which is a joint venture between the university and the hospital.
As team physician for the Swedish women’s soccer team, he has attended many major tournaments, including the European Championships, the World Cup, and the Olympics. While he remains one of the team physicians for the Swedish team, he will this time be attending the European Championships in Switzerland as chair of the Swedish Football Association’s medical committee, a role he has held since last year.
Medical safety is high on the committee’s agenda, not least with regard to head injuries. Mats öDz describes developments involving training initiatives and new technical aids for the physicians who need to assess player health under challenging conditions.
“Ideally, the physician running onto the pitch is in direct contact with a colleague on the sidelines watching video playbacks, zooming in, viewing them in slow motion, reviewing the course of events, and assisting with the medical assessment. Here, technology is of immense help. We’ve also seen rule changes giving the physician three minutes to assess a head injury and say when the match can continue.”
Stricter rules at all levels
Another rule change is what is known as a concussion substitution, an additional player substitution in the case of a suspected concussion, with the opposing team also awarded an additional substitution. In addition, an elbow to the face is now punished more severely, and the medical follow-ups are more extensive.
“Things have been made stricter at all levels, and a great many things have been done to reduce the risks. Collisions are increasing, gameplay is faster, greater forces are involved, and players are getting stronger and colliding heads harder, so there’s a point to all this, to prevent serious injuries,” Mats öDz explains.
Another major issue for the Swedish Football Association is the complex problem of early exclusion of players from teams, also among very young players, as well as transgender matters where important considerations such as inclusion and sporting justice can clash.
“This is a major issue that’s constantly in flux and under discussion internationally, and we need to keep up with developments. We need to follow matters by looking to the research, listening to multiple voices, and contributing the associated medical considerations, all in an extremely complex context.”
Looking to sports research
Mats öDz emphasizes the importance of keeping abreast of the research, not least within sports and soccer medicine. He also underlines an aspect that may not be as obvious to the uninitiated in competitive sports contexts, namely, that what a player tells the team physician, physiotherapist, or psychologist is encompassed by patient confidentiality.
“The player, like any patient, can tell us whatever they want, but we can’t simply list all the players along with their injuries and illnesses. Of course, we want to be open, and the TV-viewer wants the latest information. But, it’s important to handle this privacy correctly, and that means not only coaches but also the media.
Through continuous medical evaluation and in conjunction with the player, the team’s medical staff provide the coaches with information about playability, that is, whether a player can cope with for instance, 45 minutes, 90 minutes, or extra time. According to Mats öDz, this balancing act works well in Swedish soccer and the Swedish women’s team.
“It’s part of the professionalism of Swedish coaches that they listen to the medical team. I believe this is key to success. Since we, as many others, have a limited number of top players, one of our strengths is to manage our players well, look after them, and keep them healthy.”
