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<\/p>\nKeywords: female athlete, conference, sports medicine<\/p>\n
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Three years and four virtual summits after the last Isokinetic Football Medicine conference in London (2019), participants convened in person for this year’s conference<\/a> focusing on The Player’s Voice. Held over 3 days, it featured numerous talks and debates among sport scientists, coaches, physiotherapists, doctors, and athletes.<\/p>\n As a female healthcare practitioner attending with two other female colleagues, it was no surprise to see the discrepancy in the male:female ratio of speakers and attendees. After all, football and medicine [1] are areas traditionally dominated by our male counterparts. However, the women\u2019s game is growing, and we were delighted to attend an open debate session titled \u201cThe Rising Tide: Women\u2019s Football\u201d.<\/p>\n This session was hosted by Dr Clare Ardern, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT). The panel comprised Kate Mahony (Sydney Swans Executive General Manager), Dr Charlotte Cowie (current Football Association Head of Medicine), Karen Kotila (physiotherapist and board member of the Danish Society of Sports Physiotherapy), and Rebecca Smith (ex-New Zealand football captain).<\/p>\n 7 pillars for success<\/u><\/p>\n Despite strides made in the growth of women’s football over the past years, inequalities between men’s and women’s football remain [2]. Kate Mahony set out 7 pillars for success in the women’s game. Here I highlight those that are worth thinking about in our approach to Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) in women\u2019s sports:<\/p>\n What now?<\/u><\/p>\n The audience then engaged the panel in discussion about how to progress the women’s game. Below are some take-home messages:<\/p>\n Quoting Dr Celeste Geertsema from a different session on shared decision making in sport, “We come to these conferences not for information, but for transformation”. In the UK, the huge success of the recent Women\u2019s Euros 2022 has propelled the sport into the media and public spotlight. As practitioners working in sport, how can we contribute to furthering the growth of women’s football and sport in general? We would be keen to hear your thoughts on how to continue this conversation.<\/p>\n Clare Arden (@clare_ardern<\/a>)<\/p>\n Charlotte Cowie (@Drccowie<\/a>)<\/p>\n Kate Mahony (@Kate_Mahony_<\/a>)<\/p>\n Karen Kotila (@KarenKotila<\/a>)<\/p>\n Rebecca Smith (@bexsmithkiwi<\/a>)<\/p>\n Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Bethany Koh (@bethanykoh<\/a>) is a current GP trainee, UCL SEM student, and recreational footballer based in London.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Keywords: female athlete, conference, sports medicine Three years and four virtual summits after the last Isokinetic Football Medicine conference in London (2019), participants convened in person for this year’s conference focusing on The Player’s Voice. Held over 3 days, it featured numerous talks and debates among sport scientists, coaches, physiotherapists, doctors, and athletes. […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bjsm\/files\/2022\/08\/Picture-2-300x167.jpg\")
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