1. Funded by The PFA through the joint FA / PFA joint funding mechanism.

2. Has been "in operation " for 5 seasons commenced season 1995/1996

3. Organised and Administrated through The FA Medical Education Centre

4. Began when there were 92 Centres of Excellence for YTS players

5. Continued for U17 age group players attached to Academies and Centres of Excellence

6. All administration devised and organised by The FA Medical Education Centre.

7. Protocol for the formation of a panel of experts in cases where anomalies or abnormalities are found through The FA Medical Screening Programme.

8. The introduction of Football Academies taking in boys on entry at 9 years. The need for medical criteria and guidelines to cover cardiological screening for boys on entry to an Academy.

9. Reports to:

  • Club Doctor
  • FA Medical Education Centre

10. Cardiological 'Screening' Policy on Entry- Academies

  • Please refer to specific documents

Aims of Orthopaedic Screening

1. To identify the prevalence of abnormalities in youth trainee footballers.

2. To establish the prevalence of past injuries sustained by youth trainees and see if the past history correlates with current findings.

3. To identify potential injury risk factors for future professional players. It is assumed that it is possible to identify a biomechanical abnormality that may predispose to an overuse injury.

4. To develop a database for present and future medical research.

5. To evaluate the link between screening at age 17 and future injury by correlating orthopaedic screening of youth trainees with the injury research findings of professional players in the long term.