Football is currently the most popular sports discipline worldwide, and according to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), approximately 270 million people engage in this sport professionally or as amateurs. The increasing societal interest and the rise in financial resources have further elevated the popularity of football, turning it into a global phenomenon rather than just a game.
Due to the high demand for intense competition, athletes pushing their physiological limits to the maximum has increased the frequency of sports injuries. This necessitates treatments to accelerate the return of these athletes to the field. Over the past 20-30 years, there has been rapid development in the field of sports injuries and treatments. At present, the treatment of athlete injuries involves specific injury prevention programs, conservative or surgical treatments after injuries, and an overall assessment of the return-to-play process.
In Turkey and globally, the treatment of football-related injuries is developing rapidly in parallel with advancements in the treatment of sports injuries, increased societal interest, and financial resources. The abundance of financial resources dedicated to elite football players emphasizes the need to protect athletes from injuries, expedite their treatments, and hasten their return to the field. From the perspective of sports injuries and sports medicine, a branch of science called "Football Medicine" has emerged globally, requiring healthcare professionals equipped with knowledge from other medical disciplines as needed by athletes. However, such education was not currently available in our country.
In pursuit of this goal, following an application by Bezmialem Foundation University Rectorate, the Higher Education Council (YÖK) decided on April 29, 2020, to initiate a thesis-based master's program in "Football Player Health" under the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology within the Institute of Health Sciences at Bezmialem Foundation University. This program is a first of its kind in our country. Our university, known for its pioneering roles in education, aims to lead in this field with its experienced academic staff in sports injuries and a sports health center.
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