FIFA launches anti-doping programme

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FIFA has launched an Executive Programme in Anti-Doping, which aims to provide analysis on the regulatory, institutional and scientific aspects to anti-doping in sport.

The programme was launched on Tuesday and the first edition of the Executive Programme in Anti-Doping will take place from February to July 2021. The programme has been launched in cooperation with the International Centre for Sports Studies.

Lawyers, doctors or sports administrators from international or national federations are eligible to participate in FIFA’s programme.

FIFA said that programme would benefit participants as it provides in-depth analysis of institutional and regulatory framework of anti-doping as well as an introduction to the scientific aspects to anti-doping.

The academic directors for the programme are Dr. Emilio Garcia Silvero, FIFA’s Chief Legal Officer and Prof. Antonio Rigozzi, who is a Partner at Geneva based law firm Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler and a Professor at the University of Neuchatel Law School.

“Since the establishment of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) back in 1999, the fight against doping in sport has evolved dramatically. The interaction between the WADA Code, Sports Governing Bodies regulations and national legislation has led a considerable complexity in this field,” FIFA said in a statement on its website.

“Handling a doping case either at the result management stage or before the judicial bodies of a national or international federation or the Court of Arbitration for Sport requires a holistic approach.

“While the FIFA Executive Programme in Anti-doping is mainly focused on the legal and institutional aspects of the anti-doping landscape, a basic approach over the most relevant scientific aspects of this complex phenomenon is also provided.”

The programme is made of three modules which focus on different aspects of anti-doping. Modules 1 and 2 will be held online while the third module takes place at the FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.

Module 1 takes place between 4-7 February 2021 – this module covers areas such as the history of anti-doping, the prohibited list of substances and testing strategies and anti-doping control.

Module 2 will occur between 22-25 April 2021 and focuses on topics such as the role of laboratories and first instance hearings.

The third module at FIFA HQ will run between 1-4 July 2021, subject to international travel restrictions easing. This module explores topics such as sanctions, appeal proceedings and the future challenges of anti-doping

Tuition fees for this course have been set as $1,200 USD. The admission process is currently open and closes on 19 December. 24 participants will be selected to participate in the programme.

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Project ACL: The initiative leading the way on injury research

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Image credit: FiledIMAGE / Shutterstock.com

Launched in 2024, the research project recently welcomed two US-based organisations: the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

 

About Project ACL

Led by FIFPRO, PFA England, Nike and Leeds Beckett University, Project ACL aims to research ACL injuries and understand more about multifactorial risk factors.

After piloting in England’s Women’s Super League (WSL), Project ACL will expand to the NWSL in the US, reflecting the global importance of the project’s research and outcome.

“We are incredibly excited to bring the NWSLPA and NWSL to Project ACL,” said Director of Women’s Football at FIFPRO, Dr. Alex Culvin, via official press release.

“Overall, we believe that player-centricity and collaboration with key stakeholders are central to establishing meaningful change in the soccer ecosystem and that players, competition organisers and stakeholdersaround the world will benefit from Project ACL’s outputs and outcomes.”

Interviews with over 30 players and team surveys across all 12 WSL clubs provided the project’s research team with valuable information about current prevention strategies and available resources.

Furthermore, the project tracks player workload and busy schedule periods during the season through the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring tool, therefore gaining insights into the link between scheduling and injury risks.

 

Looking to the data

Project ACL’s partnerships with the WSL – and now the NWSL – are immensely valuable for the future of player welfare in women’s football.

Although ACL injuries affect both male and female athletes, they are twice as likely to occur in women than men. However, according to the NWSL, as little as 8% of sports science research focuses on female athletes.

In Australia, several CommBank Matildas suffered ACL injuries in recent years: Sam Kerr was sidelined from January 2024 to September 2025, Ellie Carpenter for 8 months after suffering the injury while playing for Olympique Lyonnais, and Holly McNamara came back from three ACL’s aged 15, 18 and 20.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The 2025/26 ALW season saw several ACL incidents, including four in just two weeks.

 

Research, prevent, protect

Injury prevention and research are vital to sport – whether professional or amateur.

But when the numbers are so shocking – and incidents are so common – governing bodies must remember that player welfare comes above all else. Research can inform prevention strategies. Prevention means players can enjoy the game they love.

The work of Project ACL, continuing until 2027, will hopefully protect countless players across women’s football from suffering long-term or recurring injuries.

South Canberra FC Breaks the Mold: Equity-Driven Model Earns ‘Club Changer’ Honour

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Image Credit: SCFC

South Canberra Football Club has been named Club Changer of the Month for April, in a recognition that reflects a broader shift across Australian football toward rewarding clubs that are actively dismantling the structural barriers limiting women’s access to the game.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup has just delivered record crowds and unprecedented visibility for women’s football in Australia, and the Club Changer program is now asking what comes next. Its decision to name South Canberra Football Club as Club Changer of the Month for April signals a clear shift in how the program defines contribution: away from participation numbers alone, and toward the equity frameworks that determine whether women stay in the game once they arrive.

South Canberra FC built that framework from the ground up. Established in 2021, the club set out to give women and female-identifying players a safe, inclusive environment to play football at any level. It runs entirely on volunteers, operates as a not-for-profit, and is governed by an all-female committee with 13 of its 14 coaches identifying as female.

 

Building the infrastructure of inclusion

In 2026, the club secured grant funding and put it to work immediately. Two coaches are completing their C Licence qualification, and ten coaches, players and community members have undertaken the Foundations of Football course, which directly tackles the cost and accessibility barriers that exclude women out of coaching pathways.

The club also commissioned a female-specific strength and conditioning program with sports physiotherapists ahead of the 2026 season, targeting injury prevention and explicitly supporting players returning after childbirth.

SCFC’s leadership team draws from LGBTIQ+ individuals, First Nations people and veterans, strengthening the club’s connection to the communities it was built to represent.

The Club Changer program is backing clubs that do this work- clubs that treat equity as infrastructure rather than aspiration. At a moment when Australian football is under pressure to turn its biggest-ever surge of women’s interest into something lasting, SCFC’s model offers a clear answer to the question of how.

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