Malawi will pilot a Fifa research aimed at training nurses as pitchside responders in grassroots women’s football.

A delegation comprising Fifa group leader of development programmes Solomon Mudege, Fifa women’s football officer Salome Liyambo and women’s football consultants Dr. Nonhanhla Mkumbuzi from University of Cape Town as well as Dr Enock Chisati from Kamuzu University of Heath Sciences yesterday launched the project in Blantyre.

Mudege said in an interview that 24 nurses will receive a seven-day training in basic football medicine using the latest version of the Fifa football medicine training manuals.

In the country to train nurses: Liyambo

According to Mkumbuzi, the pilot project will have control trial with teams in the women’s football league in Malawi.

He said: “After which they will be attached to a total of 12 female football teams during one competitive season.

“Their roles within the teams will include basic health screening, assessment, immediate care and referral of injuries as well as maintaining records of players’ health.

“The football nurses will be directly supervised by and report to a doctor in their district to whom they will refer serious injuries, refer for investigations, or further management.”

The selected teams and nurses will be followed up for one season and project evaluation will be conducted periodically throughout the season and at the end of the programme.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu commended Fifa for piloting the project in Malawi.

He said: “It is an honour and privilege that Fifa has chosen Malawi to pilot this project the whole world. It shows we have structures that can deliver because if that was not the case, Fifa would not have come here. We embrace it fully and will ensure that it is successful. We have a lot of challenges in medical aspects in our game, especially for the women’s football.

“As a country, we have only concentrated and invested more in the technical aspect of the game and paid little attention to the medical and management of injuries which is vital for players to deliver. So, we will work with Fifa to make this work.”

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