FIFPRO and Cleveland Clinic close Peak Performance & Health Summit with commitment to deepen networks and collaboration

The FIFPRO x Cleveland Clinic Peak Performance & Health Summit has closed in London after three days of discussion between player unions, players, medical and performance practitioners, researchers, clubs, leagues, confederations, FIFA and partners from across elite sport.

Peak performance and health have become one of the most important topics of discussion in global football today. The summit underlined how player care, peak performance and health will change over the coming decade. Data, technology, advanced computing and analytics are set to transform both healthcare and high-performance sport.

Making the most of this change will take clinical partners, healthcare institutions, player unions and the entire football eco-system working together. Between them, they need to build the networks and structures that can manage new technologies and integrate them into everyday practice. Throughout, that work must keep players and football first.

Building on the summit's outcomes, FIFPRO and Cleveland Clinic will continue and deepen their dialogue. This includes developing collaborative networks to drive peak performance and career longevity as well as research projects on priority topics identified across the two days – among them women's health, young player development and career longevity – so that the standards shaping the game are grounded in rigorous, data-driven evidence.

 "Discussing peak performance and health means putting players and football first, and that is exactly what we have done in London," said Joaquim Evangelista, FIFPRO Global Board Member and President of Portuguese player union SJPF.

"The biggest questions facing player care and performance, from new technologies to the demands on players' bodies and careers, cannot be answered by any one organisation alone. They must be solved together, through strong networks of experts and industry stakeholders. Together with Cleveland Clinic, we will keep building those networks and turn them into progress and a vision that is build around the performance and health of the player."

Evangelista added: "We cannot leave any player behind. Every player must know that their voice matters, their wellbeing matters, and someone is fighting for them.”

Dr Paul Saluan, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Clinical Development for Cleveland Clinic’s Global Peak Performance Centre, said: "The quality of the evidence and experience shared in London has been exceptional. What makes this summit so powerful is the creation of new networks that connect healthcare science with the realities of the professional game. 

"Working alongside FIFPRO and colleagues from across the sector has reinforced the value of collaboration in advancing our understanding of player health and career longevity."

FIFPRO and Cleveland Clinic thank all speakers, chairs, participants and the Scientific Steering Committee for their contributions, and look forward to welcoming the community to the next edition of the summit.