Every Premier League academy match must have appropriately trained pitch-side medical personnel available for first aid and pre-hospital care. In professional development phase fixtures, the required people are named by academy category, with the heaviest duty on a Category 1 home club.
What must be prepared before the match
Any club that runs an academy must have an emergency action plan for every location it uses for matches and training. That plan sits alongside the club's medical and safety action plan, and the academy doctor is responsible for preparing it.
All relevant academy staff must know what the plan contains. Before every home games programme match, the club must also give a copy to the opposing club in advance.
The baseline for all academy matches
The starting point is the same across academy football. At all matches involving academy teams, the club must ensure appropriately trained pitch-side medical personnel are available to provide player first aid and pre-hospital care.
Professional development phase matches add named attendance requirements on top of that baseline. The duty is set as a minimum by academy category, and it separates what the home club must provide from what the visiting club must bring.
Who must be at a professional development phase match
Here are the attendance requirements for professional development phase matches.
| Academy category | Home club | Visiting club |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | A doctor with a current ATMMiF or better; a paramedic and ambulance; and a physiotherapist or sports therapist with a current ATMMiF or better | A doctor, physiotherapist or sports therapist with a current ATMMiF or better |
| Category 2 | A doctor with a current ATMMiF or better, or a paramedic; an ambulance for Premier League clubs; and a physiotherapist or sports therapist with a current ATMMiF or better | A doctor, physiotherapist or sports therapist with the qualification the rules require |
How the home and away duties differ
The home club carries the venue-side obligation. In a Category 1 home fixture, that means the named on-site cover includes a doctor, a paramedic, an ambulance, and a physiotherapist or sports therapist with the required qualification level.
The visiting club carries its own travelling medical duty. At Category 1 level, the away club must bring a doctor, physiotherapist or sports therapist with a current ATMMiF or better; at Category 2 level, it must bring a doctor, physiotherapist or sports therapist with the qualification required by the rules.
Category 2 is written differently from Category 1 on the home side. A doctor or a paramedic satisfies that part of the requirement, while the ambulance duty applies where the club is a Premier League club.
FAQ
Does an academy match need an ambulance?
There is no single rule that makes an ambulance mandatory at every academy match. In professional development phase fixtures, a Category 1 home club must have one, while a Category 2 home club must have one where the club is a Premier League club.
Who provides the medical cover at academy games?
The club must ensure trained pitch-side medical personnel are available at all academy matches for first aid and pre-hospital care. In professional development phase matches, that duty is then split between what the home club provides at the venue and what the visiting club brings with it.
What is an emergency action plan in football?
It is the emergency plan a club must have in place for every location used for academy matches and training. Relevant academy staff must know its contents, and the club must give the opposing club a copy in advance of each home games programme match.
Does the away team bring its own doctor to an academy match?
For professional development phase matches, the away side does have its own medical attendance duty. At Category 1 level, it must bring a doctor, physiotherapist or sports therapist with a current ATMMiF or better, and Category 2 also requires the visiting club to bring a qualified person of that kind.