F-MARC, established in 1994, is an independent research body of FIFA uniting an international group of experts in football medicine. The mission of F-MARC is to protect the health of female and male football players on all levels of skill as well as to promote football as a health-enhancing leisure activity. F-MARC experts initiate and conduct projects in cooperation with research groups worldwide, thereby providing the scientific evidence to facilitate the decision making of the FIFA Executive Committee, the FIFA Football and Strategic Committees of FIFA as well as the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

Apart from assessing the epidemiological data, the individual risk factors for injury and the environmental influences on players' health, F-MARC's focus is on improving the standards of care and developing a football-specific injury prevention programme. Having thus explored the contribution of medicine to protect the health of football players, it is only logical to reverse and investigate the contribution of football to protect health in general, meaning to proceed from "Medicine for Football" to "Football for Health".

While F-MARC is funded by FIFA, all research is independently conducted following highest scientific standards. To date, more than 100 publications in renowned scientific journals bear testimony of the broad acknowledgement for the sound research work of F-MARC within the international science community, systematically contributing to an ever growing body of knowledge in football medicine.

However, F-MARC studies can only be conducted with the substantial support of collaborating experts, team physicians, coaches, research assistants and people "behind the scene" - and, of course, the players. Many thanks to them all!

Ever since its foundation, F-MARC consistently follows the mission to reduce the incidence of injuries and complaints caused by football as well as to promote football as a health-enhancing leisure activity. You can find a summary of the activities within F-MARC's main research topics using the links on the right .