Emory Soccer Medicine Partners with Georgia Express

EMORY HEALTH SCIENCES 

Georgia Express FC partners with  Emory Sports Medicine Center

ATLANTA —Emory Sports Medicine Center has launched a leading-edge partnership with Georgia Express FC-, one of the top youth soccer clubs in the state and the only soccer club solely serving Johns Creek, Ga. The focus of the innovative partnership is to provide a comprehensive wellness, injury prevention and performance improvement program for soccer players in the North Metro area.

The  partnership will be managed by the team in Emory Sports Medicine Center’s new Soccer Medicine Program, which is comprised of physicians, therapists and trainers, all who have a passion for soccer and are well trained in the specific injuries that are most common among soccer players.  The initial focus will be on sharing best practices pertaining to injury prevention, expedited access to the care at the Emory Sports Medicine Center, development of an athletic performance enhancement program, and an Emory Soccer Medicine Symposium to educate coaches. 

“We are continually looking to bring best practices to enhance the programs we provide our players,” says Craig Cunningham, executive director of Georgia Express. “Partnering with Emory Soccer Medicine will bring a literally world-class set of expertise to our players and their families.”

“Emory Soccer Medicine is excited about our new partnership with Georgia Express FC,” says Mathew Pombo, MD, a sports medicine physician at Emory Healthcare.   Emory's Soccer Medicine Program is a unique team that works to keep the soccer athlete safe and performing at the highest levels on the pitch.” 

“It’s our hope that educating the soccer community in an innovative hands on fashion regarding various soccer specific topics such as the  FIFA11+ Program, concussions, soccer specific nutrition, injury prevention research, sports performance/soccer science, and player development, will elevate the Atlanta soccer community and keep our youth soccer programs at the highest levels of safety and performance possible.”

A feature of the program is the Emory Soccer Medicine Symposium, which will take place Saturday, Dec. 17th, 2016. The symposium will offer coaches from Georgia Express FC and their guests tips and injury prevention information to bring back to their soccer clubs.  The one-on-one training for coaches can potentially create a lifetime injury prevention road map for community youth athletes. As part of Georgia Express and Emory Sports Medicine Center’s partnership, expedited services are available to all athletes.

The Emory Sports Medicine Center is a leader in advanced treatments for patients with sports-related injuries. Emory physicians treat professional, college- and high school-level sports teams across Georgia, and the center has earned top recognition in the Sports Medicine Community.  Founded in 2008, Georgia Express FC serves the Johns Creek community, providing recreational and academy/select soccer for boys and girls ages 3-18.  Georgia Express is a founding member of the Genoa CFC North American Academy Partners program. Genoa is the oldest professional soccer club in Italy and currently competes in the top Italian league, Serie A.

Contact soccermedicine@emoryhealthcare.org for additional information on Emory Sports Medicine’s ongoing research and the collaboration with Georgia Express FC. 

Contact:  Melva Robertson – melva.robertson@emory.edu – 404-727-5692