Doctor Nottingham Forest FC

Salary: Please state your expectations within your application

Contract: Part Time, 32 hours a week, Fixed Term until 30th September 2026

Location: The Nigel Doughty Academy, Nottingham, NG2 7SR

Working Arrangements: On site

Closing Date For Applications: 25th December 2025

Role Overview

To lead on all medical provision, clinical governance, and duty of care for the Women’s First Team in the Women’s Super League Championship (WSL) and the netball team in the Netball Super League. The Women’s lead doctor is responsible for delivering high-quality medical care, ensuring safe participation in training and competition, and working collaboratively within an elite multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to optimise player health, welfare, and performance.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Clinical Care & Matchday Support: Provide daily medical care to first team players (football and netball), including injury diagnosis, illness management, and ongoing clinical monitoring. Deliver pitch-side emergency care for training and matchdays, in accordance with FA/WSL/NSL medical standards. Make safe and evidence-based return-to-play (RTP) and return-to-training (RTT) decisions collaboratively with physiotherapists and performance staff. Oversee clinical management of acute and chronic injuries, MSK conditions, women’s health considerations, and long-term medical issues. Provide medical cover for home and away matches for the women’s WSL team. Provide medical cover for home matches for the women’s netball team. If however, there are clashes between the two teams it will be expected that you cover the football and alternative cover will need to be made to cover the netball (through the other doctors at the club).
• Women’s Health Leadership: Lead the medical management of female-specific health issues including menstrual cycle considerations, RED-S, bone health, pelvic health, and contraceptive counselling. Support pregnancy and post-partum medical pathways in line with FA and club policy. Contribute to the development of female-athlete-specific screening and monitoring processes.
• Medical Screening, Governance & Compliance: Lead all mandatory health screening processes, including musculoskeletal, cardiac, blood tests, and medical history assessments. Ensure full compliance with WSL/FA medical governance, safeguarding, and anti-doping standards. Maintain accurate and timely medical documentation through the clubs electronic medical record. Coordinate referrals, imaging, specialist input, and medication management in accordance with FA anti-doping regulations.
• Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Collaboration: Work closely with physiotherapists, sports scientists, nutritionists, psychologists, analysts, and coaching staff in planning and managing player care. Contribute to MDT meetings, injury review processes, and individual player management plans (IMPs). Communicate effectively with players and staff regarding injury expectations, timelines, and care decisions.
• Player Wellbeing & Performance Support: Monitor player load, recovery, fatigue, wellbeing, and illness trends. Support mental health pathways in collaboration with psychology and welfare staff. Educate players on injury prevention, lifestyle, sleep, nutrition, travel health, and medication safety.
• Emergency Action Planning & Safety: Oversee implementation, rehearsal, and auditing of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) at training ground and stadium sites. Ensure the medical team maintains required emergency qualifications (ATMMIF/EMFA or equivalent). Provide medical leadership around concussion management and graduated RTP protocols.
• Professional Development & Research: Maintain GMC registration, safeguarding qualifications, and pitch-side accreditation. Engage in CPD activities and support internal education for the women’s coaching and medical staff. Contribute to research, audit, and quality‑improvement initiatives aligned with women’s football and club strategy. The club will support individual CPD and training needs if there is benefit for the individual and wider club staff and players.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge:

• Essential: Fully registered medical doctor with GMC licence to practise. Postgraduate training or experience in sports medicine, emergency medicine, MSK medicine, or general practice. FA ATMMIF or equivalent qualification for pitch-side trauma certification. Experience working with elite or professional athletes, preferably in a team-sport environment. Strong understanding of female athlete health, concussion management, and anti-doping standards. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with ability to build trust with players and staff. Postgraduate/MSc in Sports and Exercise or related field.
• Desirable: Membership of Faculty of Sport & Exercise Medicine (MFSEM). Experience in elite women’s professional sport. Competence or training in MSK ultrasound. Experience delivering programmes related to RED‑S, bone health, menstrual cycle profiling, or pelvic health. Experience contributing to research or innovation in women’s sport.

Personal Attributes:

• Professional, approachable, and able to create a supportive medical environment for players.
• Calm and decisive under pressure, particularly during matchday medical situations.
• Strong commitment to safeguarding, equality, and player wellbeing.
• Collaborative and enthusiastic team member within an elite performance environment.
• High integrity and ethical decision‑making consistent with GMC and FA standards.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Quality and timeliness of medical governance, documentation, and compliance.
• Injury management outcomes and sound RTP clinical decisions.
• Effective communication and player trust in medical processes.
• Contribution to female‑athlete‑specific programmes and performance initiatives.
• Upholding safeguarding and player welfare standards consistently.

Forest For Everyone

At Nottingham Forest Football Club we are committed to creating an environment where differences are respected, individuality is celebrated, everyone feels valued, supported, and included. Our goal is to ensure every member of our team can be themselves, contribute fully, and reach their potential without barriers.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Mental Wellbeing

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from talented people of all backgrounds regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law. We continue to develop policies and practices that promote equality, diversity, inclusion and mental wellbeing across our workforce. To help us measure progress and hold ourselves accountable, we ask all applicants to provide accurate diversity information during the recruitment process.

Disability Confident Committed Employer

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, taking positive steps to attract, recruit, and support disabled people. As part of this commitment, we work hard to ensure our recruitment processes are fair, inclusive, and accessible to everyone. We are committed to offering interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role and provide reasonable adjustments at every stage from the application process through to ongoing support in the workplace. If you are likely to meet the definition of being a “disabled person” according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme. Please indicate this in your application form. The information you share about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment selections.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of the Club’s commitment to safeguarding, the successful applicant may be required to undergo a Disclosure Barring Service (“DBS”) check or an enhanced DBS check. The results of a DBS check will be considered on an individual basis, and the Club will act in a proportionate manner when deciding whether or not to proceed with the appointment. An FA Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for all relevant new appointments to the Club. Individuals will be asked to declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands, warnings or bind‑overs that may have been incurred. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed on a DBS disclosure if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements. Failure to satisfy the Club and the PL’s safeguarding requirements may lead to the job offer being withdrawn or, if they have already started employment, summary termination of the employment.

Health and Safety

At Nottingham Forest Football Club, we are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for all employees. In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, you are required to take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions or omissions at work. You must also cooperate with the Club’s health and safety policies and procedures. Should you identify any health and safety concerns, please report them promptly to your manager or a member of the Health and Safety/Facilities team.