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PFA CEO Maheta Molango and PFA Chair Omar Beckles have visited the Advanced BRAIN Health Clinic to undergo neurological testing and discuss the importance of brain health education across football.

Based at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH) in central London, the Advanced BRAIN Health Clinic provides a specialist clinical service for mid-life retired male and female professional footballers.

Its confidential and specialist neurological assessments are carried out by world-leading experts who use data to assess the deterioration of cognitive function, which in turn could help reduce the risk or speed of developing neurodegenerative disease.

Clinicians guided Molango and Beckles through their brain health assessments, which involved an assessment of their medical background, playing career and injury history, blood tests, an MRI and neurocognitive testing.

Players who use the clinic are then invited back to discuss their assessment results, and this process is repeated at intervals of two and four years to assess if changes in the brain have occurred.

Funded by the FA and supported by the PFA, the clinic is freely available to retired elite football players between the ages of 30 and 55, who meet the following criteria:

Male football players who held full-time professional contracts for a minimum of three years in the English Professional leagues
Female football players who played for a minimum of three years either in the current WSL or Women’s Championship

Omar Beckles, PFA Chair and Leyton Orient defender, has encouraged players to keep informed about their brain health:

“It’s good to be informed about where you are from a health perspective and to get checked. It’s also wise for us to contribute to research and the data that’s being gathered. This can hopefully leave football in a better position, and players healthier.”

Maheta Molango, PFA CEO, said:

“The PFA is committed to advocating strongly on behalf of our members while working collaboratively with football's stakeholders.

“The Advanced BRAIN Health clinic is an important mechanism through which former players can directly and safely contribute towards research, helping to make football as safe as possible for players. “

For more information visit the Advanced Brain Health Clinic website.

Get in touch

To check your eligibility, or make an appointment with the Advanced BRAIN Health Clinic:

Tel: +44 (0)20 3447 2800
Email: AdvancedBrainHealthClinic@iseh.co.uk

If you fall outside of the assessment criteria but would be interested in an appointment to explore your options, please get in touch with the PFA Brain Health services team.