Medical, Performance & Sports Science · Senior
Head of Medical
Leads the club medical department and sets health, injury and return-to-play policy.
Do you need a qualification?
Required A qualification, licence or registration is required.
Normally held by registered doctors or senior registered clinicians with long football experience.
Salary.
What the role involves
- Lead doctors, physios and therapists
- Coordinate treatment with the coach and performance staff
- Advise the board on squad health and medical risk
Ways in, with or without formal qualifications
Experience, knowledge and interests count in football. These routes are what people in this role commonly point to.
Network
Mentors, conferences and online communities
Football runs on relationships. Meeting people at conferences, courses and online communities opens more opportunities than cold applications.
Qualifications and licences
You need the relevant qualification, licence or registration in this role.
Medical registration
Physiotherapy Degree & Professional Registration
A regulated healthcare route. In the UK, the title physiotherapist is protected and registration with the national regulator is required to practise. Football physios usually add sports and pitch-side training.
Medical registration
Medical Degree & Sport and Exercise Medicine Training
Club doctors are registered medical practitioners, commonly with specialist training in sport and exercise medicine and extra pitch-side qualifications.
Business & management
Football Management Certificate (UEFA CFM)
A management programme for football administrators with modules on strategy, finance, legal, marketing and organisation. Offered with partner universities.
Skills and knowledge
Tools you may use
Where this role is found
Where this role leads
Head of Performance
Strongly preferred
Leads sport science, strength and conditioning and often links with medical and nutrition.
Common stepping stones into this role
Pay and context by region
Illustrative estimates scaled from a UK baseline. Check local job adverts and union or association data.
| Region | Indicative pay | Football structure |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £65K to £220K GBP | Premier League, EFL Championship, League One and League Two, then the National League system and a deep grassroots pyramid. |
| Spain | €61K to €210K EUR | LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion, then Primera Federación and regional leagues. |
| Germany | €76K to €260K EUR | Bundesliga, 2. |
| Italy | €61K to €210K EUR | Serie A, Serie B, Serie C and the Serie D amateur tier. |
| France | €65K to €220K EUR | Ligue 1, Ligue 2, National and regional leagues, with a highly developed training-centre system. |
| United States & Canada | $110K to $360K USD | MLS, NWSL and USL pro tiers, a pay-to-play youth model, and a large college (NCAA, NAIA, USports) football system that doubles as a career route. |
| Brazil | R$160K to R$540K BRL | Série A to D, state championships and an intense youth system that sells many players abroad. |
| Saudi Arabia & the Gulf | SAR 350K to SAR 1.2M SAR | Professional leagues backed by major state investment, with fast-growing academies and a strong demand for international staff. |
| India | ₹1.8M to ₹6.1M INR | The Indian Super League and I-League sit above state leagues. |
| Nigeria & West Africa | ₦26M to ₦88M NGN | Domestic leagues feed a strong export route to European clubs, with many private academies and scouting networks. |