BMI The London Independent Hospital’s Sports and Exercise Physician Dr Zaf Iqbal has been honoured at
the inaugural Asian Football Awards. Dr Iqbal won for his work as Liverpool
Football Club's first team doctor and was up against nominees from QPR, Wolves,
Wigan and Birmingham in the 'Football behind the scenes award -
Medical' category.
The awards which were held at a
gala ceremony in Wembley Stadium, aim to recognise the outstanding contribution individuals, with
a South Asian heritage, make to both the professional game and grassroots
football initiatives.
Dr
Iqbal’s career began after qualifying as a doctor in London in 1999. He went on
to complete an MSc in Sports and Exercise
Medicine at Queen Mary, University of London six years later before his
first break in football came at Leyton Orient. He went on to be appointed to
work with England's youth teams before he attracted the attention of the
Tottenham Hotspur. He began working with Spurs' Academy before earning a
promotion as the first-team doctor in 2008 before swapping White Hart Lane for
Anfield in the summer of 2010. Dr Iqbal has also held the position
of Chairman of the FA Medical Society since 2006.
Dr
Iqbal was presented with his award at Wembley Stadium. After the ceremony he
commented, “It was a fantastic, well organised evening and with it being at the
home of football it was much bigger than I expected. I didn't go into this
profession to try and win any awards. The way that I work is to do the job to
the best of my ability and try and provide the best care possible to the
players. Just being nominated is great but to get the award for something I
love doing was very pleasing and hopefully this type of recognition will inspire
others too. I hope that I can continue to be part of a successful Liverpool
team for many years to come,” Dr Iqbal concluded.
Dr
Iqbal is part of London SportsCare team at BMI The London Independent Hospital.
Dr Iqbal said, “I am proud to be part of this dynamic group and am very
grateful to its members for all the help they have given throughout my training
as well as with my career.” The team was founded 20 years ago and is comprised
of sports medicine doctors, orthopaedic surgeons, podiatrist and podiatric
surgeon, radiologists, rheumatologist and cardiologists who are well-known
nationally and internationally in the field of Sports and Exercise Medicine.
The team was founded by John King, Nat Padhiar, David Perry and Tom Crisp who
remain a vital backbone of today’s service. The team offer a dedicated Sports
and Exercise medicine clinic that specialises in the management of injuries
related to sport and musculoskeletal problems. The clinic also provides
guidance and treatment in problems associated with sports, exercise and
physical activity. The specialists, such as Dr Iqbal, all have close
association with elite professional sports clubs including Premiership football
clubs, Olympic teams and professional dancers.
Speaking
on Dr Iqbal’s award, Kirsty Baker The London Independent Hospital’s Executive
Director commented, “We are absolutely thrilled that Zaf has been honoured for
his work in the field of sports medicine. The Asian Football Awards aim to
inspire and engage with the young Asian community and we hope that Zaf can be a
role model for everyone in our local community. His work at The London
Independent Hospital’s London SportsCare clinic helps athletes of all abilities
reach their goals and in this Olympic year we hope that this award will inspire
more young people to take up a career in the field of Sports and Exercise
Medicine.”
Private hospital news : 6 February 2012
