FPDSFootball Player Data Standard

Consultations / Medical availability

Consultation ยท OQ-15

Does a player submission say whether the player is fit to play?

A club that receives a submission wants to know if the player can play now. That fact is close to health data, and health data has strict legal protection. We want to know where FPDS draws the line.

Status
Open
Open for
At least 14 days
Who can answer
Agents, intermediaries, club staff, medical staff, players, and other people who are 18 or older
Time
About three minutes
FPDS now
A submission contains no medical information

What this question does not cover

Diagnoses, injury details and medical history are not part of this consultation. FPDS does not permit them in a submission, for any option. In most countries they are special-category health data. A document that parties forward is the wrong place for them.

Why this question matters

Recruitment staff use time on players who cannot play for months. A short status can prevent this. But a status such as "not available" also tells the reader something about the health of the player.

Reasons to include a status

  • A club knows at once if the player can play in the next weeks.
  • Agents already say "fully fit" in messages, with no structure and no source.
  • A small list of values is safer than free text.

Reasons to leave it out

  • "Not available" can show that the player has an injury.
  • A status goes out of date quickly, but the document stays in inboxes.
  • Clubs do a medical examination before a transfer, so a status adds little.

Some ideas

These ideas start the discussion. They are not the only answers. Agree with one, change one, or tell us something different.

  1. A. No medical information. Parties discuss fitness outside the submission.
  2. B. A status only. "Available", "not available", "available with a managed load" or "not stated".
  3. C. A status and an expected return date. Option B, plus the date that the player expects to be available.

Give your answer

Write your answer in your own words.

Read the privacy notice before you answer. Do not write about the health of a specific person in your answer.

What happens next

  1. The consultation stays open for at least 14 days.
  2. We publish a summary on this page. The summary shows the number of answers from each role, and the main reasons on each side. It does not show names.
  3. We record the decision and its reasons in the decision log.

Developers can also discuss this question on GitHub.