BAKU, July 22, 2025 — The Azerbaijan Sports Academy (ASA) has joined an international initiative aimed at preventing injuries among female football players, becoming a regional partner in a UEFA and UEFA Academy-supported project spanning Central and Eastern Europe.
The project is led by Paulina Kloskowska, a lecturer at King’s College London and curator of the “Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation” master’s program for physicians at ASA.
In Azerbaijan, the initiative is coordinated by Zarifa Kamilova, advisor to the ASA vice-rector for academic affairs, and Rauf Aliyev, manager of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory.
Developed in collaboration with the Polish Football Federation, the project focuses on implementing evidence-based injury prevention strategies tailored to the regional context of women’s football. Participating countries include Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia.
An international advisory board of sports science experts—Kaye Crossley, Joanne Kemp, Andrea Bruder, and Brooke Patterson—is overseeing the project.
ASA’s selection as a project partner is seen as a recognition of its academic strength and its growing role in advancing women’s sports across the region.
