Bengaluru, Feb 13: HOSMAT Hospitals, a recognised leader in orthopaedics, trauma and sports medicine for over three decades and now expanding into a multi-specialty hospital group, has entered into a three-year strategic medical partnership with South United Football Club (SUFC) a professional football club with a structured development pathway and a world-class residential academy model, situated in the heart of Bengaluru and operating a professionally structured football ecosystem spanning grassroots to elite competition, to deliver end-to-end sports medical services, emergency readiness, and on-site clinical care for the Club.
As part of this partnership, HOSMAT has launched a dedicated On-Site Sports Medical Centre at SUFC, creating a structured, hospital-grade medical support system embedded within the Club’s training and competition environment. HOSMAT will lead and operate SUFC’s medical clinic and manage all medical-related requirements for players and team personnel across training and championship periods.
The collaboration establishes a structured sports-medicine and emergency-care framework integrating preventive screening, rapid response, sideline medical readiness, and referral continuity – aligned with global best practices in competitive sport.
Sports medicine partnerships of this nature are increasingly becoming the standard across professional sports ecosystems worldwide.
International sports health studies indicate that structured medical oversight and periodic screening programs can reduce preventable sports injuries by 30-50% and significantly improve return-to-play timelines through early intervention and rehab planning. Event-side emergency response systems have also been shown to reduce critical response times by up to 40% when on-site medical teams are embedded.
Under the agreement, HOSMAT will provide:
* Annual comprehensive health checks and sports-specific medical screening
* Dedicated ambulance services with a trained medical team during championships and major matches
* Full clinical management and nursing support for the SUFC On-Site Sports Medical Centre
* Discounted inpatient and outpatient treatment services at HOSMAT for SUFC players and staff
* Supply of essential medical consumables for the on-site clinic at no cost
* Referral pathways for advanced orthopaedic, trauma, and rehabilitation care
This integrated model ensures that medical care is available across the full athlete journey – from prevention and screening to emergency care and rehabilitation – within and beyond the sporting venue.
Speaking about the partnership, Anisha Chandy Eckardt, Managing Director, HOSMAT Hospitals, said: “Modern sport demands structured medical leadership – not just emergency response, but prevention, monitoring, and recovery continuity. At HOSMAT, sports medicine is built on decades of orthopaedic, trauma, and rehabilitation excellence. Our partnership with SUFC, along with the launch of the on-site sports medical centre – brings hospital-grade medical systems directly into the sporting environment, reducing response time, improving injury outcomes, and supporting athlete longevity.
The Union Budget’s strong emphasis on emergency care expansion, allied-health capacity, and decentralised healthcare delivery reinforces exactly this kind of embedded, ecosystem-level medical model. We see this partnership as both performance-enabling and policy-aligned.”
Mohamed Rafik – CEO, SUFC, addressed the crowd reinforcing on the strategic collaboration, said: “Player safety and medical preparedness are core to competitive performance today. Partnering with HOSMAT Hospitals, a leader in sports injuries, orthopaedics and trauma care, gives us clinical depth both on and off the field. With an on site sports medical centre, medical leadership, ambulance readiness and preventive health screening, we are strengthening our athlete care framework to global standards.
Importantly, this medical facility is not limited to our professional first team. It will support our football academy, community programmes and all on-ground activity at SUFC – from toddlers and grassroots participants to amateurs, semi-professionals and elite players. As one of the few football clubs offering structured medical support across the full football community, SUFC will have a deployed physiotherapist and a trained male nurse on-site to ensure immediate first aid, injury management and clinical care for everyone within our ecosystem.”
