In May 2010, Aspetar signed an agreement with the Aspire Academy to manage the Aspire Academy Health and Medical Services through their National Sport Medicine Programme (NSMP).
The staff members of the Aspire Academy Sport Medicine Center (AASMC ) are an integral part of NSMP, as one of their main day to day responsibilities is to focus on the medical care and needs of the student athletes enrolled in this elite youth sports development programme.
Aspire Academy is a boarding school for full-time student athletes who alongside their training complete an internationally recognised educational curriculum (from Grade 7 to grade 12), while part-time athletes attend different local school programmes and participate in after-school training sessions..
Utilizing their relationship with NSMP allows the AASMC team direct access to Sports Science and Football Performance & Science departments in Aspire Academy, as well as to Sports Science and Scientific support in Aspetar, providing them with the means to build, maintain and support an active, robust long term growth and development plan for these young athletes.
By using unrivalled resources and highly qualified staff, the medical team provides daily on-field care to almost 500 athletes across the whole range of sports. AASMC members include full-time sports physicians, sports physiotherapists, massage therapists and nurses, as well as administrative staff. Regular monitoring of full-time and part-time athletes is an integral part of AASMC strategy to constantly provide the best clinical and sports science support to the athletes and at the same time generate high quality research.
Extensive cross-discipline interaction within Aspetar, NSMP and the AASMS also provides the opportunity to promote a holistic approach for the athletes. As well as access to services such as radiology, surgery, podiatry, sports dentistry, pharmacy, laboratory and other ancillary facilities, NSMP provides external medical specialised care when required. Close attention is also paid to other critical elements of athleticism, including educational programmes emphasising a healthy lifestyle, hygiene, anti-doping and sports nutrition advice.
The sports programme at Aspire Academy has grown at an exponential rate since its inception in 2006, and there are currently more than 300 full-time student-athletes and 260 part-time athletes enrolled.