England captain Steph Houghton backs FIFPro’s concussion campaign

England and Manchester City Women’s captain Steph Houghton has backed FIFPro’s campaign to raise awareness about concussion in football.

Houghton and her England teammates attended an education meeting about the potentially-fatal head injury during a training camp as they prepare for the Women’s World Cup.

“We need to protect each other,” Houghton, 31, said. “Winning is important, but our health is far more important.”

FIFPro is organizing similar meetings with most of the 24 teams at this summer’s women world cup in France. In the last few days they’ve also set up talks with the Cameroon and Chile teams.

Visits have also been scheduled with, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Norway, South Africa and Sweden, among many more.

Houghton and her teammates were shown a video made by FIFPro and introduced by France and Olympique Lyonnais striker Eugenie Le Sommer.

FIFPro is telling footballers to alert medical staff immediately when they notice a teammate or an opponent who shows symptoms of concussion on the pitch.

“It is paramount that we respond correctly when a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion, because a concussion can have significant adverse long-term health consequences,” Houghton said.

Houghton will be hoping to captain her side to victory when the Women’s World Cup kicks off on June 7th in France.