HOUSTON (DA) — Curaçao’s first FIFA World Cup match made history beyond the island’s debut, becoming the first match in the competition to feature an all-female medical team.
The Germany-Curaçao match on June 14 included FIFA match doctor Dr. Emma Lunan, Curaçao team doctor Dr. Suzanne Huurman, Germany team doctor Dr. Silja Schwarz, emergency medicine doctor Dr. Carrie Bakunas and injury spotter Dr. Kerry Peek.
The group made history as part of the on-field-of-play medical team in Houston, adding another milestone to Curaçao’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA Director of Medical Dr. Andrew Massey said the moment was an example of top clinicians working at the highest level of the game and said he hoped it would encourage more women to move into leadership roles in football medicine.
“This is a fantastic example of excellent clinicians providing expert care,” Massey said. “We really need to promote this further and encourage more females to progress into medical leadership roles within football medicine.”
Lunan said working on the World Cup stage alongside other women in football medicine was a privilege.
“Hopefully, this is a springboard to show that expertise in sports medicine and performance medicine is not dependent on your sex or gender and the opportunities to progress can be based on your competence,” Lunan said. “It would be fantastic to think that females all across the world see that football is a conduit to progressing in your career within medicine and demonstrating that there are opportunities for females within football medicine to excel.”