UofL Health will serve as the new official sports medicine partner for Louisville City FC, Racing Louisville FC and the teams’ youth academies in a multi-year agreement with the city’s professional soccer clubs, it was announced Wednesday.
The landmark partnership is the largest healthcare deal in club history, extending UofL Health’s range of world-class resources to LouCity and Racing starting with the 2024 seasons.
“This partnership goes well beyond sideline coverage,” said Jen Daily, M.D., chief medical officer of LouCity/Racing and medical director, UofL Health – Sports Medicine. “Our model is holistic and focused on prevention. From primary care to applied epidemiology, players have access to every medical specialty across the full UofL Health continuum of care, including mental health and performance, sport nutrition and Frazier Rehab Sports. Plus, our shared clinic spaces create a multidisciplinary model where providers can conference on the most effective, innovative care possible for players.”
“We’re thrilled to start this partnership with UofL Health and especially excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively with their team,” said James O’Connor, president of LouCity and Racing. “Together, we’ll also look into research, development and emerging trends as they pertain to soccer players. Our goals are aligned in that we want to keep athletes in top shape, allowing them to be the best version of themselves on the field.”
UofL Health’s sports medicine assets include athletic trainers, doctors, nutritionists, physical therapists and strength coaches who will assist LouCity and Racing’s in-house athletic training and performance staffers.
UofL Health brings not only expertise but is the only provider in the area to offer innovative technology like DARI, an FDA-approved motion capture platform that provides movement data analytics to help athletes regain their game. This resource is part of the Sports Medicine Performance & Injury Prevention Program, which is designed to offer the best performance enhancement and recovery services through evidence-based research that can track injury trends to help keep players on the pitch.
In addition to state-of-the-art facilities and top medical care, the new partnership also includes a number of other standout elements.
The soccer teams and UofL Health will collaborate to provide match tickets for underserved community partners and children in the newly named UofL Health Community Zone at Lynn Family Stadium. UofL Health and Soccer Holdings are also working toward a community initiative that will bring soccer access to children in underserved areas in the Kentuckiana region.
UofL Health will have annual title nights for LouCity and Racing Louisville matches and static signage inside Lynn Family Stadium.
At Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, considered one of the top soccer training facilities in North America, UofL Health will have naming rights to one of the four turf academy fields and to an annual LouCity/Racing Academy regional tournament.