Life Stories... Dr Zaf Iqbal

Dr Iqbal is a Consultant in Sports and Exercise Medicine, who has been involved in a variety of Sports and Exercise Medicine settings in the NHS and private sector since 2005. His main work over the last 17 years has been in Professional Football having worked in various leagues in England and within the English FA setup. He also has been managing and advising International athletes from a variety of sports since 2015.   At present Dr Iqbal is working as the Head of Sports Medicine at Crystal Palace FC, a post that he has held since 2015.  He was in a similar position at Liverpool FC for the 5 seasons prior that and for 3 seasons as First Team doctor at Tottenham Hotspur FC.  Over the last 2 years Dr Iqbal has been a member of a DCMS Working group and alongside the Chief Medical Officers of the main Sports in the UK, helped devise National guidelines for the continued safe participation in Sports during Covid19.   Dr Iqbal was recently the Chairman of The Premier League Doctors Group and for the last 17 years Co-Chairman of the FA Medical Society. Combined with his position as a Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and lecturer with the Football Science Institute, he has been contributing in the education of the next generation of Sports Medicine Specialists and helping raise standards in the medical care of Premier League footballers.    He has additional interest in promoting healthy lifestyles in the community, advising athletes on competing while fasting during Ramadan and also campaigning for people to learn CPR and the wide availability of AEDs.