Ex-footballer sees Gibraltar as ideal testing ground

Dr Dorian Dugmore (PhD Cardiovascular Medicine) said in an interview with Panorama last week that Gibraltar’s size and demographic is an ideal place to experiment such ideas.

“With a small population, embracing change, particularly in the areas of sport and corporate health, can have a substantial impact, potentially very quickly. That is an asset because there will be a lot of valuable data coming out of these projects,” he said. “There is no reason why Gibraltar shouldn’t be used as a testing ground for this. The Rock could be used as a platform to make other countries realise just how beneficial programmes of this ilk could have in a larger scale.”

CORPORATE WELLBEING

Dr Dugmore was invited to Gibraltar to speak to top executives and corporate leaders, but naturally met with other medical professionals during his three-day stay.

His aim was to send out the feelers to ascertain whether Gibraltar’s corporate and sporting fraternities would be eager to tackle issues surrounding cardiovascular health and wellbeing.

“Both of them can be interlinked and build off each other,” he said. “Sport, particularly football, is a great platform to influence all walks of life and make a real difference. It is all about seizing the day and Gibraltar has a fantastic opportunity to do just that.”

Dr Dugmore believes that the whole corporate texture and climate has changed dramatically with people living longer and working extended hours.

“Life has changed. When you look at the numerous pressures and stresses involved in corporate life, there is an even greater need to manage people’s health and wellbeing,” he said. “The cost of burning the candle at both ends can become increasingly higher.”

The Gibraltar Cardiac Association made an agreement with Dr Dugmore whereby any funds he may receive from corporate talks conducted in Gibraltar would be donated to the charity.

“Giving something back is really important,” he said. “I would like to leave behind a legacy I was a decent guy who really made a difference. If that was written on my epitaph, I would be over the moon.”

GFA PROPOSAL

Dr Dugmore will seek to make the Gibraltar FA aware of the potential behind the projects he has in mind as well as bringing multiple medical, sports health and corporate fraternities together.

“Hopefully, with the wealth of experience that I have, the sky is the limit really,” he said. “It is about picking projects and opportunities that you can really get your teeth into, such as the new School of Sport at the University, and make things happen. We need to capture the public’s imagination and support.”

Although Dr Dugmore does not know former first-team Chelsea doctor and Gibraltarian Eva Carneiro personally, he knows some of the physicians who work with her.

“In the future we may work together to generate some interventions and programmes in Gibraltar, whether they may be on sports performance or cardiac recovery and rehabilitation,” he said.

Mr Dugmore said he would attempts and bring over Premier League managers and other renowned sporting personalities to Gibraltar due to his extensive list of contacts.

“I have contacts in the sporting, corporate and entertainment world,” he said. “The potential of bringing them over is very possible. We need to create the opportunities for this.”

CONVINCING CV

Dr Dugmore achieved a PhD in cardiovascular medicine and a Masters in exercise medicine before forming a national charity for heart disease recovery. His programmes have won World and European Best Practice awards for corporate wellness.

He ended up becoming the programme director of the largest heart disease recovery centre in the world in Toronto, Canada before the brand Adidas brought him back to the UK.

“Naturally on the back of that I began working with Premiership football managers and, because of my background in the sport, coaching and cardiovascular medicine, it was a unique set of skills to work in the world of football,” he said. “We’ve developed a very comprehensive programme working with all the managers for over 17 years.”

Now a Director within the League Managers Association, Dr Dugmore’s remit is to develop a bespoke programme for staff to look after their wellbeing.

“If we can prevent rather than treat, then there is massive potential there. Football is a great vehicle to get across health messages,” he said. “There have been many issues in the world of football with young players. The screening and cardiovascular checks of footballers are very important. It is extremely scientific.”

Dr Dugmore was also involved as one of the authors of a major study looking at the provision of automated external defibrillator in football grounds across the Champions League.

“We found that there was a significant percentage of clubs that didn’t have one in the ground. This was the case when Fabrice Muamba collapsed at White Hart Lane,” he said. “For managers, as they get older, the risks increase. It is quite common for Atherosclerosis to set in. this is when you have plaque forming in the arteries and cause blockages. Improvements in lifestyle, exercise and nutrition are necessary in these cases.”

DEMANDS

But with young players it can be congenital and can be discovered due to the huge demands of the game. The intensity of sport nowadays is greater and sometimes this can magnify a problem that has been there for a while, but remained undiscovered because players had never reached that level of intensity.

“Sport science, exercise and particularly sports medicine have accelerated beyond all belief,” he said. “It is a high-intensity business in terms of getting the best performance out of athletes, but also protecting them as well.”

25-01-18 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR