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Her school principal told her football wasn’t for girls – she’s now a doctor for a top women’s club in England

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The 34-year-old Singaporean physician serves as a first-team doctor for Chelsea FC Women, having provided pitch-side medical coverage for over 60 matches in England. On match days, Koh collaborates closely with paramedics and physiotherapists from the bench to monitor players for head trauma and major injuries. Beyond sideline duties, she provides primary care to all 27 competitive team members, which includes scheduling MRI scans and managing general ailments. She also retains the medical authority to withdraw players from training or matches when health issues make competing unsafe.

Key points

  • On match days, Dr. Koh focuses entirely on player movement and physical status rather tha…: On match days, Dr. Koh focuses entirely on player movement and physical status rather than tracking the ball.
  • Koh coordinates with on-site physiotherapists and paramedics while retaining the supplies…: Koh coordinates with on-site physiotherapists and paramedics while retaining the supplies necessary to treat everyday medical issues.
  • The physician holds ultimate authority to remove athletes from active competition or trai…: The physician holds ultimate authority to remove athletes from active competition or training sessions to mitigate medical risks.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

From treating injuries on the pitch to making tough calls about when players can return to action, Singaporean doctor Bethany Koh has provided medical cover at more than 60 women’s football matches in England, including for Chelsea FC Women.

It all began – oddly enough – on a basketball court at Raffles Girls’ Primary School during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Like many, 10-year-old Bethany Koh was caught up in World Cup fever.

Someone brought a ball to school, and Koh started playing football with her friends at every recess, going back to class sweat-soaked and exhilarated.

That World Cup ended with Brazil winning, and Koh kept on playing. In secondary school, she and her friends even tried to set up a girls’ football co-curricular activity (CCA). They gathered enough girls to form an 11-a-side team and found a teacher willing to oversee the CCA.

But her principal shut the idea down because “football is not for girls”. That did not quell her fire. Koh continued playing at recess, and on weekends on fields in Bedok. “You just use your…

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