Speakers
Mark Bowditch
BOA Session
As part of the British Orthopaedic Association’s Annual Congress, themed “Preventing Harm & Transforming Lives”, we are proud to present a special Legacy Event in collaboration with the charity Power Up to Play.
This unique session is designed for anyone involved in coaching grassroots sports or teaching physical education in schools across Liverpool and surrounding areas. Together, we're tackling the rising challenge of serious youth sports injuries, with a focus on preventing ACL injuries—one of the most common and life-altering injuries in young athletes.
ACL ruptures in adolescents are on the rise, often leading to long recovery times, increased risk of re-injury, and even early-onset arthritis. The physical and mental toll on a young person can be devastating.
But here’s the good news: these injuries are largely preventable. Research shows that integrating targeted warm-up exercises—such as strength training, balance drills, plyometrics, and agility work—can reduce serious knee injuries by up to 70%.
Watch the short video of the founders of Power Up to Play on Sky Sports News explaining what the charity is all about. Discover how their warm-up programme—developed by healthcare professionals—helps improve balance, control, and muscle patterns around the knee, protecting against serious injuries and keeping young players safe across the UK.
This is more than a training session—it’s a chance to make a lasting impact. By empowering coaches with the tools to prevent injury, we can help keep young athletes active, confident, and in the game for longer.
Mark is a Consultant and Divisional Clinical Director MSK & surgical specialties at ESNEFT (Ipswich & Colchester Hospitals) since 2000. Mark’s specialist interests are in surgery of the knee and all levels of surgical education.
He was Chair of the SAC 2017-2020 leading the new curriculum changes, East of England Training Programme Director for 11 years, and is currently Head of School of Surgery. Following three years on BOA Council and one year on the Orthopaedic Committee he joined the Executive as Honorary Treasurer in 2020/21 and is now Vice President.
Nev Davies is a trauma and orthopaedic consultant working in Reading UK with a specialist interest in children’s and adolescent knee injuries. He has a dual practice of children’s orthopaedics, but also an adult knee practice, so manages all knee conditions from cradle to grave. Nev is passionate about Injury Prevention and a trustee of Power Up to Play charity. He is one of the leading members of a UK task force looking to design, set up and implement a national children’s injury prevention program that will tackle this topical issue. Out of work Nev is scratch golfer and was lucky enough to play in The Open Qualifiers for the last 2 years.