How to become Football physiotherapist is a question we’re asked more and more. Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t actually a specific role known as a ‘football physio’ but more . You would be a Chartered Physiotherapist who works in football. Becoming a sports physiotherapist is becoming more a sort after career and we’re here to answer your questions.

It is important to note that you should ensure you want to become a physiotherapist before thinking about the football.

Physiotherapy take a lot of commitment and dedication, don’t expect sports physiotherapy to just be what you see on a Saturday, a lot of work is done in the week, away from match day situations.

The same amount of passion you have for the sports you must have equal if not more for the profession of physiotherapy itself.

Sports physiotherapy is a growing area of work across the UK. Therapists work mainly in health and fitness clubs, private sports injuries clinics, leisure centres, for individual sports teams or for the NHS.

What’s involved?

Sports physiotherapists diagnose and treat sports injuries, help individuals to get better and advise them on how to avoid similar injuries in the future. They work with top level professional sports people as well as people who play sport recreationally.

Working with professional sports people physiotherapists often work as part of a team with sports scientists, coaches and other healthcare professionals. The work may involve:

• Examining and diagnosing injuries.
• Identifying the cause of an injury.
• Devising an individual treatment plan.
• Agreeing realistic timescales for the player to return to playing football.
• Keeping accurate records of their treatment and progress.
• Discussing the player’s ambitions for the future.

In addition to developing expertise in anatomy and practical techniques, physiotherapists must be excellent communicators, who should have the ability to quickly build a relationship with patients.

Sports physiotherapy is part of a much larger profession, so if the beautiful game is your goal, though, your interpersonal and practical skills are equally important.  If Football isn’t your objective, the training will give you transferable skills and subject-specific knowledge that could lead to roles in many other areas. In the same way a Rugby or Cricket physio has the transferrable skills we would advise any up and coming sports physio to work in a sport that interests you because it is critical that you have a knowledge base of the epidemiology, rules of the game

Within a football club, your activities will include:

• Keeping players match fit
• Managing injuries
• Helping to prevent injuries
• Emergency first aid
• Working with the coaches and managers

What qualifications do you need to become a physiotherapist?

To become a sports physiotherapist, it is necessary to have a physiotherapy degree which is certified by The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to legally practise physiotherapy.

Entry requirements vary, but in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, minimum qualifications for a physiotherapy degree are three A levels at grade C or above, usually including a biological science.

Physiotherapy degrees are very intense, lasting three years’ full time or four years’ part time, including a placement.  Some universities have placements within sport so look for those if you are still a student. In addition, there are other organisations that have opportunities for both students and graduate to gain experience within sport e.g. British Universities and Colleges Sport.

A degree is one essential component, not only for the training it provides but for gaining membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, the professional body for UK practitioners.

How to gain experience as a sports physiotherapist?

After leaving university, it’s now time to gain some experience so you can fully learn and develop the skills to become a top physiotherapist. It’s important to carry on with different training courses and over a period of time you’ll build up enough experience to then apply for more professional roles.

After gaining a degree from university, it can be advised that you work within the NHS first. Not only does it give you a broad range of what’s involved within physiotherapy but also looks good on your CV.

Voluntary experience at your local football club is a huge step in the right direction but starting out it’s totally fine to gain experience at other sports clubs or athletics clubs if you’re not getting anywhere with the football clubs in your area.

Within most career paths, experience is just as important as a degree and that’s no different within sports physiotherapy. Don’t expect to get paid right away but take it as a bonus if you do. Be proactive in gaining experience, there is no one correct method; networking, sending emails, networking, contacting local clubs etc. Use the internet effectively and to your advantage.

It is critical to apply for roles where you have easy access to an experienced physiotherapist to advise you and provide some mentoring. Internships are great because you can also benefit from professional development sessions. If working alone for a local club is the best you can arrange it’s better than nothing but of course in that setting you lack support, professional development and you don’t get to build your professional network.

Many voluntary roles are advertised online through the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine (ACPSEM) and the Sports and Exercise Medicine page on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) interactive page. Positions are also advertised on the UK Sport and respective sporting teams’ and organisations’ websites.

Also, some universities have placements within sport so look for those if you are still a student. In addition, there are other organisations that have opportunities for both students and graduate to gain experience within sport e.g. British Universities and Colleges Sport.

Gaining experience working with elite athletes is also vital. Getting access to professional footballers isn’t easy, but elite performers in other sports may be crying out for support.

Day in the life of a Sports Physiotherapist

There’s no real typical day for a sports physio because physios assess and treat injuries as well as trying to prevent them from happening again.

The working environment may be in specially-equipped private treatment rooms, exercise areas, swimming or hydrotherapy pools, sports centres, or even on the touchline of a football match in the rain.

How much does a physio earn?

Football physio salaries and physio salaries in general have a lot of depending factors, do you work private or public? Community based or sports clubs? There are a huge range of Physiotherapy jobs out there so all these factors impact how much you earn.

What the Experts Say

We reached out to a number of respected football journalists, bloggers and websites across the country to weigh in on the topic and share their expertise on how to become a successful football writer. Here’s what they had to say:

Chris Wilson – @React_physio

Q – What’s the best part of your job?

A – The best part of my job is knowing that people place trust in me to enable them to return to activities and sports depending on their individual goals. It is fantastic to be able to help people achieve their goals and as I don’t just see sports people some of these goals can be life changing. I find this extremely rewarding.

Q – How did you get into physiotherapy?

A – I gained an interest in Physiotherapy through utilising the services of our team physiotherapist when I was playing football professionally. I became interested in how the body worked and healed following injury, and as I was hoping to have a career playing football I realised that I would need to look after myself to help achieve this. Unfortunately I didn’t quite make the grade as a professional and was released at the end of my contract. After a short break I decided that if I couldn’t play football, I would  like to work in football as a physiotherapist. Having left school with a few GCSE’s at 16 years old I realised that I would need to go back to college in order to gain the appropriate qualifications to study physiotherapy at university.

Q – How does your typical day look like?

A – My days vary as I do clinical work regarding injury assessment and gym based rehabilitation,  I am fortunate to have a gym on site at the clinic so we can do a lot of strength work and end stage rehabilitation to enable return to sport / activity. I also work at various locations during the week delivering physiotherapy and conditioning services to a variety of sports teams. I tend to start in clinic at 8am and on some days I may be working late in clinic to 8pm to ensure I can see patients outside of the normal working hours. There is also a lot of paper work to be done to document the treatment and plan for each individual patient.