Women's First Team - Lead Physiotherapist

Charlton Athletic Football Club; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional football club in London is seeking a Physiotherapist to lead physiotherapy services and support player performance through effective injury management. The role involves collaborating with the medical team to develop return to play strategies, overseeing a team of therapists, and ensuring high-quality care for players. Ideal candidates will have experience in elite sports, strong management skills, and a commitment to professional development.

Qualifications

• Full, up to date Advanced Emergency Aid qualification.
• Attend CPD events in line with development themes.
• Keep up to date with relevant first aid qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Support players by leading physiotherapy and professional care.
• Manage therapists, students, and interns within the Academy.
• Develop and lead return to play strategies with the medical team.

Skills

Experience working in Elite Football or Elite Sport

Experience of leading pitch and gym‑based rehabilitation and recovery sessions

Experience of developing and delivering rehabilitation and Injury reduction strategies

Highly experienced in the planning and delivery of gym‑based and pitch‑based football rehabilitation programs

Experience of working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team

Education

Registered member of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)

Chartered Physiotherapist (CSP)

Job description

Responsibilities

• To support the performance ambitions of the programme by leading and delivering best practice physiotherapy and professional care to players
• To lead a best practice approach to mitigating injury risk
• To ensure that optimal return to play strategies and delivery is in place to minimise time away from training and playing
• Line manage FT and PT therapists, students and interns and support with all aspects of medical provision within the Academy age groups
• To play a role in developing and sustaining a culture of high performance, safer working, and respectful behaviour, Delivery:

Delivery

• Ensure players benefit from a high quality physiotherapy service which minimises injury incidence
• Develop and lead the teams return to play strategies in collaboration with the Club Doctor and SS team
• Ensure effective systems and processes are in place to aid the co‑ordination of the multi‑disciplinary team
• Ensure there is an evidence‑based approach, that is appropriately data informed
• Identify trends in injury patterns, informing future practice

Relationships and Team working

• Maintain strong relationships between coaching staff and physiotherapy, and between physiotherapy and other performance support functions (e.g., S&C), and wider teams (e.g., safeguarding)
• Ensure a holistic approach to the treatment and prevention and treatment of injury exists at the club

Physiotherapy provision

• Consult with players to gather information about health and injury
• Work with players in the assessment, diagnosis, and rehabilitation of all injuries
• Discuss all potential referrals for radiology/specialist opinion with the Head of Medical
• Devise and deliver individualised rehabilitation / treatment plans
• Provide pitch side first aid and support
• Use developed clinical reasoning skills to review and evaluate patient progress and current condition
• In conjunction with the team Doctor and Head of Performance lead on the assessment of new player signings
• Liaise with Head of Performance to agree and report player readiness for training and matches
• Deliver physical screening / movement screening throughout the season working with the performance department and team doctor
• Provide staff with formal performance reviews (appraisals) and hold regular informal 1‑1s
• Encourage the medical team to network, attend conferences and develop their craft and understanding of best practice
• To ensure the squad are supported by medical staff by arranging appropriate medical cover at all times throughout the season and off‑season
• To hold a weekly medical meeting with the PGA physiotherapist, focusing on reviewing SOAP notes, injury prognosis, treatment & rehabilitation. These meetings can be held in‑person or online and should be documented and minuted.
• To offer a second opinion on complex cases and if needed, collaborate with the Men's Head of Medical on best management plans.
• In delivering the above, ensure the latest clinical, scientific, and technical innovations for practice are incorporated into maintaining the highest level of care

Data and evaluation

• Collect and analyse data including injury and illness incidence & rate. Analyse and use insight to refine practice (e.g., injury prevention strategy)
• Ensure medical records are up to date accurate and confidential; and meet the requirements of the football authorities (e.g., The FA & Pro League) and other regulations (e.g., GDPR, UKAD), and comply with the Health and Care Profession Council standards of documentation
• Engage in the Professional League Injury and Illness surveillance project
• Monitor practices and ensure they meet the criteria & standards set by the Care Quality Commission
• Provide periodic (e.g., daily, weekly) injury reports to stakeholders (Head of Women's Football, Head Coach / Manager, Head of Performance Support, Head of Medical)
• Attend weekly injury update meetings/discussions with the Head of Medical

Multi-disciplinary working

• Contribute to strategies for prevention and of injury
• Manage the Women's first team medical staff (Sports Therapist, Student, paramedics) to always ensure adequate provision and organisation
• Ensure all players attending external consultations are supported by a member of the medical team
• Work with complementary functions (e.g., S&C, safeguarding, performance wellbeing) to ensure a player‑centric culture is in existence
• Provide physiotherapy input to case management meetings, to optimise player performance and minimise time lost due to injury
• Assist the Head of Medical in the recruitment process of any medical members of staff.
• Budget management
• Monitor and discuss season by season budget with the Head of Medical
• To assist with medical equipment stock orders

Self‑development

• Attend CPD events and undertake CPD activities in line with identified development themes
• Conduct and oversee research projects to underpin practice and service development
• To attend, participate and contribute towards the regular in‑service programme within the medical department.
• To keep up to date with relevant first aid qualifications (ATMMiF)
  Registered member of the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Chartered Physiotherapist (CSP)
• Have appropriate medical indemnity to treat/advise BWSL and BWC players
• Full, up to date Advanced Emergency Aid qualification; this should be the Level 5 ATMMIF
• Attend a yearly ATMMiF reaccreditation
• UKAD Clean Sport Advisor
• Safeguarding and Protecting Children / FA Safeguarding Children (acquired before starting role)
• DBS Clearance / Enhanced FA CRC check (acquired before starting the role)

Abilities/Skills/Knowledge: Specific Experience

• Experience working in Elite Football or Elite Sport
• Experience of leading pitch and gym‑based rehabilitation and recovery sessions
• Experience of developing and delivering rehabilitation and Injury reduction strategies.
• Highly experienced in the planning and delivery of gym‑based and pitch‑based football rehabilitation programs
• Experience of working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team in providing performance support to athletes
• Experience of collaborating with sport science staff in the use of technologies and software systems, and the use of data to inform rehabilitation and return to training and competition programmes.

Knowledge and experience of the women's game, specifically the existence and implications of

• different governance and structures
• the growth of the women's game
• player pathways
• awareness and coverage of the women's game
• required coaching behaviours in the women's and girl's games
• technical and tactical differences between men's and women's football
• career development opportunities
• coaching environment
• An up to date understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures
• Knowledge and Awareness of diversity and equality challenges in football

Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Charlton, south‑east London. The club was founded on June 9th, 1905 and has a very storied history from rising to the top‑flight of English Football in the 1930s (First Division) and again in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, to winning the FA Cup in 1947 and to leaving their Valley home in the mid‑1980s only to make an impassioned return in 1992. Historically, the women's team played under Charlton Athletic from 2000 to 2007 but were released to become an independently run team in 2007 following the men's team's relegation from the Premier League.