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Sport Nation
How Clubs Are Using Injury Data to Rethink Player Load Management
SEN • August 25th, 2025 6:26 pm
Load management has usually been about minutes played or distance covered. In recent years, though, clubs have started looking at a different picture. Performance staff are measuring not only what happens during training and matches, but also the physical demands surrounding recovery, travel and treatment.
A growing part of that conversation is the strain that happens away from the field. In AFL and NRL programs, the way players are lifted, supported and moved during rehab is now recognised as a factor in both injury risk and return-to-play outcomes.
The off-field load few people notice
Injury data has always focused on collisions, sprinting loads or conditioning drills. But athletes and staff also take on another kind of stress. It comes from handling, repositioning and the small but constant movements that fill gyms, recovery rooms and treatment spaces.
Helping a player on and off a table, shifting weight during assisted drills, even routine stretching, none of it attracts much attention. Yet repeated over weeks or seasons, these actions can cause setbacks for players and create injuries among staff. Increasingly, clubs are acknowledging that these quieter loads are part of the performance story.
Helping a player on and off a table, shifting weight during assisted drills, even routine stretching, none of it attracts much attention. Yet repeated over weeks or seasons, these actions can cause setbacks for players and create injuries among staff. Increasingly, clubs are acknowledging that these quieter loads are part of the performance story.
From reaction to prevention
Traditionally, these issues were only addressed once something went wrong. A physio would strain their back helping a player, or a rehab drill would aggravate an existing injury. The response came after the problem.
That mindset is changing. Preventing strain is now seen as central to performance, not just a safety requirement. Structured education in safe lifting and movement has started to appear in high-performance environments. Some clubs are using manual handling training and assessment to make sure both players and staff have the right foundations in place before injuries occur.
The hidden toll on staff
The spotlight usually falls on players, but trainers, physios and strength coaches also face significant physical demands. Supporting post-surgery rehab, assisting stretching sessions or managing equipment might not seem as taxing as match play, but the cumulative effect can be just as damaging.
Staff injuries disrupt more than workflow. They can stall rehab programs, unsettle planning and extend recovery timelines. That reality has started to push clubs toward viewing staff welfare as part of the same performance framework that keeps athletes fit.
Sports science broadening the definition of load
Sports science has already transformed the way clubs track workloads, with GPS units, wellness apps and recovery monitoring now part of everyday practice. The next step is treating manual handling and recovery routines with the same level of detail. If soft tissue stress from lifting or assisted movement can be tracked and managed like sprint meters or acceleration zones, it may open up new ways of predicting and preventing injury.
For now, the emphasis is on education, but performance teams are beginning to discuss how these unseen loads could eventually be quantified and integrated into the same data sets that guide training plans and match preparation.
When risk reduction drives performance
Improving technique in recovery rooms may not sound dramatic, but the effects are real. Safe and consistent manual handling allows players to progress through rehab with fewer complications. For clubs, that translates into more reliable planning and stronger return-to-play outcomes.
This shift reframes injury prevention as performance management. By protecting both staff and players in the smaller, everyday routines, clubs are giving themselves a better chance of keeping athletes on the park.
This shift reframes injury prevention as performance management. By protecting both staff and players in the smaller, everyday routines, clubs are giving themselves a better chance of keeping athletes on the park.
Education as part of the model
The most forward-thinking clubs don’t wait for injuries before changing process. They build systems that support players and staff at every stage. Manual handling and recovery support are now being treated as physical skills in their own right, techniques that can be trained, repeated and improved.
By embedding this kind of education into high-performance programs, clubs are reducing risk and creating environments where athletes and support staff can work together more effectively. In the end, the smallest details off the field often shape what happens on it.
Where the trend could go next
As professional sport continues to push for marginal gains, the scope of load management will likely keep expanding. What was once a narrow focus on match data is now a system that considers recovery, travel, sleep, psychology and, increasingly, manual handling.
For clubs, the challenge is finding balance. The more they monitor and educate, the more they can protect players and staff. But the ultimate goal remains the same: building environments where athletes can prepare, perform and recover without preventable setbacks standing in the way.
For clubs, the challenge is finding balance. The more they monitor and educate, the more they can protect players and staff. But the ultimate goal remains the same: building environments where athletes can prepare, perform and recover without preventable setbacks standing in the way.
