National SPA History

The early stirrings of sports physiotherapy as a specialized area emerged through the activities of a handful of practitioners who volunteered their services at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics or gained positions with high profile rugby and Australian rules football clubs. Those working to represent the interests of physiotherapists in this field in the 1960s and 70s did so as voluntary office bearers in the multidisciplinary Australian Sports Medicine Federation , predecessor to the S.M.A. Amongst the prominent names of those raising the physiotherapy profile in this way pre S.P.A. were Jim Lamers, Adrian Wright, Geoff Luke, David Zuker, Max Sopp, John Stanley, Peter Dornan, Helen Gordon and Stuart Gray. Peter, Helen, Stuart and David Worth were amongst the first to publish articles related to sports injuries in Australia.

In the mid 1970s the A.C.T. and most Australian States formed A.P.A. Sports Medicine Special Interest Groups (S.I.G.). Membership of these groups grew quickly, and ambitious continuing education, sports coverage and public relations programs were tackled within the A.P.A. framework. Lectures, symposia and introductory courses were organized for a membership thirsty for knowledge and experience in a rapidly advancing discipline. There was little difficulty at that time finding volunteers to work on P.R. projects and provide physiotherapy coverage at sporting events from local “fun runs” to international championships. It is impossible to overestimate the contribution of members and office bearers at a State level, particularly in that early hyperactive period.

The W.A. Sports Medicine S.I.G. first suggested the formation of a National Group. Their letter to the A.P.A. in April 1975 resulted in an interest meeting being held at the National Conference later that year. Despite lots of enthusiasm at this and the 1977 Hobart Conference, little progress was made.

On 15th February 1979 at the Canberra A.P.A. Conference the first formal steps were taken to organize a National Group. A steering committee composed of the Victorian S.M.S.I.G.Committee and a representative from each State S.I.G. was endorsed to propose a constitution and take the group through its initial stages. Pro tem chairman was Peter Duras, secretary was Sandy Rennie who later became chairman of the Canadian Sports Physiotherapy Group, and newsletter editor was Steve Sandor. The committee gained A.P.A. endorsement, cooperated with the A.S.M.F on a national lecture tour, and initiated the Beiersdorf Sports Medicine Awards, demonstrating that the Group was ready to assume its National idendity.

The “birth” took place on 22nd May 1980 in Melbourne. The constitution was passed allowing for a committee with a representative from each State and three executive office bearers coming from one State (in rotation) to save costs. The meeting emphasized that this would be a low budget organization when they only agreed to a $2 capitation fee after lengthy debate. Fortunately, in those pre internet and phone hook up days Beiersdorf underwrote some of the costs of face to face meetings and the newsletter. The initial executive was Peter Duras (Chair), Wendy Stubbs (Hon Sec) and Sandy Rennie (Hon Treas). In its first formal year Federal membership grew to more than 500 as the committee took a number of initiatives on their behalf. All relevant national sporting bodies were informed of the formation and objectives of the Group, leading to several requests for advice, lecturers and coverage. Aspects of education from undergraduate sports medicine training onwards were examined, and a specialization sub committee, chaired by Craig Purdam, was appointed. A national sports insurance company was successfully lobbied to improve physiotherapy access. The Group established a visible presence with the design of a logo that was widely used for the next 20 years.

In May 1981 leadership passed to S.A., with Tony Williamson in the Chair. It was suggested that “ Sports Physiotherapy Group” would be a more appropriate title, and this was agreed to by the A.P.A. in November that year. The Tasmanian Group was formed , and the A.C.T. and N.T gained observer status, while Queensland’s focus was on coverage of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. A number of sub committees were formed to establish national standards for courses, sporting event coverage and P.R. Helen Gordon (NSW) succeeded Tony in 1983 as the Group

rolled into an era of extraordinary growth in sports physiotherapy. Two year terms of office were introduced as the Chair passed to Anne Davies (ACT), and then on to Dorothy Harris (QLD) , Noel McRoberts (WA) and Craig Allingham (VIC) in 1989.

Major developments in the 1980s included coverage of large multisport events such as the inaugural Australia Games and a rapidly increasing number of World Championships and international sporting events held in Australia . The Group assisted with recruiting and advice. Craig Purdam was Appointed Head Physiotherapist at the newly established A.I.S. in Canberra. The number of physiotherapists travelling with national teams increased exponentially as evidenced by the Australian Olympic Team. David Zuker was our first and only physiotherapist in 1976. By 1984 (Los Angeles) the number had expanded to five. The N.S.P.G. established selection standards for touring physiotherapists and publicised opportunities.

As interest in the emerging specialty grew the National Group was invited to organise sports physiotherapy specific sessions at the World Confederation of Physical Therapy Conference, A.P.A .National Conferences and , for the first time, as a partner at the A.S.M.F National Conference. Craig Allingham convened the highly successful inaugural Level 3 S.P. Course in Canberra in late 1989. Not everything happened overnight. Implementation of the Sports Physiotherapy Title was first proposed in the mid 80s, but was not passed by the House of Delegates until April 1996, following a great deal of work by Craig Allingham and Julian Russell-Jones. Strong links were established between the National and State S.P.G.s and the various arms of the A.S.M.F. Lobbying resulted in creation of the position of Vice President, Physiotherapy on the National Board of the A.S.M.F., but there was widespread concern at that organization’s promotion of sports trainers.

As we entered the 90s, having established a high profile and the largest special group membership in the A.P.A .it became apparent that many other disciplines and individuals were also keen to work in this rapidly developing area. The response of the National Group, its State Chapters and membership was to step up the emphasis on research , the publication and presentation of papers, clinical justification, injury prevention, manual techniques, higher levels of post graduate education and improved communication, administration, public relations and advocacy. The number and standard of presentations by physiotherapists at sports medicine related courses and conferences increased markedly during this era though there was still a reluctance to jump into print. A number of physiotherapists buried themselves in ground breaking research, often emerging with a Ph. D. and a national reputation. Jenny McConnell, Jill Cook, Gwen Jull, Carolyn Richardson, Di Hopper, Kay Crossley, Kim Bennell, Trish Wisbey-Roth, Lyn Watson, Victor Popov, Peter Stanton, Henry Wajswelner, Craig Purdam and Craig Allingham were amongst those who emerged as experts and popular presenters, whilst raising the profile of sports physiotherapy. 1995 saw a major breakthrough with publication of the definitive text “ Sports Physiotherapy, Applied science and practice “ based on contributions from this expanding pool of talent, and edited by members of the Victorian Chapter. The National Group standardized courses and lobbied for the establishment of tertiary courses in sports physiotherapy related areas in several states. The quality of the newsletter improved as the A.P.A. took over its printing and distribution. A major restructure brought state chapters directly under National S.P.G. control, allowing them for first time to employ a professional part time A.P.A. administrator. A series of sports injury prevention posters was produced and widely distributed to members, whilst every four years the Olympics gave the Group and the A.P.A. the opportunity to distribute pamphlets highlighting the efforts of Ross Smith and his colleagues. Australian sports physiotherapy enjoyed a huge reputation abroad, due mainly to the success of our athletes, admiration of the work carried out at our Sports Institutes, and respect for the professionalism and expertise of physios travelling abroad with teams. At home however the Group needed strong advocacy on issues such as fitness accreditation, coverage and the sports trainers scheme. Peter Hamer, Craig Allingham and Peter Duras were given the responsibility of improving cooperation between the Group and the A.S.M.F., while at the same time protecting the interests of the profession. A permanent forum was established within the A.S.M.F. with representatives of allied professional groups including the N.S.P.G.

In 1997, the National Sports Physiotherapy Group (NSPG) changed its governance structure from sharing the national role around the various states to having one National Committee made up of representatives of each of the state chapters. With the new NSPG structure in place, in July of 1997, the first issue of SportsLink was released — a quarterly newsletter distributed nationwide to all members of the NSPG. SportsLink contained updates from around the states along with clinical stories and research updates.

October 1996 saw the formation of the Academic and Clinical Standards Committee (ACSC) for Sports Physiotherapy. The ACSC was formed to develop the process of the ‘APA Sports Physiotherapist Title’ nationally. The ethos of the APA Sports Physiotherapist Title was to, ‘Promote the highest possible academic and Clinical Standards of Australian Sports Physiotherapy. After thorough deliberation, on the 13th October, 1998, at the Australian Conference for Science and Medicine in Sport that the NSPG officially launched the APA Sports Physiotherapist Title with 13

inaugural APA Sports Physiotherapists. A further 25 members achieved the title soon after resulting in 38 titled members of NSPG by December 1998. In September 2000 SportsLink newsletter announced that SPA had a total of 233 titled members. By the turn of the millennium, discussions around the formation of an international sports physiotherapy group were gaining momentum; largely stemming from preliminary ideas initiated by Australia. By December of 2000, a group of European sports physiotherapists, supporting the concept, met in Utrecht, Netherlands and work began to form the International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy (IFSP). The National Sports Physiotherapy Group was growing within the APA, membership had been constantly increasing since its formation and by September 2001, it was decided that the NSPG would change its name to Sports Physiotherapy Australia (SPA) to align itself with the sporting industry’s naming protocol e.g., Sports Medicine Australia, Sports Doctors Australia etc. By December 2002, membership was nearly 1700 making SPA and ‘Titled’ members had increased by 10 per cent on 2001 figures.

In February 2003, Queensland’s Gold Coast saw its physiotherapy population increase dramatically, for three days at least, as 220 physiotherapists attended SPA’s inaugural Biennial Conference at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort under the title of ‘Sports physiotherapy for lower limb injuries – clinical expertise and scientific evidence’. This event was an outstanding success with all involved eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the SPA Biennial Conference held in Adelaide in 2005. Conference Delegates rose to over 250 as the theme of ‘Muscle Injury, Muscle Pain and Rehabilitation: A sports physiotherapy domain’ was rolled out over three days at the Stamford Grand in Glenelg.

Since its inception in 1997, the SportsLink newsletter had undergone several modifications in design and content as this valued member resource was refined. The most dramatic changes occurred in 2004 as SportsLink shifted from its newsletter origin to a more magazine styled publication full of feature clinical stories, human interest stories, and sports physiotherapy and athlete interviews. The next transformation for this publication was in the first issue for 2006 and saw the name changed to SportsPhysio to better describe the audience this new look magazine was pitched at. As external interest was growing with SportsPhysio it was decided to open access via subscription for non physiotherapy allied health professionals and non Australian members of IFSP.

In July 2006, SPA membership passed 2100 members for the first time, with 329 of those members titled, maintaining its position as the largest National Grup within the APA and continuing the rapid growth of a National Group that is less than 10 years young.

Chairpersons of SPA