This conversation is with Dr Matt Whalan, a partner at Figtree Physiotherapy in the Wollongong area in Australia.

You can find Matt on Twitter @figtreephysio.

Matt also holds a number of practical roles, including Medical and High-performance Manager for the Wollongong Wolves FC and Physiotherapist for the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) National Teams Unit.

Matt earned his PhD in 2020, focused on injury prevention in football, and holds a Masters in Physiotherapy.

In this conversation, Matt and I discuss what he likes to call 'athlete availability'.

Also:

• A different take on reducing injuries in youth sport;
• The importance of psychology when dealing with injury;
• Why Matt spends time framing roles and responsibilities within a team environment;
• Replacing the term 'injury prevention' with better alternatives;
• Using research to create change;
• The missing piece in reducing injuries in youth sport;
• Matt's childhood and playing representative sport;
• Helping youth athletes make difficult decisions;
• Communicating effectively across multiple sporting environments;
• How to help young athletes tolerate training load better during periods of accelerated growth;
• Levelling the playing field for girls to reduce injury;
• Why developing movement skill in kids is so important;
• The importance of delivering a message effectively; and
• Matt's advice for aspiring young athletes.

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Kia ora!

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