Supporting Western United, from training to recovery

As a physiotherapist, Victoria University PhD candidate Kate Yung helps keep the players at Western United Football Club strong and injury-free – from training to game day to recovery.

“I started my physiotherapist career working with Olympic athletes and national football players in Hong Kong.

I was looking for opportunities to breakthrough my career, so I decided to pursue a PhD in sports medicine in Australia. Australia has a strong reputation in sports science and sports medicine.

When choosing which university to study at, my criteria was to have a supervisor with innovative thinking, and a university that has strong industry networks with elite sports organisations across Melbourne.

VU certainly ticked those boxes, and my supervisor Professor Sam Robertson has been guiding me through this journey with his expertise and insights.”

Opportunities with elite sports clubs

“Professional sports organisations can sometimes be hard to get into, despite my previous experience working with athletes overseas.

VU’s industry partnership provided me with the opportunity to work with Western United Football Club as a physiotherapist and PhD student, involved in data collection and analysis.

It’s all about teamwork, and the staff at Western United have been very supportive and encouraging. I’ve gained confidence and skills in teamwork, leadership and communication. It has also strengthened and confirmed my interest in working in professional sports organisations.”

Supporting players to perform at their best

“In my role at Western United, I work closely with the high performance team to plan and execute screening, monitoring and rehabilitation for the players. I analyse and report data and flag any players that might have an increased injury risk.

I’m also involved in gym conditioning sessions, where I work on improving younger players’ lifting technique.

During training, I work with injured players individually for their rehabilitation, either in the gym or on the field. After training, I work with players on their recovery and provide treatment if necessary.

On game day, we prepare the players for the game with strapping and soft tissue work. We are at the pitch-side during the game in case any injuries happen, and at half-time we quickly check in with the players to see if they need us. After the game, we make sure players do their recovery.” 

Continuing to learn & grow with VU

“Even during COVID, VU has provided research training funding for us to upskill in relevant areas, which I used to upskill in data analytics.

I would recommend VU to students looking for opportunities to work and learn in a professional sports club environment.”

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