Not at all. PT's do have a use for sports therapists although in places like Canada they are more appropriately named Athletic trainers or AT's. They are very useful to have about as the PT can assess the injury and provide the strategy and the AT can then perform the training guidance. They in fact rather good at that part, and the motivation as well.

In terms of professional clubs, well let's just say most people who work for them are not much more than volunteers or dare I say it "dogs bodies". AT's come alot cheaper than PT's, they are often more enthusiastic as often they are huge fans of the sport they are working with, and... well... to be honest the manager has a lot more voice over an AT than they do a PT so in relation to politics an AT is also preferred. None of this however has anything to do with the title of "therapist".

However in countries like Australia where the PT is considered a vital part of the team we will see them working directly with the team Dr and manager about the management of million dollar assets. They to often have a small army of AT's under their control and they do find them a very important part of the team management. Unfortunately in the UK, time and time again we see players returning from injury only to be reinjured in the first 15 minutes. Michael Owen springs to mind. I suppose that is due to the lack of PT input to these clubs and they lack of injury diagnosis and appropriate rehabilitation.

Physiotherapy and Physiotherapist are now protected titles in the UK. The only way anyone is now able to refer to this title is if they have a physio degree and are registered thereafter with the Health Professions council. As for sports therapists.....well diversional therapists are registered as well, that has nothing to do with the role of PT's in the UK.

Many individuals who study sports science and human movement go on to do post graduate degrees in physiotherapy. This is an excellent line to take if sports is your desired vocation. And for that reason I would recommend it to anyone who couldn't get into a physio course directly. The information gained during a sports course will assist your PT degree and rounding as a sports physio... although you won't actually get any study credits for it