Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) will investigate the effectiveness and implementation of the A-League Minimum Medical Standards following the release of the 2014/15 PFA A-League Injury Report.
PFA Chief Executive Adam Vivian made the announcement today after the ninth edition of the report revealed that injuries had cost A-League clubs in excess of $4 million for the season.
Revealing a decrease on last season’s spike of 162 injuries and 704 games missed due to injury, there were 143 injuries recorded and 691 games missed as a result of injury in the 2014/15 season.
Of the ten A-League clubs Wellington Phoenix recorded the best injury ranking, followed by Champions Melbourne Victory and the Central Coast Mariners.
With knee, hamstring and ankle injuries continuing to be the most prevalent, only Adelaide United, the Mariners and Sydney FC reduced last season’s injury totals and games missed.
“Whilst the results of the report are indicative of a downward trend, the number of injuries and the associated costs to the clubs remains far too high,” said Vivian.
“Since their introduction in 2011, the Minimum Medical Standards have proven to be effective in reducing injury, however we are now seeing the rate of decline stagnating, indicating that both their implementation and effectiveness requires review.
“The preliminary findings of research undertaken by the PFA has also revealed a failure by some clubs to comply with the Minimum Medical Standards, specifically with respect to to pre and post season medicals. This must be addressed immediately.
“Through the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, the PFA has indicated that it will continue to seek improvement in this area and remains committed to proactively tackling this problem in partnership the game’s stakeholders.”
A-League Clubs in a Snapshot for the 2014/15 Season
