AFLW Carlton

SMB Physiotherapists shine in AFL Women’s opening round

8 Feb 2017 | by Jennifer Smallridge

It was an incredible weekend for women’s sport - the NAB AFL Women’s season opened with a bang. Friday night saw Princes Park quickly reach capacity at nearly 25,000 and even have to turn patrons away; while a further 896,000 Australians watched from home on television.

Sportsmed Biologic is proud to announce that two of our highly experienced physiotherapists are supporting the athletes of the AFL Women’s. Bec Huppert (pictured) and Laura Fazzari have both secured roles with Western Bulldogs and Carlton FC respectively, and have been working tirelessly with the players and staff for months in preparation for the eight-week season.

When comparing with previous experiences working alongside men’s AFL clubs, physiotherapist Bec remarked on the major differences between the athletes. “We find that females are more likely than their male counterparts to experience injuries involving ligaments, although you definitely do see the usual muscular strains and other expected sporting injuries.”

Bec Huppert - Western Bulldogs AFLW

“The physical preparation of the girls in preseason had a really strong ACL injury prevention focus - including correction of biomechanics and safe landing techniques.” Research also supports this, finding that the rate of ACL rupture is three times higher in female athletes than in males. “A lot of the game day responsibility involves taping up affected joints and keeping an eye on the girls who may already be carrying an injury.”

Crowds at the grounds and at home were treated to high intensity, fast-paced matches over the opening weekend, and it’s expected that the crowds will continue to attend in large numbers over the coming months. As far career highlights go, Bec says will remember that game for a long time to come. “The atmosphere at the game was amazing, especially when the teams ran out. It was a really special moment.”


Bec and Laura are both available during the week for physiotherapy appointments at Sportsmed Biologic.

To book a consultation, or for more information about sports injury prevention and management, call 1300 858 860.