Event Sports Massage

 Event work – from the Millennium to 2012 and beyond

The ISRM (Institute of Sports & Remedial Massage) in association with the LSSM (London School of Sports Massage) endeavour to offer both students and graduates opportunities to provide on-site sports massage at major sports events.

This growing, and well established project has been organised and developed by myself as ISRM Event Work Coordinator, in close partnership and consultation with ISRM Director Mel Cash, since 1999 (It originally began as a LSSM project prior to the existence of the ISRM), with the longer term view of the 2012 Olympics well in sight. Currently, most opportunities are non-remunerated, and hence predominantly taken up by students or recent graduates seeking to broaden their experience.

Any events team involving student masseurs includes a suitably qualified and experienced supervisor, whose time is normally remunerated by prior agreement with the event organiser. All team members’ ‘reasonable’ travel expenses are likewise normally refunded by the organiser, although these may sometimes be ‘capped’.

 ISRM-organised fee-earning events are currently very limited, both in number and in team size. This is a key area targeted for expansion over the next few years, as is the widening of the geographical distribution of ‘event work’. Not surprisingly, the single greatest constraint in this regard is lack of funding/limited budgets.

Key events who have benefited from our services over many years include:

• The London marathon
• The Blenheim Triathlon
• The London Triathlon
• The ‘Run-to-the-Beat’ (RTTB) ½ Marathon.

With the prospect of the 2012 Olympics however, the aim is actively to promote the value and benefits of quality sports massage for athletic performance enhancement. Key targeted areas include various Government and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) such as The Department for Culture, Media, Sport, and Recreation, Sport England, and the Institute of Sport (EIS), the respective sports’ National Governing Bodies such as UK Athletics, the body of national and international coaches, team/club managers, and of course the athletes themselves, across the spectrum of sports.

Longer term aims & objectives

The ultimate aims and objectives would include:

• § Raising awareness among key recipients – athletes – and those in their care, of the many benefits of sports & remedial massage, which together reduce injury risk, promote healing and recovery, and hence enhance performance.
• § Raising awareness of sports & remedial massage as a recognised, respected profession, worthy of remuneration as any other profession, as opposed to a ‘hobby’ or voluntary charitable pass-time as it is still predominantly perceived.
• § From the above recognition, gradually changing attitudes among the various ‘powers that be’ so that inclusion of SRM practitioners on a remunerated basis within multidisciplinary medical support teams, on a par with other health professionals, becomes the norm at elite sport level.
• § Ad hoc opportunities would ideally include training camps and major competitions, but the longer term aim would be to develop permanent SRM remunerated opportunities, for instance with elite squads, training centres of excellence, high performance schemes and/or clubs.

With limited time and resources, these objectives will inevitably take time to materialise, but on the positive side, the coming years may well prove the best opportunity to succeed yet.

Conditions of ISRM participation

• ISRM event work is open to ISRM-accredited students and/or graduates (subject to conditions of the particular event). Please note that:
• Students must have successfully passed their Weekend 5 General Massage Assessment at the time of the event to be eligible.

Proof of appropriate Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance valid at the time of the event is mandatory for all participants.

For further information about, and/or to register for, ISRM-organised event work, please visit the ‘Event Work’ page at www.theisrm.com, thank you.