La Trobe-AFL partnership addresses women's sports injuries
Women in contact sports face up to double the risk of serious knee and head injuries compared to men, yet women’s sport injuries have historically received far less research and prevention focus. In Australian Football, this gap became evident during the early seasons of the AFLW, when high rates of ACL and concussion injuries highlighted the need for tailored, evidence-based solutions to support the participation growth of girls and women of all levels.
In response, La Trobe University partnered with the AFL to develop Prep-to-Play, a program co‑created with coaches, athletes and health professionals and tailored specifically to Australian Football. It covers dynamic warm‑ups, lower‑limb strength development and safe contact skills such as tackling, aerial contests and falling techniques.
Co-led by La Trobe researcher and former AFLW player Dr Brooke Patterson, the program was shaped by both rigorous research evidence and lived experience.
Reflecting on the early days of the AFLW, Dr Patterson notes the lack of injury prevention knowledge and resources available to women and girl athletes.
"I wished I’d had access to more injury‑prevention knowledge growing up - knowledge that could have bullet-proofed my body.”
While neuromuscular and strength-based programs are proven to be effective in women and girl athletes, fewer than 10-20 per cent of community sport teams typically adopt them.
Prep‑to‑Play set out to address this implementation gap by moving beyond passive resources and focusing on behaviour change.
Women and girls were prioritised, recognising that many enter contact sports with less exposure to physical play and development pathways.
Originally designed for elite women (AFLW), strong demand from the football community saw Prep‑to‑Play expand rapidly into community and junior settings. Since its launch in 2021, the program has achieved significant, measurable impact.
In an innovative clinical trial in 2021-22 in 165 teams and over 2,400 players, the workshops and support visits by expert physiotherapists resulted in an almost four times higher odds of using Prep-to-Play, with greater adherence associated with fewer total injuries.
As of 2026 the program has reached more than 1,000 coaches and support staff, reaching more than 5,000 players nationwide. Embedded into AFL guidelines and standard practice, the partnership has also elevated concussion as a top AFL priority, driving education, improved care pathways and long-term change in injury prevention culture across the game.
Coach feedback highlights the value of the research–industry partnership in driving trust and uptake, Jon Armstrong is the Director of the Fitzroy Junior Football Club and says the program has been important for both players and coaches.
“We integrated it by getting one of the La Trobe people along and the coaches would be involved as well so that they'd learn with their charges, and then the expectation after that was you'd go to their training when it was just regular training and you'd see them say right now we're doing our prep to play...as the first part of our training plan.”