NAVIGATION
OFFICE ADDRESS
Sports Therapy Association
67 Saxilby Road
Sturton By Stow
Lincoln
LN1 2AA
OFFICE HOURS
| Mon, Tues, Thur | 8am – 2pm |
| Wed, Fri | 3pm – 9pm |
OFFICE TELEPHONE
01522 670137
About us
A Member focused professional body that aims to provide open, honest and ethical guidance to Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists and Sports Injury Professionals
The Sports Therapy Association (STA) is setting a new gold standard in professional representation for sports therapists, sports injury therapists and soft tissue therapists across the United Kingdom.
We have worked passionately to develop a truly independent and ethical association that is committed to raising standards across the industry and progressing opportunities for our valued members.
As practicing Sports Therapists, working in an increasingly challenging political climate, we identified the need for a new, dynamic, forward thinking and proactive professional association – a body that could voice the opinions of practitioners and lobby for positive change, crucially without the bias associated with direct links to training providers.
We are proud of what the Sports Therapy Association represents, and we will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our members and to fulfil our commitment to promote excellence in the field of Sports Therapy.
Meet the Team
Gary Benson
Jake Benson
Matt Phillips
Scott Loynes
Georgina James
Dr Fiona Higgs
Sara Packard
Sonia Fierro
Gemma Puzas
Georgina James
Georgina is a Graduate Sports Therapist working in both private practice in Coventry, and teaching on the Active IQ Level 4 Sports Massage course through Fire and Earth Massage Academy.
She joined the STA in 2018 and has been practicing for over 8 years, helping clients including GB Wheelchair Basketball players, GB triathletes, Cirque de Soleil artists and World Powerlifting Champions. Georgina is the West Midlands Representative for the STA and works closely with the Association to develop resources for both practitioners and clients, to aid their understanding of injuries throughout the body.
Gary Benson
Founder of the Sports Therapy Association, Gary dedicates his time to supporting the STA community and developing relationships with other industry stakeholders. Accountable to members, Gary is always available to chat about industry or individual matters.
No longer working in clinical practise, Gary mentors new therapists as they begin their journey and has vowed that no STA member will ever feel isloated. From an early career in the Military and subsequent business interests, Gary has achieved a number of vocational and academic qualifications from the catering, nutrition, fitness, coaching and therapy industries.
Previously working as a teacher and assessor in Further Education and the Private sector, Gary launched the STA in early 2014 after leaving teaching and several advisory roles in the industry with the intention of providing unrivalled support to members. Uniquely positioned without direct links to training providers he offers unbiased and independent guidance to members and those entering the industry. Gary is passionate about raising standards, challenging misinformation and discrimination in the industry or in the employment sector.
Gary has assembled a great team of Regional Representatives to give local support to the membership and the below mentioned staff members who deliver a range of free to access resources over several media platforms.
Contact: Sta Gary
Matt Phillips
Matt Phillips is a Running Injury & Performance Specialist, best known as creator & host of the Runchatlive Podcast & RCL International Running Conference. Matt has been a member of the STA since our earliest days, and is Regional Rep for the South Coast.
In response to the fear & uncertainty that many Sports Therapists and Soft Tissue Therapists felt when faced with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Matt took on the role of hosting the Sports Therapy Association Podcast in May 2020, a weekly show in which he is joined by special guests to discuss topics relevant to Sports Therapists and Soft Tissue Therapists. Both the live recording and uploaded podcast have proved to be a big success, particularly in terms of helping therapists evolve their practice in line with modern research & understanding.
When asked about his plans for the STA podcast in 2022, Matt replied: “For me, the podcast is all about providing quality information for Sports Therapists and Soft Tissue Therapists, but at the same minimising the all too common reaction of self doubt, despondency or anger. Many of the theories & techniques we learnt and practiced 10 years ago do still need to be updated, but the desire of any individual to help the well being of others is something we should above all protect & nurture.”
Contact: matt@thesta.co.uk / matt@runchtlive.com
Dr Fiona Higgs
Dr Fiona Higgs is an educator, researcher and Sports Massage and Exercise Therapy practitioner based in Northamptonshire. Fiona delivers in-person and virtual clinic services through her clinic ‘Move Well’, as well as a range of online workshops and short courses through the educational branch of the clinic ‘Move Well Learning’.
With over a decade of experience working in Higher Education in research, teaching and student support Fiona has made it her mission to bring to life the drier scientific subjects taught in traditional degree programmes through her scenario-based teaching methods. Alongside her ambitions to improve scientific literacy and confidence in the Sports Therapy community, Fiona is also committed to reducing barriers to education and learning for those who find themselves unable to access opportunities due to financial cost, limited prior learning, and health and care responsibilities. Her ever-popular ‘pay what you can’ workshop pricing structure and ‘Move Well Learning Grant’ scheme are practical examples of Fiona’s belief that education should be accessible to all.
Jake Benson
Jake joined the STA in July 2020 following the completion of his Sports Massage Therapist qualification. Jake studied Business Management at University and until Covid-19 worked in Aerospace logistics but has since utilised his business acumen to develop the STA.
Jake has streamlined processes within the STA and is now responsible for managing the administration, development and partnerships. Jake has a portfolio of work also running his own clinic and managing a career in the Army Reserves. Jake also organises all of the STA giveaways and completes a lot of the behind the scenes work on the renewals process.
For any industry related businesses looking to partner with the STA for mutual benefit please get in touch.
Contact: Jake@thesta.co.uk
Scott Loynes
I am a graduate Sports Therapist and Rehabilitator based in Seaton Carew in the north east of England. I initially graduated from Teesside University in 2006 but after a few years in the industry, left to pursue another career. In 2017 I decided to return to the industry and completed my MSc Sports Rehabilitation and started my clinic in 2018.
Alongside my clinic work, I am lead therapist at Billingham Rugby club and provide injury, rehab and pitchside support to the students and teams at Hartlepool 6th form college.
I have been part of the STA since 2019, when I took up my first role as the Regional Rep Coordinator. As well as this role I also develop and host our member-led podcast, STA Extra as well as the weekly Coffee Chats that cover a wide range of subjects from business development to personal well being and support.
Over the previous year I have been working in the background on resource development to distribute to our members which includes the updated industry code of conduct and ethical guidance, the new STA CPD format and submission procedures, clinical and risk assessment templates and most recently, a resource pack aimed at helping those who are just starting out in the industry or need some extra guidance.
The aim for the coming year is to continue to develop the resource packs further so that they are more comprehensive and relevant to all our members. We also have plans to develop the regional roles and groups further so that they offer more support and guidance to our members.”
Contact: Scott@thesta.co.uk
Sara Packard
Sara Packard began her journey in the fitness industry many years ago and then ventured into therapy after a torn hamstring/knee op which prevented her from her love of teaching and running. She learnt sports massage, nutrition, Kinesio taping, pregnancy, pre/post-natal and dry needling and many others. Over the years Sara developed her knowledge by travelling to Italy and studying with Stecco. She became the first one of two Certified fascial manipulation specialists in the UK and has clients from all over the world see her for treatment. She is also qualified in degree level acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and has learnt naturopathy and iridology, This, has changed her cliental more with treatment of all problems whether muscular/joint/ to organ etc. Two years ago, she also completed her next step education and training! Sara loves working with any gynae issues whether period dysfunctions or menopause and also specialises in fertility, with IVF or natural support and has had many babies named after her 😊
Sonia Fierro
Sonia is a UK-Registered Osteopath and Sports Therapist focusing on performance enhancement, injury rehabilitation and flexibility coaching.
Over the last 10 years she has worked both in private practice and Elite sport (GB Fencing, GB Diving & Swimming, Rugby, Endurance Racing).
Her speciality lies in helping individuals with recurring injuries and chronic pain continue or return to their sport with a particular interest in strength sports, functional fitness and calisthenics. She runs her own Recover Stronger business revolving around tele-health and movement coaching as well as offering a therapists’ mentorship. Sonia is also an advisory board member and keynote speaker for Therapy Expo and has been a StickMobility UK Master instructor.
Her youth career as a competitive figure skater and track and field athlete were cut short by a mismanaged injury and forced her to drop out of sport altogether in her late teens, but her passion for movement resurfaced when she discovered CrossFit in her late 20s. This pushed her to change her career from media and photography to Sports Therapy and later Osteopathy driven by the desire of helping people not having to go through her same fate with their beloved sports.
She has competed in CrossFit, Weightlifting and most recently competing in Powerlifting holding a past Italian Deadlift record at 188kg in the U57 category.
Since becoming a mom 2 years ago, she has taken a keen interest in women’s health, from a therapeutic point of view, but more importantly in wider issues surrounding gender inequality in the workplace, sport and our overall culture which is why she has been a supporter of WIST since its inception and has been a guest speaker on the podcast in the past.
Gemma Puzas
Gemma is an experienced Sports Therapist based in Poole, Dorset, with a rich background in Sports Therapy and a passion for helping others. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy from London Metropolitan University.
After graduating, Gemma gained valuable experience working with schools, amateur and professional sports clubs. Her dedication and expertise led her to establish her first private clinic, Body In Motion, in Bournemouth. She successfully ran this clinic for over five years before selling it to focus on her family.
For the past 15 years, Gemma has balanced raising her three children with continuing her work as a self-employed Sports Therapist. She now runs CoreFit Health, a private clinic from her home.
With over two decades of experience in private practice, Gemma specializes in treating long-standing back pain and chronic pain. This specialty is close to her heart, having suffered from serious back pain in her 20s. She is passionate about educating individuals, helping them reduce symptoms and teaching self-management techniques.
In addition to back pain therapy, Gemma is committed to injury prevention. She offers Body MOTs and Injury Prevention Memberships to help individuals stay healthy, avoid injuries and achieve their peak fitness.
Gemma is committed to empowering fellow businesswomen in her community. She actively participates in local meetups and maintains an active membership in the Sports Therapy Association (STA). Additionally, Gemma will offer both group and individual mentoring to provide more support to those who need it, recognizing the isolation that can come from working from home and the challenge of juggling a career in Sports Therapy with raising children. The goal is to cultivate a supportive community for Women In Sports Therapy, facilitating both their professional and personal growth and development.
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