HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a sports therapist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

'Sports therapist' is not protected in any UK nation; 'physiotherapist' is. Here are the checks and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a sports therapist in five steps

  1. Know the two titlesSports therapist: no register. Physiotherapist: HCPC, protected by law.
  2. Ask about the degreeA named qualification, the awarding body and any voluntary register.
  3. Describe the injuryHow, when, your sport and what you can't do.
  4. Agree the rehab planTests, phases and a return-to-sport target.
  5. See a doctor for red flagsSwelling, numbness or worsening pain.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register or licence applies to sports therapists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. Some sports therapists join accredited voluntary registers; that is voluntary, not statutory regulation. With no register setting the rules, nothing obliges a sports therapist to hold insurance, so ask. Professional indemnity insurance covers harm from the treatment; public liability covers accidents.

Ask the sports therapist which qualification they hold, who awarded it, and whether they are on a voluntary register you can search. Ask the sports therapist for the insurer's name and policy dates.

Protected health titles

'Physiotherapist' and 'physical therapist' are protected: only someone on the HCPC Register may use them, and using one without registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001. A sports therapist who uses one of them must be on the Register.

If one of those titles appears on the profile, search it on the HCPC Register. hcpc-uk.org →

Dry needling licence (Wales)

In Wales, dry needling counts as acupuncture and needs a special procedure licence from the council under the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, with approved premises.

If a sports therapist in Wales offers dry needling, ask for the licence and check the national register. gov.wales →

Trader status and cancellation

A sports therapist in business is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 duty of reasonable care and skill applies. A course booked online or by phone can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what you used.

Read the cancellation terms before booking and keep the confirmation.

VAT

Sports therapy is standard-rated at 20%: sports therapists are not on a statutory register, so the health exemption cannot apply. A sports therapist whose VAT taxable turnover is over £90,000 must register, charge VAT and list it separately; one under it charges none.

Ask whether the treatment price includes VAT, and for the VAT number if they charge it. gov.uk →

“Are you a sports therapist or a physiotherapist?”

A good answer: A straight answer; an HCPC number if they say physiotherapist.

“What sports therapy qualification do you hold?”

A good answer: A named degree and body, and any voluntary register.

“What will the rehab plan include?”

A good answer: Assessment, hands-on treatment, then progressive strength and sport drills.

“When would you refer me on?”

A good answer: Red flags and a route to a doctor or physiotherapist.

“Do you use dry needling or taping, and what is extra?”

A good answer: Priced separately; in Wales, needling needs a licence.

“How will we know I am ready to play?”

A good answer: Tests, not a date.

“How many sports therapy sessions do you expect?”

A good answer: An estimate with a review point.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the sports therapist you booked or another at the clinic, employed or subcontracted
  • Assessment and treatment fees
  • Taping or needling priced separately
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on its own line — sports therapy is outside the health exemption
  • Expected number of sessions
  • Cancellation terms
  • Any report for a club

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a physio without HCPC registration
  • Keeps treating a worsening injury
  • Needling in Wales with no licence
  • No strength tests or plan
  • Large up-front package
  • No insurance to name
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£70
HIGH
£90

What a sports therapist costs: £50–£90 per session

Sports therapists charge per session, with longer first assessments and add-ons priced on top. Sports Therapist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Sports therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Injury assessmentHistory, movement tests and strength checks.
  2. PlanPhases and return criteria.
  3. Hands-on treatmentSports massage, mobilisation and taping where needed.
  4. Rehab exercisesProgressive strength and movement.
  5. Return to sportGraded return once criteria are met.

Physiotherapist
A protected HCPC title — not the same as sports therapist.
Dry needling
Needles in muscle — licensed in Wales.
Return-to-sport criteria
Tests passed before full sport.
Loading
Gradually increasing stress on a tissue.
Voluntary register
A register a sports therapist chooses to join.
Special procedure licence
Wales's licence for acupuncture and needling.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the rehab planExercises, test results and return criteria.
Retest before competingPass the tests you agreed.
MaintainKeep the maintenance exercises going.
Write the reviewHonest detail about this sports therapist helps the next person choose. If it went badly, start with the make-it-right step so they can answer.

STEP 1Put the complaint to the sports therapistA short email is enough: what, when and what would put it right. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a sports therapist who charges for the treatment must take reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 54 lets you require a fix at their expense or a reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked sports therapist below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a sports therapist. If the sports therapist will not engage, refer it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the sports therapist will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a sports therapist: questions people ask

No. 'Physiotherapist' is protected and needs HCPC registration; 'sports therapist' has no statutory register.

In Wales, yes — a special procedure licence. In England, councils that adopted the 1982 Act register acupuncture.

Ask for the qualification and awarding body, any voluntary register, and insurance.

£50 to £90 a session, typically around £70. Assessments and add-ons such as taping cost more. Read the sports therapist price guide for the factors, then search above to see sports therapists in your area.

At 20% if the sports therapist is VAT-registered; the health exemption needs a statutory register.

Stop, see a doctor or physiotherapist, and tell the sports therapist in writing; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: Sports PhysiotherapyHow to hire: Sports MassageHow to hire: PhysiotherapistHow to hire: Strength & Conditioning CoachHow to hire: OsteopathHow to hire: ChiropractorHow to hire: Running CoachHow to hire: Personal TrainerAll 701 hiring guides →

Sports therapists near you

Sports therapists in LondonSports therapists in ManchesterSports therapists in BirminghamSports therapists in GlasgowSports therapists in BelfastAll sports therapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. gov.wales — licensing scheme for special procedures
  4. Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, Part VIII
  5. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.5 Services that are not exempt from VAT (taxable at the standard rate)
  11. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register