Sports Therapy Association
Sports Therapy Association is a UK not-for-profit professional membership body serving sports therapists, soft tissue therapists, and sports injury professionals through tiered subscriptions, CPD programmes, and an affinity insurance scheme, with community engagement built around multiple podcast brands and regional conferences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSturton By Stow, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sports Therapy Association does
Sports Therapy Association (STA) is a UK-registered not-for-profit professional body (Companies House No. 09447702) representing Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists, and Sports Injury Professionals. Founded in 2013 and operating from Sturton By Stow, Lincoln, STA offers tiered individual membership (Student, Level 3 Affiliate, Level 4/5 Soft Tissue Therapist, and Graduate Sports Therapist/Sports Rehabilitator) priced at £60/yr recurring or £75/yr, with annual CPD requirements of 18 or 24 hours depending on tier. Members access a credentials portal (with personal Dropbox folder, discount codes, and renewal CPD forms) and direct contact with founder Gary Benson.
The association's commercial architecture rests on two revenue streams: membership subscriptions and an affinity insurance scheme operated through a channel partnership with Balens Insurance (STA receives no commission). No external investors, funding rounds, or parent entities are disclosed. Go-to-market runs through three motions — community-led growth via three podcast brands (STA Clinician Podcast at 294+ episodes, WIST, STA Extra) and Facebook groups including Neurodivergent MSK Clinicians; event-driven engagement through STA-organised regional conferences (Midlands, South West) and the Therapy Show partnership at NEC Birmingham; and direct-to-consumer membership sales through the website with promotional codes.
STA's product surface extends beyond membership into content, CPD accreditation, and partnership-led programmes. Active ecosystem relationships include PD:Approval (international accreditation), Movement Therapy Education (Midlands Conference organiser), the Better Clinician Project with Ben Cormack and Adam Meakins, Matt Phillips / MattPhillips.Education, MI Cardiff, Neuroflect CIC, and Non-Perfect Dad. The 2025 podcast rebrand from 'Sports Therapy Association Podcast' to 'The STA Clinician Podcast — Connecting Clinicians Across Healthcare' signals intent to broaden category scope from sports-only therapy to multidisciplinary MSK clinicians. STA has no proprietary technology stack, no AI capabilities, and no disclosed APIs or integrations; core technology is formally designated 'not applicable'.
Sports Therapy Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sports Therapy Association
- Legal name
- The Sports Therapy Association
- Website
- https://thesta.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sports Therapy Association is a UK not-for-profit professional membership body serving sports therapists, soft tissue therapists, and sports injury professionals through tiered subscriptions, CPD programmes, and an affinity insurance scheme, with community engagement built around multiple podcast brands and regional conferences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sports Therapy Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Medicine (HLAKALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sports Rehabilitation, Return-to-Play & Performance Therapy Centers (MPAKAJAO), Sports Massage (HSADAHAC)
Keywords
Where Sports Therapy Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sturton By Stow
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sports Therapy Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to professional body representation, CPD content, members portal with discount codes, Dropbox folder access, phone and email support, and affinity insurance scheme eligibility.
- Affinity Insurance Scheme: Partnership with Balens Insurance to provide liability insurance to members. The STA acts as an affinity scheme partner but does not receive commission on sales. Insurance is separate from membership and must be purchased additionally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Student Membership - No CPD requirement while studying |
| Subscription | Annual | Level 3 Affiliate Member - 18 hours CPD per annum |
| Subscription | Annual | Level 4/5 Soft Tissue Therapist Member - 24 hours CPD per annum |
| Subscription | Annual | Graduate Sports Therapist/Graduate Sports Rehabilitator Member - 24 hours CPD per annum |
| Other | Annual | Affinity Insurance Scheme - £6m liability coverage |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels10 records
Sports Therapy Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sports Therapy Association is a not-for-profit professional body providing annual membership subscriptions to Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists, and Sports Injury Professionals in the UK. Members receive access to a members portal with Dropbox folder storage, a structured CPD program with tiered hour requirements, an affinity insurance scheme via Balens Insurance (£6m liability, ~£60 per annum), and podcast content including the STA Clinician Podcast and WIST Podcast. Membership is priced at £60 per annum on recurring subscription or £75 per annum on annual payment.
Product overview
The Sports Therapy Association (STA) is a not-for-profit professional body representing Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists, and Sports Injury Professionals in the UK. Rather than a traditional software product, the STA's offerings centre on professional membership services including a members portal (with Dropbox folder access), an affinity insurance scheme administered by Balens Insurance, and a structured CPD program with tiered annual hour requirements per membership level. The STA's public-facing content and engagement is anchored by its podcast portfolio: the main STA Clinician Podcast (rebranded in 2025 from the Sports Therapy Association Podcast, featuring weekly live recordings and distribution across YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts), the WIST Podcast covering topics specific to women in the profession, and the STA Extra Podcast. The STA also organizes regional conferences such as the Midlands STA Conference, provides a Facebook members-only group, and publishes professional guidance documents including a Code of Conduct and Ethics and a Complaints Procedure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- STA Clinician Podcast: Weekly live podcast connecting clinicians across healthcare, recorded every Tuesday at 8pm UK time, featuring discussions on sports therapy and MSK practice topics.
- WIST Podcasts
- STA Extra Podcast
Products and services
- The STA Clinician Podcast A weekly live podcast recorded every Tuesday at 8pm UK on YouTube and Facebook, then distributed as a podcast, featuring expert discussions on topics relevant to MSK clinicians, sports therapists, and broader healthcare professionals (rebranded in 2025 from the Sports Therapy Association Podcast). Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean. Episodes 279-294 span topics including communication skills, neurodivergence, pain science, and professional development.
- WIST Podcast (Women In Sports Therapy) A podcast series dedicated to women in the sports therapy and soft tissue therapy profession, covering topics such as pelvic health, menopause, working pitchside, career development, and work-life balance. Episodes are available on Spotify.
- STA Extra Podcast An additional podcast series under the STA umbrella, distinct from the main STA Clinician Podcast and WIST Podcast.
- STA Members Portal A secure online portal for STA members providing access to membership certificates, renewal CPD forms, insurance links (Balens), discount codes, Dropbox folder access, and a direct contact with STA founder Gary Benson. Accessed via unique username and password created at registration.
- STA Affinity Insurance Scheme An affinity group insurance scheme available to STA members, administered by Balens Insurance. Provides £6m public liability and unlimited legal expenses coverage as standard, including sports massage, soft tissue therapy, sports therapy, sports rehabilitation, dry needling, and mobilisations to grade 4. Cost approx £60 per annum. Medical acupuncture and manipulations require an additional premium. Income protection insurance is also available at 50% off first-year premiums via My Protection Specialist.
- STA CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Program A structured CPD program for STA members with tiered annual requirements: 18 hours per annum for Level 3 members, 24 hours per annum for Level 4/5 and Graduate members. CPD activities accepted include courses, webinars, podcasts, research reading, and shadowing. Members submit a learning outcomes and reflections form at renewal. OMT Training online CPD courses are explicitly not recognized by STA.
- Midlands STA Conference A regional in-person conference for STA members and MSK clinicians held on June 20th, 2026 at Ludlow Assembly Rooms. Features a speaker lineup including Mike James, Tristen Attenborough, Carol Seaborne, and Rosy Sexton, with sessions on movement, soft-tissue therapy, exercise integration, ankle assessment, neurodynamics, and MMA injury insight. Includes CPD accreditation and networking opportunities.
- STA Professional Membership Annual professional membership subscription for Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists, and Sports Injury Professionals in the UK. Priced at £60 per annum recurring or £75 per annum annual payment, with tiered variants for Student (no CPD requirement while studying), Level 3 Affiliate (18 hours CPD per annum), Level 4/5 Soft Tissue Therapist (24 hours CPD per annum), and Graduate Sports Therapist/Graduate Sports Rehabilitator (24 hours CPD per annum, requires BSc or MSc qualification). Members access the members portal, Dropbox folder, discount codes, phone and email support, and affinity insurance scheme eligibility.
Companies that use Sports Therapy Association
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Sports Therapy Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sports Therapy Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Therapy ShowcoreSTA is a partner of Therapy Show (formerly Therapy Expo) taking place November 25-26 at the NEC Birmingham. This major industry event provides visibility and networking opportunities for the association and its members.
- PD:ApprovalcoreSTA has an accreditation partnership with PD:Approval, an international independent accrediting organization specializing in health and fitness sector. Tom Bell (Founder & CEO) and Yolande Green (Qualifications Developer and Manager) appear on STA podcasts discussing accreditation and industry standards.
- Balens InsurancecoreAffinity insurance scheme partnership administered by Balens Insurance. Provides £6m liability and unlimited legal expenses coverage to STA members. Balens administers the policy and is appropriately regulated to offer advice and sell insurance products.
- Matt Phillips / MattPhillips.EducationminorMatt Phillips hosts the STA Clinician Podcast and has launched his own education platform (MattPhillips.Education) offering communication skills CPD courses for clinicians.
- Better Clinician Project (Ben Cormack & Adam Meakins)minorBen Cormack of Cor-Kinetic and Adam Meakins (The Sports Physio) founded the Better Clinician Project, an online CPD and education platform. They regularly appear on the STA Clinician Podcast discussing critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and practical decision-making.
- Movement Therapy EducationcoreMike Grice from Movement Therapy Education (mte.academy) organizes the Midlands STA Conference in partnership with STA. This is an annual regional conference providing CPD and networking.
- MI Cardiff (Orla Adams)minorOrla Adams, a Motivational Interviewing trainer based in Cardiff, appears on STA podcast episodes. She provides MI training opportunities and workshops mentioned on the podcast.
- Neuroflect CICminorNeuroflect CIC (Sarah Meharg and Rosie Sexton) launched Neuroreflect UK and published the Reflective CPD Journal on neurodivergent inclusion in health settings. Featured on STA podcast.
- Non-Perfect Dad (Richard Shorter)minorRichard Shorter, founder of non-perfectdad.co.uk and expert in sports parenting, appears on STA podcast discussing awkward conversations in clinical consultations with children and parents.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sports Therapy Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT): UK membership body covering complementary therapists including sports massage and soft tissue therapists. FHT overlaps with STA's Level 3/4/5 Soft Tissue Therapist tiered membership and competes for the same practitioner cohort seeking insurance and CPD resources.
- General Council for Massage Therapies (GCMT): Umbrella regulatory-style body for massage therapy professions in the UK. GCMT, referenced on STA's own podcast (Episode 293), represents overlapping practitioner communities and competes for soft tissue / sports massage therapist recognition.
- Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC): UK voluntary regulator for complementary therapies including sports massage. CNHC is one of the 'accredited registers' STA publicly positions against, making it a direct competitor for practitioner registration status and regulatory legitimacy.
- British Association of Sport Rehabilitators (BASRaT): UK professional body for sport rehabilitators holding BSc/MSc Sports Rehabilitation degrees—the same Graduate Sports Rehabilitator (GSR) segment STA targets. BASRaT operates an accredited register and is a more established regulatory-facing body than STA.
- The Society of Sports Therapists (SST): The UK's other principal professional body for sports therapists. SST and STA compete directly for the same pool of graduate sports therapists, soft tissue therapists, and student members, and both offer CPD frameworks, insurance access, and practitioner representation.
Regional players
- The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA): UK-based professional development body for the sport and physical activity sector. CIMSPA registers professionals in adjacent sport, fitness, and therapy occupations and overlaps with STA's broader ambitions to represent clinicians in sports and physical activity settings.
Others
- PD:Approval: International accrediting organisation specialising in health and fitness education. PD:Approval is a strategic accreditation partner of STA and similarly accredits other therapy-related bodies, positioning it as an ecosystem enabler for professional membership organisations.
- Balens Insurance: Affinity insurance partner that administers the STA insurance scheme. Balens serves as the underlying insurance and liability provider across many UK therapy membership bodies (FHT, GCMT, SST), making it an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
Broad incumbents
- British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES): Larger, broader UK professional body covering sport and exercise sciences. BASES operates a wider scope than STA but serves adjacent practitioner communities—sport scientists, exercise physiologists—who sometimes cross-credential into sports therapy markets.
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP): UK's statutory-regulated professional body for physiotherapists. CSP represents a much larger established profession that includes practitioners performing sports rehabilitation, making it the dominant incumbent in the MSK clinician space STA operates in.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sports Therapy Association social profiles
Digital presenceSports Therapy Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sports Therapy Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sports Therapy Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sports Therapy Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sports Therapy Association
What does Sports Therapy Association do?
The Sports Therapy Association is a not-for-profit professional body providing annual membership subscriptions to Sports Therapists, Soft Tissue Therapists, and Sports Injury Professionals in the UK. Members receive access to a members portal with Dropbox folder storage, a structured CPD program with tiered hour requirements, an affinity insurance scheme via Balens Insurance (£6m liability, ~£60 per annum), and podcast content including the STA Clinician Podcast and WIST Podcast. Membership is priced at £60 per annum on recurring subscription or £75 per annum on annual payment.
Is Sports Therapy Association a public or private company?
Sports Therapy Association is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sports Therapy Association founded?
Sports Therapy Association was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sports Therapy Association based?
Sports Therapy Association is headquartered in Sturton By Stow, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sports Therapy Association make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are affinity Insurance Scheme.
Who are Sports Therapy Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT), General Council for Massage Therapies (GCMT), Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), British Association of Sport Rehabilitators (BASRaT) and The Society of Sports Therapists (SST). The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) is listed as a regional player. Others are PD:Approval and Balens Insurance. Broad incumbents are British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).
Does Sports Therapy Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sports Therapy Association.
What industry is Sports Therapy Association in?
Sports Therapy Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKALAB, Sports Medicine, with a secondary code of MPAKAJAO, Sports Rehabilitation, Return-to-Play & Performance Therapy Centers. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 8600.