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In elite sport, availability is everything. Yet in the AFL, leg-related injuries continue to rob clubs of their most valuable resource: player time. A six-year study of one AFL club revealed match-loss injuries and illnesses cost the club over AU$13 million in player salaries, with a striking 75% of that bill attributed to injuries below the waist.
These are the findings of a joint study conducted by the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise (UCRISE) which can be accessed here.
Let’s break it down and explore how potentially preventable injuries are impacting the bottom line of AFL clubs.
The True Cost of Leg Injuries
The most expensive injuries by total cost and frequency were overwhelmingly lower-body issues. Here’s what the data shows:
Total cost of hamstring-related injuries alone exceeded AU$2.0 million, nearly 50% of all muscle injury costs. Yet these type of injuries in some cases are preventable, and should not simply be accepted as a bi-product of elite sport.
The ACL match count (11.9) appears low because of strict match-loss accounting, late-season injuries, and exclusion of off-season downtime.
Over the six seasons monitored, 17% of the club’s total player salary went to athletes unable to play due to injury or illness which is a massive cost for performance-driven organisations. And while illness and upper-body injuries had their role, the legs, hips, and groins bore the brunt of time-loss.
Something is broken, and there is a better way
So how do you bring that number down? That’s where regular biomechanics testing with VueMotion enters. As a portable AI-driven movement analysis platform, VueMotion identifies:
- Poor running mechanics (often precursors to hamstring strains)
- Hip instability and adductor imbalances (key groin injury risks)
- Asymmetries and compensations that increase ACL and lower limb stress
By objectively measuring biomechanics, teams can implement targeted interventions before minor issues become major costs.
For example: Athletes with early signs of hamstring overload or pelvic instability can be guided toward eccentric loading programs, sprint mechanics drills, or rehab before symptoms appear.
The Opportunity: Smarter Spending on Elite Performance
Instead of spending $1.3M reacting to hamstring strains, imagine spending a fraction of that on:
- Routine VueMotion biomechanics assessments across the season
- Individualised prehab and form correction protocols
- Data-informed return-to-play criteria
The ROI is clear: better movement, fewer injuries, more wins and millions saved. The Minnesota Vikings in the NFL are proof that better player management with VueMotion results in fewer injuries.
On the other hand, injuries can wreck a season as they have done at Essendon FC.
And let’s not forget regular biomechanics testing aids performance and helps better manage return-to-play programs.
Injury prevention isn’t just a medical concern, it’s a financial strategy. With tools like VueMotion, clubs don’t have to wait for injuries to happen. They can see them coming, and stop them in their tracks.