Featured Insight: Investing in Athlete Health – The Business Case for Medical Infrastructure in Sport
In modern sport, athlete health is not a support function – it is a strategic asset. As performance environments become more competitive, commercialised, and high-risk, clubs, federations, and institutions are beginning to recognise that medical infrastructure isn’t a cost centre – it’s a growth enabler. Diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation, and data-led care are central to sustaining talent, minimising risk, and protecting the commercial value of athletes.
The global sports medicine diagnostics market is projected to exceed US $10 billion by 2033 – a reflection of rising demand for early detection, integrated recovery, and performance-aligned care. In elite football alone, clubs across Europe’s top five leagues lost over €700 million to injury-related absence during the 2022–23 season. These losses aren’t theoretical – they are measurable, recurring, and increasingly avoidable with the right systems in place.
The economics of injury
Injury is now one of the biggest disruptors of competitive success and commercial return in professional sport. The average Premier League club spent £9–12 million annually on injury management in 2023, with high-salary players missing critical matches, training blocks, and commercial appearances. Each player absence represents a daily loss in performance potential, media exposure, sponsor activation, and team stability.
Sponsorship impact is equally significant. Major brand campaigns tied to elite athletes rely on visibility, continuity, and competitive relevance. When athletes are sidelined for extended periods, activation value drops, campaign timelines are disrupted, and sponsor confidence erodes. In Olympic sports and major tournament windows – where visibility peaks are short and media moments matter – the financial impact of even one injury can derail a full-season marketing strategy.
Building smarter facilities – what next for the modern sports medical centre?
Addressing these risks means rethinking the facilities and systems that underpin athlete care. Traditional clinic models are no longer fit for purpose in high-performance environments. Instead, we are now seeing a shift towards modular, integrated, and future-proofed medical centres that combine diagnostics, rehabilitation, performance science, and data analytics under one roof.
These smarter facilities share several key characteristics:
– Modular build design – adaptable infrastructure that can grow with athlete populations, changing sport demands, and evolving technologies.
– Diagnostic integration – MRI, ultrasound, and biomechanical assessment in-house to support early intervention and reduce diagnostic delays.
– Digital platforms – centralised systems that integrate training load, scan results, rehab milestones, and athlete histories.
– Business model innovation – blending elite sport, private healthcare, academic partnerships, and R&D income streams.
– Athlete flow design – facilities structured around the athlete journey from injury through to return-to-play.
Examples of this shift include La Liga’s injury surveillance centres – which integrate imaging and biomechanics – and Manchester City’s shared clinical–coaching floorplate that enables instant collaboration. The Australian Institute of Sport has also adopted modular diagnostic pods to serve decentralised Olympic athletes.
Clinical integration and pathway design
Infrastructure alone doesn’t solve the problem. Success relies on how these facilities are used. The most effective models embed diagnostics into clinical pathways designed around:
– Injury prevention screening
– Load monitoring and training periodisation
– Stage-based rehabilitation
– Return-to-play benchmarks
– Long-term athlete tracking
Knexu works with providers to map these pathways – ensuring clinical decisions are based on evidence, timelines are realistic, and performance staff are aligned with medical goals. This includes triage planning, referral protocols, and effective communication across coaching, medical and management teams.
Data-led care and predictive analytics
Smarter centres rely on data to justify investment and improve outcomes. Injury prevalence, recovery timelines, scan utilisation rates, and athlete availability are all measurable indicators. When connected with performance data – such as GPS output, movement profiles, and force plate metrics – the result is a predictive system that flags issues early and informs smarter planning.
AI-enhanced reporting and cloud-based diagnostic systems are now enabling faster imaging interpretation and more consistent diagnostic quality. These tools are increasingly vital – especially when managing squads of 30–60 athletes across congested match calendars.
Protecting value – the financial case for medical investment
Athletes are valuable assets. From £60 million footballers to Olympic hopefuls, each represents years of investment and commercial opportunity. A timely scan can prevent a stress injury from becoming a fracture. A connected care model can shave weeks off a rehab cycle. A minor improvement in availability – just 5% across a season – can mean more minutes played, more sponsor impressions, and a higher transfer valuation.
At lower tiers, the same principles apply. Better access to diagnostics reduces dropout rates, protects long-term development, and improves talent retention – with direct financial implications for academies, universities, and federations.
Delivering infrastructure that works
Knexu supports the planning, development, and delivery of smarter medical facilities – working with elite clubs, diagnostic providers, and academic institutions to develop:
– Injury and scan utilisation baselines
– Facility size and workflow modelling
– Business planning and multi-income strategy
– Clinical team structure and recruitment plans
– Long-term operational sustainability frameworks
These facilities must serve both the performance outcomes and the business model – and they must be capable of growing with the future of sport.
A strategic imperative
The risk profile of sport is changing – faster games, more matches, younger athletes, and global media visibility. As that risk grows, the case for investing in athlete health infrastructure becomes not just compelling – it becomes essential.
Smart diagnostic environments aren’t just treatment centres. They are performance engines, commercial protectors, and strategic investments in the future of sport.