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Associate Club Doctor
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League, the sport's top professional competition.
Job Posted- 18 Sep 2026
Status- Full Time
Location- Australia
Closing date- 18 Oct 2026
About the Role
Reporting to the AFL Head Doctor, the Associate Club Doctor plays a key role in delivering expert medical care across the Carlton Football Club's AFL, AFLW and VFL programs. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced doctor to gain exposure to an elite AFL environment through a supporting AFL medical role, while also taking primary responsibility as the Lead Doctor for the AFLW and VFL programs.
This role provides medical support across training and match day environments and plays an integral part in health, fitness and injury management - contributing to medical decision-making regarding player welfare and working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary high-performance team.
The role offers genuine breadth of clinical experience, working across multiple elite football programs to oversee player health and wellbeing, support injury prevention and management, and facilitate safe and effective return-to-play outcomes.
The Associate Club Doctor will be engaged as an Independent Contractor under a Medical Services Agreement and appointed as an AFL Official, with a requirement to comply with all AFL rules, regulations and policies.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct player injury consultations, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management, and referral to appropriate specialists where required. Communicate findings, recommendations and management plans to relevant coaches and members of the medical and high-performance teams.
- Provide expert advice on injury prognosis, return-to-play timelines and potential performance impacts, collaborating with the multidisciplinary team to develop and oversee rehabilitation plans.
- Take a lead role in medical decision-making regarding player health, welfare and safe participation in training and competition.
- Determine when a player is medically fit to commence conditioning programs, rejoin team training and return to competition following injury or illness.
- Coordinate medical imaging, specialist consultations and other investigations, ensuring outcomes and recommendations are appropriately communicated and documented.
- Participate in regular multidisciplinary meetings with coaching, medical, high-performance and allied health staff to monitor player health, wellbeing and performance, and provide relevant updates and reports.
- Oversee and monitor rehabilitation programs delivered by high-performance and allied health staff to ensure alignment with medical recommendations and return-to-play objectives.
- Maintain accurate and timely medical records, including injury management, treatment plans and medication use, in compliance with Club, AFL and relevant medical governance requirements.
- Provide medical coverage at training sessions, match days and other football-related activities as required.
Experience, Skills and Attributes
- Medical degree with current AHPRA registration, maintained throughout the engagement.
- Significant postgraduate experience in sports medicine, including the assessment, diagnosis and management of injuries within elite sporting environments.
- Demonstrated knowledge and expertise in Sport and Exercise Medicine.
- Experience working within a high-performance sporting program, preferably within the AFL industry.
- Appropriate professional indemnity, medical malpractice and public liability insurance.
- Demonstrated experience supporting female athletes and an understanding of women's health considerations in elite sport would be highly regarded, including RED-S, menstrual health, female athlete health, and contemporary approaches to musculoskeletal assessment and management.
- Strong knowledge of sports medicine principles and best practice, including concussion management, injury prevention, rehabilitation and return-to-play decision-making.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to provide clear, timely and audience-appropriate updates regarding player availability, injuries, treatment plans and rehabilitation progress.
- Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary high-performance environment, building effective relationships with coaches, medical specialists, allied health practitioners and high-performance staff.
- Demonstrated commitment to player welfare, evidence-based practice and delivering optimal health and performance outcomes.
- Postgraduate qualifications in Sport and Exercise Medicine and/or Fellowship of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians (FACSEP) would be highly regarded.
- Valid Victorian Working with Children Check and National Police Check
- Demonstrated ability to build strong, trusted and professional relationships with players and key stakeholders.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, timely and audience-appropriate information regarding player availability, injuries, treatment plans and rehabilitation progress.
- Strong understanding of elite sporting environments and the unique demands, pressures and culture associated with high-performance teams.
- Sound judgement and decision-making skills, with the ability to navigate complex clinical and player welfare matters confidently and professionally.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when managing sensitive medical and player information.
- Commitment to player wellbeing, safety and delivering best-practice medical care within a high-performance environment.
Benefits and Culture
Carlton's values underpin how the Club operates, describing how our people work together, interact and behave. The Club is passionate about its culture, focused on cultivating a unique sense of belonging and connection. This role offers the rare opportunity to work across multiple elite football programs within a world-class high-performance environment at one of the AFL's biggest clubs.
The Carlton Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and a place who welcomes all. We encourage people with diverse experiences and backgrounds to apply. We are committed to fostering a workplace environment which is inclusive, safe and flexible. All applicants will be considered based on the relevance of their abilities to the role and their alignment with our Club Values.
The Carlton Football Club is committed to providing a welcoming environment where the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our programs, services, activities, events, and the broader community, will always be our first priority. All staff must hold (or be willing to obtain) a current Victorian Working with Children Check and valid Police Check as part of their engagement with the Club.
Essential Requirements
- Relevant Tertiary Qualification
- Sports Medicine / Physio / Allied Health Degree
- National Police / Criminal History Check
- Working with Children / Working with Vulnerable People Check
How to Apply
Please click “Apply Now” to begin your application.