Soccer: The Premier League talent under Kiwi care

Geoff Scott escorts Rafael van der Vaart from the field. Photo / Supplied

Kiwi Geoff Scott can count among his clients William Gallas, Edwin Van der Sar, Robbie Keane, Louis Saha, Ledley King and Jermain Defoe.

He's met Michael Jackson, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Hugh Grant and Mohamed Al-Fayed.

He's often seen on TV and this week images of him were beamed around the world as he walked beside a hobbling and downcast Rafael van der Vaart.

Geoff Scott is head physiotherapist at Tottenham Hotspur and players and management staff rely on him to get the "assets" onto the field.

It's a long way from Whakatane to White Heart Lane but the 32-year-old is now acknowledged as one of the best physios in the Premier League.

After graduating from the Auckland Institute of Technology, he bought a practice in the city but his ambition was to be involved in professional football and, ideally, English football. After a stint with Auckland club Three Kings and then the Fijian national side, he moved to London to take up a role with the Fulham reserve team in 2002.

Two years later, he was asked to cross town to work with the Tottenham reserves. Just 12 months later he was promoted to head physio. He now oversees three other physiotherapists among a medical team of 20.

Like players, physios are recognised for their skills and Scott has been tapped on the shoulder and offered a position at a 'bigger' club. He turned it down, largely because he didn't want to leave the English capital. But, unlike those who take the field each week, his salary doesn't quite match some of Spurs' top earners.

"Not yet, anyway," Scott says with a laugh.

Many people rely on him, however. Along with the chief club doctor, Scott has a major say on whether players can take the field.

"It's a really tough job commitment-wise just with the sheer value of our players and what they are being paid every week," he says.

"It's imperative they play as many games as possible. Some of these guys are being paid £70,000 a week and the chairman or manager isn't going to be too happy when they are spending time on the treatment couch.

"The pressure can be massive to get people back playing, but the players are major assets for the club and no one will take unnecessary risks with them."

King is Scott's most regular client. The pair often spend two hours a day together as they work to keep the injury-prone but talented England defender on the field or restore him back to something close to full fitness. King has suffered from chronic knee problems throughout most of his career and rarely trains with the full squad simply because he's not able to.

Most players are happy with the treatment he offers, but some want things done a little differently.

"It's not uncommon for a French player to want to hop on a plane and fly to France to get treatment," he says. "They might want to see a French osteopath because that's what they are used to. They perceive injuries differently. Whatever they're used to, that's what they like to stick to. It's something we work with.

"We take them to different specialists all over the world. We have players who fly to America when it's needed. It's not a big deal if we think there's someone else who can help with their treatment."

Scott is just one of a handful of Kiwis working in English football. The head physiotherapist at fellow Premier League side Stoke City, Paul Maxwell, is a New Zealander while the fitness trainer at Championship club Sheffield United is also a Kiwi.