Inside the Locker Room: Seven Seasons as Team Chiropractor for Pacific FC
- Saanichton Chiropractic Group
- Mar 29
- 10 min read
When Pacific FC took the field for their very first Canadian Premier League match on April 28, 2019 — a 1-0 victory over HFX Wanderers FC in front of a sellout crowd of over 6,000 at Westhills Stadium in Langford — Dr. Mike Hadbavny was part of the support team behind them. He has been there every season since.
Seven years. One CPL Championship. Hundreds of athletes treated across training camps, match days, road trips, and recovery sessions. This is what it actually looks like to be a team chiropractor for a professional football club — and why that long-term experience matters for every patient who walks through the door at Saanichton Chiropractic Group. Dr. Hadbavny is listed on the official Pacific FC staff page as Team Chiropractic, alongside the club's physicians, physiotherapist, and athletic therapist.
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Pacific FC 2026 Home Opener
April 5, 2026 — Starlight Stadium, Langford BC
Come out and support Victoria's professional football club — and the team Dr. Mike has been with since day one.
What It Means to Be a Team Chiropractor — Not Just an Event Chiropractor
There is a meaningful difference between providing chiropractic care at a one-time event — a tournament, a competition weekend, a games polyclinic — and being embedded with a professional club over multiple seasons. The event chiropractor sees athletes at a snapshot in time. The team chiropractor knows the athlete: their injury history, their recurring patterns, the side of their body that always tightens up in the third week of a travel stretch, the hamstring that needs extra attention before back-to-back matches.
That longitudinal relationship changes what is possible clinically. When Dr. Hadbavny assesses a Pacific FC player on a Tuesday before a Saturday home match, he is not starting from zero. He knows that player's baseline, what has responded to treatment in the past, and how much recovery time is realistically available before kickoff. The treatment plan is faster, more targeted, and more effective — because it is built on a foundation of accumulated knowledge about that individual athlete's body.
For Pacific FC, the role spans the full football calendar: pre-season fitness assessments and soft tissue preparation as the squad builds condition in January and February, regular treatment during the CPL regular season from April through October, travel support for away matches, and post-season recovery work. Match days at Starlight Stadium in Langford involve pre-match treatment for players managing ongoing issues, sideline assessment of acute injuries during the game, and post-match recovery sessions for the players who need them most after ninety minutes of professional-level exertion.
A Club Built in Victoria — From the Ground Up
The Canadian Premier League launched in 2019 as the first top-flight professional soccer league in Canada in decades. Pacific FC was one of the founding clubs, representing Vancouver Island and Greater Victoria in a league that was, itself, a significant milestone for Canadian soccer. Being part of that founding moment — embedded with the club from their very first training session — and watching the organization develop from a startup professional sports franchise into a genuine community institution is something Dr. Hadbavny reflects on with real pride.
2019 — The Founding Season
Pacific FC's debut season established them as a competitive club from the outset, finishing in the top half of the inaugural CPL standings. The sellout home opener — the largest attendance for a CPL regular-season opener in the league's first year — demonstrated the depth of Victoria's appetite for top-flight professional football.
2021 — CPL Champions
The 2021 season was the club's finest hour. Pacific FC defeated defending champions Forge FC 1-0 in the CPL Final to win the North Star Cup — the first Canadian Premier League championship in the club's history. The triumph earned Pacific FC a spot in the 2022 Concacaf League, representing Canada internationally. For everyone who had been with the club since 2019, the championship felt like the payoff for years of consistent, professional work. Dr. Hadbavny was there for every step of that journey.
2025 — Rebuilding with Purpose
Head coach James Merriman entered his fourth season at the helm in 2025 with a significantly reshaped roster. The club made a statement by re-signing two key figures from the 2021 championship-winning squad — defender Kadin Chung, returning from MLS with Toronto FC, and forward Marco Bustos, returning from Sweden — alongside a strong group of new domestic and international signings. The focus for 2025 was improving on the 27 goals scored in 2024, with a more dynamic attack built around captain Josh Heard, midfielder Sean Young, and striker Ronan Kratt. The ambition was clear: return Pacific to the top of the CPL table and compete for silverware.
The Injuries That Define Professional Football
Association football (soccer) presents a specific and well-studied injury landscape. The demands of the modern game — high-speed sprinting, rapid deceleration, explosive change of direction, aerial contests, and the cumulative load of a 28-match regular season — create predictable patterns of tissue stress and failure that the team chiropractor learns to manage across an entire season.
Hamstring Strains
Hamstring injuries are the single most common match-day injury in professional football worldwide. The explosive acceleration and high-speed running phases of the modern game place extraordinary eccentric loading on the hamstring complex — particularly the biceps femoris long head at the myotendinous junction. Prevention and management of hamstring injuries is one of the central ongoing tasks of the team medical staff. Chiropractic assessment of lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint mechanics plays an important role: restrictions in lumbar mobility and SIJ dysfunction alter hamstring recruitment patterns and increase injury risk significantly. Keeping a player's lumbar spine and pelvis moving freely throughout a long season is one of the most direct ways the team chiropractor contributes to reducing hamstring injury rates.
Hip Flexor and Groin Strains
The repetitive kicking, sprinting, and change-of-direction movements of football create significant loading on the hip flexor complex (primarily the iliopsoas and rectus femoris) and the adductor muscles of the groin. Hip flexor tightness and adductor strain are among the most persistent complaints in professional football players across a full season. Chiropractic care addresses the joint mechanics at the lumbar spine, sacrum, and hip that directly influence hip flexor and adductor function — tight hip joints restrict normal movement, forcing the musculature to work harder and increasing strain injury risk. Regular maintenance treatment keeps these structures balanced and functional through the heavy mid-season match load.
Ankle Sprains and Lower Leg Injuries
Lateral ankle sprains from contact and non-contact mechanisms are extremely common in football. Beyond acute sprain management, the chiropractic role involves assessing and restoring full talocrural and subtalar joint mobility following a sprain — residual joint stiffness after an ankle injury, if left unaddressed, alters gait mechanics and loads the knee and hip asymmetrically, predisposing to secondary injuries up the kinetic chain. Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome), Achilles tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis are other lower leg presentations that respond well to a combination of chiropractic joint work and shockwave therapy.
Lumbar and Thoracic Spine Strain
The trunk is the engine of every movement in football — from a goalkeeper's diving save to a striker's header to a defender's last-ditch tackle. Chronic lumbar strain from the repetitive rotational demands of kicking, the compressive loads of aerial duels, and the muscular fatigue of a high-press tactical system accumulates across a long season. Keeping the thoracic and lumbar spine mobile and symmetrical throughout the season is not optional for a professional player — it is fundamental to their capacity to train and compete at the intensity the modern game demands. This is one of the primary areas where weekly chiropractic maintenance during the season provides direct performance and injury-prevention value.
Neck and Cervical Spine
Heading the ball — particularly in aerial duels where two players contest the same cross at full speed — creates significant cervical loading. Over the course of a long season, professional footballers accumulate considerable cervical strain that, if not managed, contributes to headaches, reduced concentration, and increased susceptibility to concussion from subsequent impacts. Regular cervical spine assessment and treatment is a standard component of the team chiropractor's work throughout the season.
What the Pacific FC Experience Brings to Patients in Saanichton
Every skill developed in the professional sport environment transfers directly to clinical practice. The ability to assess a hamstring strain and accurately predict return-to-play timelines. The pattern recognition that comes from seeing dozens of hip flexor presentations across multiple seasons. The understanding of how a lumbar restriction in October is often the downstream consequence of an ankle sprain in May that was never fully rehabilitated. These are the clinical insights that seven seasons with Pacific FC have sharpened — and they benefit every patient at Saanichton Chiropractic Group, regardless of whether they have ever kicked a football in their life.
Victoria is a city of active people. Weekend soccer players, youth club athletes, masters-level competitors, and recreational players who simply want to stay on the pitch through a full season without being sidelined by a groin strain or hamstring issue — they are all dealing with the same fundamental patterns that professional players face, at different intensities. The sports-specific assessment and treatment approach developed through years of professional club work is exactly what those patients benefit from.
Dr. Mike Hadbavny, DC — Sports Chiropractor, Saanichton BC
FRCCSS(C) ICSC DC — CMCC BPE — Brock University
Dr. Hadbavny is the founder and lead chiropractor at Saanichton Chiropractic Group and has served as team chiropractor for Pacific FC since the club's inaugural CPL season in 2019. He is listed on the official Pacific FC staff roster as Team Chiropractic, alongside the club's physicians, physiotherapist, and athletic therapist. He holds a Fellowship from the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences of Canada (FRCCSS(C)) and the International Certificate in Sports Chiropractic (ICSC). In addition to his work with Pacific FC, he has served as team chiropractor at the 2023 Canada Winter Games (PEI), the 2025 World Games (Chengdu, China), and the 2025 Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler. For a full overview of his sports chiropractic background, see our sports chiropractic article.
Supporting Your Football Season at Saanichton Chiropractic Group
Whether you play competitive club soccer, participate in a recreational league, or are managing a football-related injury that has been nagging you through the season, our integrated team has the experience to help. Our services for football players draw on the same approach used with Pacific FC professionals:
Chiropractic care — spinal and extremity assessment, joint manipulation and mobilization, lumbar and hip mechanics optimization
Registered Massage Therapy — deep tissue work for hamstring and hip flexor recovery, sports massage for match-week preparation, myofascial release for chronic strain patterns
Shockwave therapy — highly effective for Achilles tendinopathy, patellar tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy common in football players
Acupuncture — pain management and recovery support, particularly useful for chronic muscle strain patterns and nervous system recovery
Osteopathic manual therapy — for complex, multi-region presentations and athletes who haven't responded fully to conventional treatment
ICBC coverage applies for injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents — see our MVA treatment page. WorkSafeBC coverage may apply for workplace injuries — see our WorkSafeBC page. Most extended health plans include chiropractic coverage — see our fees and policy page for direct billing information.
The Same Standard of Care as Your Favourite CPL Club.
Whether you're a competitive footballer, a recreational player, or simply an active person who wants to move better and hurt less — Dr. Hadbavny and the team at Saanichton Chiropractic Group are here to help.
Come Out to Starlight Stadium — Home Opener April 5
If you have never been to a Pacific FC match at Starlight Stadium in Langford, the home opener is the perfect time to go. The atmosphere at a sold-out home match is something unique to Victoria — a proper professional football crowd, a competitive team with genuine championship pedigree, and a club that is genuinely embedded in this community. Pacific FC has been part of the Saanich Peninsula's sporting identity since 2019, and every home match is a reminder of what Victoria's professional sport scene looks like at its best.
Pacific FC 2026 Home Opener: April 5 at Starlight Stadium, Langford. Tickets and schedule at pacificfc.canpl.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a team chiropractor do for a professional football club?
A team chiropractor is embedded with the club throughout the full football calendar — pre-season, regular season, and playoffs. Responsibilities include pre-match treatment for players managing ongoing conditions, sideline injury assessment during matches, post-match recovery sessions, travel support on road trips, and regular maintenance treatment to manage the cumulative musculoskeletal load of a 28-match professional season. The role is deeply collaborative, working alongside the team physician, physiotherapist, athletic therapist, and strength and conditioning staff as part of an integrated medical and performance support team.
What are the most common injuries in professional soccer?
Hamstring strains are the most common match-day injury in professional football globally, followed by adductor/groin strains, ankle sprains, knee ligament injuries, and lumbar spine strain. Overuse injuries — including Achilles tendinopathy, patellar tendinopathy, and shin splints — are extremely common across a long season due to the high training and match volume. Chiropractic care addresses both the acute presentations and the underlying mechanical patterns that predispose players to repeated injury. See our sports injury page for our full approach to these conditions.
Can chiropractic care help with a soccer-specific injury?
Absolutely. Hamstring and hip flexor presentations, lumbar and thoracic strain, ankle dysfunction following sprains, and the cervical strain that builds up over a season of heading and aerial duels all respond very well to chiropractic assessment and treatment — particularly when combined with massage therapy for the muscular components and shockwave therapy for any tendinopathy involved. The chiropractic approach to a football player's hip flexor strain, for example, will specifically assess lumbar and SIJ mechanics and hip joint mobility — factors that directly drive hip flexor loading and that are often missed in a purely soft-tissue-focused approach. Contact us at Saanichton Chiropractic Group to discuss your specific situation.
Do you treat youth soccer players?
Yes. Youth and adolescent soccer players are welcome at our clinic. Growing athletes have specific considerations — including growth plate sensitivity at apophyseal sites like the tibial tubercle (Osgood-Schlatter) and the calcaneus (Sever's disease) — that an experienced sports chiropractor will assess and account for in treatment. Youth athletes also benefit from guidance on training load management and injury prevention habits that will serve them throughout their sporting careers.
What is the Canadian Premier League and where does Pacific FC play?
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada's top-flight professional soccer league, launched in 2019. Pacific FC is one of the founding clubs, representing Greater Victoria and Vancouver Island. The team plays home matches at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC — a 6,000+ capacity venue that has become one of the most passionate atmospheres in the CPL. For tickets and the full 2026 schedule, visit pacificfc.canpl.ca.
Written by Dr. Mike Hadbavny, FRCCSS(C), ICSC, DC — sports chiropractor and founder of Saanichton Chiropractic Group, Saanichton BC. Dr. Hadbavny has served as team chiropractor for Pacific FC (Canadian Premier League) since the club's inaugural 2019 season. For clinic appointments, visit our contact page or call 250-223-0200.
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