A website that helps injured sports people find the right specialists to help treat their injuries has been hailed as a “game changer” by world athletics legend Colin Jackson.

Cardiff-based Sports Injury Fix is the first website to seamlessly connect sports people with the relevant professionals for their specific type of sport or injury. Using a search engine which can be filtered by location, injury and sport, users are able to access over 2,000 therapists throughout the UK. The company is part of the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Programme in Cardiff.

“The website is phenomenal and the impact it can have is huge,” said Colin on a recent visit to the accelerator. “It’s a game changer and can seriously improve the way sports people at all levels deal with injuries.

“As an athlete I had to deal with plenty of injuries and I know how frustrating it can be. The Sports Injury Fix website is a simple-to-use, one-stop-shop that makes finding the right therapist quick and easy. Having a portal like this will have major benefits to sports people at all levels as well as sports injury specialists.”

The site was launched by company founder Malcolm Sloan in 2016 and has more than 5,000 monthly users. He predicts this figure will eclipse the 20,000 mark over the next three years as the company begins a new round of investment in which it hopes to secure £250k.

Approved by seven industry bodies, the company boasts an impressive management team. Its Client Experience Manager is Wales Commonwealth Games 1500m runner Tom Marshall, while at board level Dr Rod Jaques, Head of Medical Services at the English Institute of Sport, is a non-executive director. They also have four leading therapists as ambassadors: Jack Chew, Mike Grice, James Dunne and Dave James.

And that team has been strengthened further with Colin Jackson agreeing to become an official Sports Injury Fix ambassador, a role he says he is already relishing.

“I want to help promote this service to as many athletes as possible,” he said. “I think it’s fantastic the website has been developed in my home city and that’s something that makes me very proud.

“It’s great too that the team are being supported by the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator. It’s a fantastic facility to have in the city and I believe it’s important places like this exist to help Welsh businesses like Sports Injury Fix succeed.”

Malcolm said:

“We’re delighted Colin is joining the Sports Injury Fix team. On the track Colin was a legend and he’s just as passionate about helping us. We’re really excited about working with him as we work with more sports injury specialists and grow our number of users.”

Andrew Jones, Entrepreneur Acceleration Manager at the NatWest Cardiff Accelerator, said:

Malcolm has worked tirelessly as an entrepreneur on the accelerator programme and it’s wonderful to see the company doing so well. He has benefited from the entrepreneurial environment at the accelerator and the community in it and it’s exciting to see what the company will achieve during the next 12 months.”