Hi ST,
As for recognition, I wouldnt believe the hype...ive worked in the sports therapy industry for long enough to know what is hype and what is fact, and there is a lot of clever marketing and spin done......
I am just going on the calibre and experience of speakers that the SST have at their annual conference. Another example is on the England RFU site they recommend to clubs that if they take a sports therapist on their staff that they are Graduate members of the SST.
I honestly think you are making too big an issue of the universities, look on the sports therapy forums, and you will see how successful people are. Ive said many times on here, there are more diplomates working in top level sports than uni grads, because most of them have the benefit of experience, which is was is required, and the uni courses have been here for less than 10 years.
I have to disagree on this even though I know you have been in the business for a long time. I am sure that there are lots of Sports Massage Practitioners working in elite sports and in team sports. However I would like to know how many top sports men and women and teams employ diplomate sports therapists. My research has indicated that the are mostly Chartered Sports Physiotherapists or Graduate Sports Therapists
if you have a surefire way of getting contact with the uni students then let me know
I would probably approach the course leaders to get a feel for opinions, there maybe a lot of discontent with the way things are progressing (or not) with Stat regs. Sure they will have ties to the SST and you will get the door slammed in the face but you will always find at least a couple of allies.
Organise an event directed at the students. They are probably getting all their information at the moment about the SRTC and CNHC from very biased and negative sources. Why not give them the opportunity to find out first hand and let them know that there is an alternative. Get industry suppliers along maybe a few freebies thrown in. If you cant advertise through the ST departments then do it through the student unions, face book, twitter. Just got to find a way in.