IT may be a man's world but Stacy Tanner is playing an important part in the preparation of Ipswich Town players.

Elvin King

IT may be a man's world but Stacy Tanner is playing an important part in the preparation of Ipswich Town players.

The sports massage therapist is used, however, to the tough world of top level sport.

She was Australian national schools and junior title holder at 400 metres before moving on and playing hockey at the highest club standard.

Now running her own masseur practice from home, she spends up to three days a week working with Ipswich Town and recently went on a three-day trip to Wales when Ipswich played Swansea City in the Coca-Cola Championship.

The married mother of one is delighted to be playing a part at the club. She said: “It is a privilege working with the physios and players, and I have learned so much from the staff.

“The guys know if you are doing a good job and I have been helping out now for 18 months.”

Matt Brennan, the manager of Grange Fitness, helps Stacy with the massaging duties at Ipswich Town to keep the players supple and less likely to suffer injury.

She has been in this country since 1994 after hailing from Perth in Western Australia and studied at Loughborough University before working at Suffolk College.

In her younger days Stacy was part of the famed Australian Sport Academy and was in line for Olympic selection for the 1984 and 1988 games.

A lengthy bout of glandular fever dashed her hopes of Olympic selection, and she turned to hockey to play for Canberra-based ACT.

“We were travelling all round Australia, which meant a great deal of air travel,” said Stacy. “And my team-mates had a big collection of gold medals between them, having represented their country at the Olympics.”

Stacy is married to Niall, and their daughter Zoe is two-and-a-half years old.

“Zoe calls the Ipswich training ground 'the Horsey's House' because of the club badge on the gate incorporating the Suffolk Punch,” says Stacy.