About Us

OUR STORY

Written By Johnoel Esmaquel, Founder & Director.

I'm your typical case of the kid who was "robbed" of his childhood dream of becoming an elite athlete.

As a kid, I played nearly every sport you could name. I was involved in multiple sports at a time and developed leadership at a young age, being trusted with captaincy for many of the teams I played in. I excelled at the fundamental skills of being an athlete and possessed a knack for the tactics of any game.

At the age of 14, I had to have surgery on a troublesome hip, which turned out to be worse than first thought. My growth plate was slipping and if I hadn't had the surgery, I could've been wheel-chair bound. However, the worst news came afterwards. My specialist told me I couldn't play sport for 4 years - essentially until my growth plates had closed. As you can imagine, this would have devastated any kid.

Naturally, I decided that if I couldn't become the elite athlete that I wanted to be, I wanted to help people achieve their sporting dreams and live vicariously through their journey.

Enter Physiotherapy.

One thing you might not know about the Physiotherapy profession is that many change professions in their first 2-7 yeas of practice. You can discuss and debate why this might be, but it's been something on my mind since finishing my Physiotherapy studies in 2013.

I've worked in Private Practice since I finished studying and in my first 3 years, I legitimately wasn't sure what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. All I knew was that I loved sport & training, and wanted to help people.

By the time I got to the end of my fourth year as a Physiotherapist, I discovered my passion in wanting to bridge the gap between rehabilitation and performance. I poured myself into the Strength & Conditioning field to learn more. I just felt I couldn't do the service justice within the business structures I'd experienced working for others. I looked far and wide, but I just couldn't find anywhere that aligned with my values and principles, and my version of what Physiotherapy should look like. As a result, I was on the verge of potentially changing careers. Despite this, I wanted to stay in the Private sector.

I decided to open up a business inside a room within a Strength & Conditioning facility to be able to do the things that I wanted to do, the way I thought they should be done. This worked well until I felt the need to expand my horizons and build a community of people who were there for more than just treatment. I wanted to build a community where we focused on overall health & well-being, at the same time creating a social space for people to feel comfortable.

This led to me opening up my own facility in Epping, Victoria. There have been many changes since we opened in November 2019 - along with COVID deciding to pop along for the ride too. Despite this, I've developed a team of champions who all share the principles and values that I uphold. Even with all the challenges we've had to endure along the way, I definitely wouldn't change anything. Lo and behold, I've past the 7 year hump and realistically, we're just getting started.

 


From this in 2017...


To This In 2021..

To This In 2023..

 

MEET THE Team


JoHNOEL Esmaquel

Director of Sports Rehabilitation & Athlete Development



Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Biomedical Science
  • Master of Physiotherapy Practice
  • Master of Sport & Exercise Physiotherapy (c)
  • ASCA Level 1 Strength & Conditioning

Experience:

  • Calder Cannons FC - Head of Medical (Current)
  • Port Melbourne VFL/VFLW - Head of Rehabilitation
  • Eltham Redbacks FC - High Performance Manager (2022)
  • South Melbourne FC NPL Women - Physiotherapist (2020)
  • Melbourne City FC Junior Academy - Physiotherapist (2017)
  • Hockey Victoria U21 Men National Champions - Head Physiotherapist (2016-2018)



Jon is our Director of Sports Rehabilitation and currently the Head Physiotherapist for the Calder Cannons FC (AFL Coates Talent League).  He was previously Head of Rehabilitation and Physiotherapist for both the VFL & VFLW programs at Port Melbourne Football Club during their maiden VFLW Premiership season in 2023. He has a special interest in ACL injury rehabilitation and his strength & conditioning experience allows him to bridge the gap between low level rehab and end stage rehabilitation.

 




Alberto Garcia

Clinical Associate Physiotherapist


Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Exercise Science - Clinical Practice
  • Master of Physiotherapy 

Experience:

  • Calder Cannons FC - Head Physiotherapist Boys U16s & U18s (Current)
  • Old Eltham Collegians FC - Head Trainer
  • Eltham Redbacks FC - Sports Trainer / S&C Coach (2022)



Alberto graduated with a Bachelor of Exercise Science (Clinical Practice) from Victoria University in 2020 and subsequently completed his Master of Physiotherapy at Swinburne University. He is currently a Physiotherapist for the Calder Cannons Football Club.

Alberto is passionate about exercise, sport and health. He has played at competitive levels of basketball, including in the VJBL and BigV leagues, as well as other sports such as football and tennis. 

Alberto strives to deliver targeted and evidence-based advice to his clients to help them improve their performance and achieve optimal results. He sees his role as being responsible for helping his clients achieve three goals: improving and maintaining athletic performance, reducing injuries and teaching lifelong fitness and movement skills. 

 

DANIEL QUINTO

Strength & Conditioning Coach




Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science
  • Master of Physiotherapy (Undertaking)
  • Cert III/IV Allied Health Assistance

Experience:

  • Eltham Redbacks FC - Head of S&C (Current)
  • Western United A-League & Academy - Physio Intern
  • Old Eltham Collegians FC - Sports Trainer 

 

Daniel is one of our resident Strength & Conditioning Coaches and currently Head of S&C for the Eltham Redbacks FC across both Senior Men & Women and their JBNPL squads. 

His passion for basketball developed his interests in learning how to develop the physical edge to play high-level sport.

Daniel is committed to developing the current and next generation of superstar athletes by improving their sports performance and building physical resiliency.