How Manchester City Women’s FC Are Using Hytro BFR to Stay Game Ready

Football is relentless. Fixture congestion, travel demands, and the sheer intensity of competition mean that recovery isn’t just important, it’s essential. At Manchester City Women’s Football Club (MCWFC), the pursuit of marginal gains is what keeps them ahead. And now, by integrating Hytro into their recovery protocols, the team is accessing a new level of performance readiness. 

For Daniel McPartlan, Head of Physical Performance at MCWFC, staying innovative is key: "I’m always excited to use a new innovative technology, especially when it's so well evidenced. I've had experience of using BFR in the past in rehab settings and to elicit things like hypertrophy, so I'm really aware of the positives, and I really think the players will enjoy it and get great benefits from using it for recovery as well." 

 

Bringing BFR into elite football

MCWFC’s approach to recovery is built on a foundation of science-backed methods. Sleep, nutrition and load management are priorities, but the team is always looking for ways to enhance the process. That’s where Hytro BFR has been adopted due to its practicality and ease of use. 

"One of the biggest challenges in football is keeping players fresh and reducing injury risk. We have a tight turnaround in games. In March, we have eight games in a month, so being able to start that recovery process as soon as possible to ensure that the players are as fresh as possible, to not only play but to train before games as well, is really, really important." 

With such a demanding schedule, players can’t afford to carry fatigue from one match to the next. Recovery must be efficient, effective and practical. That’s exactly why Hytro’s easy-to-use BFR wearables have been a game-changer. 

"The really cool thing about Hytro, specifically within the BFR space, is the fact that they can just put the shorts on straight after a game and when they're travelling as well. We do a lot of travel on buses and flights in the Champions League, and that means they can be recovering whilst travelling home." 

 

How MCWFC are using Hytro 

The team has primarily been using Hytro for both Active and Passive Recovery BFR. Players either incorporate BFR into light movement, such as cycling, or wear the Hytro BFR Performance Shorts while resting in the gym, or even during an ice bath. 

"We've mostly been using Hytro for recovery purposes, either active recovery on a bike or more passive recovery in the gym, or in the cold water as well." 

"The reaction from the players has been really, really good. The main thing we look for from recovery, aside from the evidenced science behind it, is how the players feel. They've generally reported feeling a really good feeling in their legs afterwards, feeling the flush particularly when undoing the straps." 

This immediate post-match recovery is crucial. By accelerating the clearance of metabolic waste and improving blood flow, Recovery BFR helps players feel fresher faster, ready to train and compete at their best. 

As with many of the teams who have adopted Hytro, taking advantage of Hytro’s simplicity means it can be stacked with other modalities to offer a time efficient, but more importantly, enhanced recovery. Some of the players at MCWFC have added Hytro to their existing recovery regime by wearing them during an ice bath session. Dan shared the positive feedback from the players: "One of the biggest bits of feedback is the feeling the girls get from wearing the Hytro Shorts in an ice bath and the cold water, and the combination of the two methods enhancing the feeling they get in their legs afterwards, which is really positive." 

 

Gaining the edge in a relentless sport 

For MCWFC, recovery isn’t just about avoiding injury, it’s about maximising performance. If players can recover better, they can train harder and maintain intensity throughout the season. 

"It's that extra couple of percent of either freshness or fatigue reduction, when they're training or going into the next match. It's going to be key," Dan shared. . 

As football continues to evolve, teams are placing greater emphasis on data-driven decision-making. MCWFC closely monitor player recovery using objective data, ensuring that interventions like BFR are making a measurable impact. Dan explained: "A big thing that we also try to do is use objective data to understand how well the players are recovering or not." 

Partnerships that bring research-backed innovations into elite sport are crucial in modern football. Hytro is committed to advancing BFR research, especially in women's sports where studies are limited.  

Dan shared, "I think it's really, really important to partner with companies who share performance data and insights. One of the really big things with football is it's so relentless. The time practitioners have to sit back and analyse data and understand what the effect of an intervention is, is limited. So having a partnership like this with Hytro, where you've got a company who are so keen on making sure all the practice is evidence-based and backed by research, really allows us to be at the forefront - being really innovative with our practice." 

 

Collaborating on the future of women’s football

For MCWFC, integrating BFR is just another step toward maintaining peak performance. The ability to implement recovery seamlessly, without adding extra stress to players, is a huge win. Dan said, "Just winning, improving our performance. If we can keep more players on the pitch and keep those players as fresh as possible, we're more likely to win games." 

That’s what it all comes down to. In elite sport, it’s the small margins that separate the best from the rest. And with Hytro now a part of MCWFC’s recovery arsenal, they’re ensuring those margins are always in their favour. 

To push the understanding and application of BFR within women’s football, the recent partnership between Hytro and MCWFC will see a collaboration into a research study of the effects of BFR in women’s football, helping to shape the future of performance and recovery in the game.  

To learn more about how Hytro can support your team to recovery optimally, check out our team page.