Sue Falsone will not return as Dodgers’ head trainer

That great pioneering effort by the Dodgers to have the first female head trainer had a disappointingly short run.

Sue Falsone will not return to the Dodgers next season, her exit apparently her own decision.

Falsone was named the team’s head athletic trainer in November 2011 to great fanfare. It brought her enough attention that other professional options opened up to her, though it’s doubtful she could have been thrilled the Dodgers forced Stan Conte, their vice president of medical services, back on the field this season.

“It is with a heavy heart to say that I will not be returning to the LA Dodgers in order to pursue other opportunities within my career,” Falsone said it a tweet.

Falsone, 39, was the first and only female had trainer in any major American professional sport. During her two seasons with the Dodgers, she continued her role as vice president of performance physical therapy and team sports at Athletes’ Performance in Phoenix.

Assistant athletic trainers Nancy Patterson Flynn and Greg Harrel will return next season, so apparently the Dodgers have already made some personnel decisions.

Stephen Downey, one of the team’s two strength and conditioning coaches, will not be back with the major-league club.