Externally Funded MRes Oppurtunity - EHU & Stockport County FC

About the Opportunity

Edge Hill University (EHU) in collaboration with Stockport County Football Club invites applications for an exciting yearlong MRes opportunity focused on the objective monitoring of physical demands across an elite Academy. The successful candidate will work directly with the sports science and medical departments, where appropriate. In this position the successful applicant will be working alongside the coaching and support staff during training and match days to aid the preparation and development of the squads. Alongside this applied work, the data collected as part of this role will inform the candidate’s MRes project, with supervision provided by academic staff at EHU.

About The Research Project

Previous research has considered the objective monitoring of elite football to consider internal and external loading, with implications for performance and injury. Less consideration has been given to academy players, particularly considering the age-specific use of loading thresholds, and the implications of playing across multiple age groups. This project will aim to quantify the age-specific demands of Academy football and the objective monitoring of recovery. Objective monitoring will include the collection, analysis and interpretation of GPS data in addition to other musculoskeletal profiling tools where appropriate.

The successful applicant will be responsible for:
Contributing to the sports science support of Academy players across all age groups
Collation & analysis of GPS data from match-play and training
Implementation and analysis of a match day + 2 standardised profiling battery
Produce high quality and informative feedback for players and staff
Contribute to the development of profiling practice within the club

Details of funding

The successful applicant will receive:
Student fees for full-time MRes
Travel expenses and meals provided at the training ground.

Applicant Eligibility

This opportunity is open to UK based applicants eligible for home fees who meet the following eligibility criteria:

a degree equivalent to UK first-class or upper second-class honours (2:1 or above) within sports science related programme (e.g. Sports Science, Sports Therapy/Rehabilitation, Sports Coaching, etc.), which included modules specifically focusing on Strength & Conditioning
highly driven individual with a strong passion for sport and exercise science
appropriate understanding/experience of the technical and physical aspects of Academy football
appropriate understanding and experience of using GPS technology
a competent understanding of research methods, inclusive of relevant statistical procedures for quantitative research
clean, full UK driver’s License

At Edge Hill University we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.