Academy Physical Development Coach

Founded in 1882, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is an English Premier League Club, based in North London.

Led by the late great Bill Nicholson, the Club became the first in England to win the League and FA Cup Double in 1961, and the first in the UK to win a European Trophy two years later. Spurs has since been home to some of the game’s great entertainers, including Jimmy Greaves, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne, David Ginola, Gareth Bale, Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane.

In April 2019, the Club opened an iconic new stadium that sits at the heart of a £1billion sport-led regeneration of North Tottenham. The stadium is the largest football club stadium in London and is a multi-use venue with the ability to host a variety of events 365 days a year, including NFL, boxing, rugby, concerts, and other major events, plus visitor attractions including Stadium Tours and the Dare Skywalk.

The stadium development scheme has to date created more than 4,000 new jobs for local people, with circa £300m pumped into the local economy each year.

Tottenham Hotspur has:

• A clear strategy to develop talent from within its Academy, showcased by a strong track record of Academy players graduating to the first-team squad.
• A £100m state-of-the-art Training Centre that supports the Club’s ambition to attract, develop and retain the best talent.
• Commercial partnerships with globally recognised brands including AIA Group Limited (AIA), one of the world's leading providers of life insurance services, and Nike, the world’s leading sports footwear and apparel company.
• A commitment to minimizing its environmental impact across Club operations, being named as the greenest in the Premier League for the past three years. Tottenham Hotspur is a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework, committing to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and become net zero carbon by 2040.
• An award-winning Foundation that is renowned for creating opportunities to help enhance the lives of people in its local community through education, employment, health and social inclusion programmes.

Our world class Training Centre in Enfield is where all the First Team and the Academy’s training and coaching activities occur, and where the Academy department is based.

Job Purpose

To assist and support the Head of Academy Sport Science to meet the objectives and vison of the Sport Science Department and Academy Management.

The successful candidate will be responsible for implementing individualised Sport Science and Strength & Conditioning support within the academy with a specific focus on the Youth Development phase, under guidance from the Head of Academy Sport Science; work within an inter-disciplinary team to deliver programmes in-line with Tottenham Hotspur’s academy game model.

The working hours will be 35 hours per week, with some flexibly expected, which will be across Monday – Sunday on a rota basis. This will involve some unsocial working hours due to fixtures which may be across bank holidays or seasonal holiday periods.

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead on the rehabilitation of players within the YDP to ensure that players are returning to training in peak physical condition, whilst using any potential window within the rehabilitation of an individual as an opportunity to enhance physical attributes
• Provide individual sport science and S&C support to key players within the academy set up, to ensure that emerging talents are being provided with an industry leading service
• Plan, deliver and evaluate both on-pitch and gym based physical development and conditioning programmes in-line with the demands of the academy game model
• Provide training and match load recommendations to coaches’ when players are returning from injury
• Work collaboratively with the medical department to ensure the rehabilitation process runs smoothly
• Create a close working relationship with the coaches to ensure that individuals are integrated as early as possible into aspects of the coaching programme when returning from injury
• Plan and implement programmes specific to biological age, S&C and the Football needs of each individual, in-line with the demands of the academy game model.
• Deliver injury and physical development-specific S&C programmes with injured players
• Oversee all testing (on and off pitch) and screening protocols/procedures for all injured players within the YDP. This is not limited to data collection, but also the ability to process, synthesize and report the information to create individual programmes underpinned by rigorous objective data collection
• Occasionally, when required, provide Sport Science/S&C support at home and away matches, plus relevant Academy National/International tournaments and training camps.
• To execute duties in a professional and conscientious manner and be an impressive member of staff.
• To be aware of emergency procedures and the Health and Safety at Work Act relating to the various sites.
• Ensure a strict code of confidentiality in respect to any information linked to Tottenham Hotspur.
• Any other duties commensurate with the position/grade as required by the department.

Person Specification 

• Proactive in nature and able to generate innovative ideas
• The ability to blend sport science into applied practice
• Values & respects others, builds relationships, collaborates
• Gets things done, delivers to highest of standards, takes responsibility and is able to be flexible.
• Exceptionally high degree of personal and professional integrity.
• A strong team ethos with demonstrable abilities in building and maintaining productive relationships with both coaching and playing staff within a high-performance environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with clear and adaptable communication skills that foster productive working relationships at all levels.

Skills & Experience 

• Degree in Sports Science or Strength & Conditioning or equivalent
• Experience (post-internship) in working with individuals in rehabilitation (desirable)
• Postgraduate Degree in Sports Science or Strength & Conditioning or equivalent (desirable)
• FA/UEFA Coaching in Football Qualification (desirable)
• UKSCA Accreditation (desirable)
• Current Safeguarding Children certificate and First Aid (desirable)
• Excellent IT skills

Safeguarding is fundamental to the success in all that we do. Successful candidates are subject to an enhanced DBS check with child’s/adult’s barred list.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club welcomes applications from anyone regardless of age, disability, gender, race, ethnic origin, religion /belief, or sexual orientation.