First Team Physical Performance Coach

Job Title

First Team Performance Coach

Date Prepared

Sept 2025

Reports to

Head of Performance

Hours of Work

Full time

Flexible to include weekends, evenings, and banak holidays.

Direct reports

Placement Students

Location

Vale Training Ground 

Cardiff City Stadium

Away Match Travel

Job Role

Contribute towards Cardiff City’s Performance and Medical Departments vision of optimising player availability and physical performance through elite, integrated, evidence-based physical performance support, specifically working with First Team players.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensuring the day-to-day implementation of individual physical performance support to First Team players; ensuring that each player’s individual physical priorities are targeted, driven by objective profiling.
• Lead the monitoring and analysis of training and match physical performance data, working to ensure that this data is used to optimise on field training practices through the production of comprehensive training and match reports.
• Ensure the implementation of player monitoring and testing systems (performance, development, workload, and response), generating insights used to inform multidisciplinary decision making and player management on an ongoing basis, with comprehensive physical performance reports.
• Plan, design & deliver individual-specific pre-training preparation and strength programmes with the aim to enhance physical performance and develop robustness of all First Team players.
• Assist with the performance delivery of the First Team squad (including pre-training preparation, warm-ups, regeneration and recovery, rehabilitation, individual conditioning) as well as non-squad players additional loading on matchdays, to maintain fitness of all First Team players.
• Support the planning and delivery of individual and team performance testing, player readiness protocols/screening, and be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary approach in prescribing interventions to improve physical performance.
• Liaise closely with other performance and medical staff regarding the prevention and rehabilitation of all injuries. Be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary approach to return-to-play processes.
• Work collaboratively to support the practical implementation of performance nutrition strategies required to facilitate adaptation and enhance physical performance.
• Ensure data collection is maintained to the highest standard and utilised in an objective manner, in-line with physical performance benchmarks.
• Mentor and supervise the work of First Team sports science placement students.
• Keep abreast of advancing knowledge and applications in sports science and use this information to develop new evidence-based physical performance practices.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety regulations and healthcare governance procedures including the security and protection of confidential information.
• Contribute to the development of resources and educational aids.
• Contribute to a programme of in-house continued professional development.
• Any other reasonable duties and responsibilities the Head of Performance or any other senior manager at the Club asks you to perform.

Club Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• To take responsibility for your own health, safety and welfare, ensuring compliance with Cardiff City Football Club’s Health and Safety Policy, procedures and safe systems of work.

• To take responsibility for the protection of personal data and confidential information, ensuring compliance with General Data Protection Regulations and Cardiff City Football Clubs Data Protection Policy.

• To undertake all reasonable training, learning and development activity designed to support you in your role.

• To be responsible for your own behaviour and act in a manner that avoids and discourages any form of discrimination or harassment; to comply with Cardiff City Football Club’s Equal Opportunities Policy.

Qualifications, Key Skills and Experience

Essential

• Undergraduate qualification in Sports Science or related discipline.
• Significant experience of delivering physical performance support within a professional sporting environment.
• Detailed understanding of physical performance principles in football, including strength and conditioning, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and physical performance analysis.
• Excellent knowledge of training load technology (including GPS and heart rate systems) and physical performance testing systems (e.g. VALD).
• Advanced IT Skills.

Equality

Cardiff City Football Club promotes equal opportunities in employment we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

Safer Recruitment Policy

Cardiff City Football Club operates a ‘safer recruitment policy’ and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appropriate reference checks and Enhanced Level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks form a significant part of this recruitment process.