Senior Academy Physiotherapist

Job Title: Senior Academy Physiotherapist

Department: Medical & Performance Support

Reporting to: Academy Manager & Head of Operations

Purpose: To coordinate and lead the Medical and Physiotherapy Service and the development of elite athletes within the Academy.

The accountabilities of the Head of Medical Services shall include:

• The design, implementation and management of the Club’s Medical provision, coordinating and leading the Medical and Physiotherapy Service within the Academy.
• Ensure that the Academy Medical & Performance Support Department meets all EPPP rules and requirements, having responsibility for preparing all Safe to Operate and Standards documents.
• Liaison with players and staff with regards to injury progress and return to play times.
• Arrangement of relevant consultations where necessary.
• Ensure that an Emergency Action Plan is in place for all venues, and that all relevant Staff are aware of its contents, and that it provides a copy of it in advance of all its home matches in the Games Programmes to its opponents.
• Ensure that there is available at all games and training sessions First Aid or Primary Care Provision.
• Ensuring the effective use by all appropriate Staff of the Performance Management Application and Performance Clocks, including ensuring that all relevant data is recorded.

Key Activities:

• Co-ordinate and oversee the provision to each Player of the following areas: 
  • Physical development.
  • Medical services (including the prevention and treatment of injury and diet and nutrition).
  • The progress and development of each Player under the Sports Science and Medicine/Performance Support Programme.

     

• Ensure full details of any injuries, the treatment thereof, and the length of any period of rehabilitation are noted in his multi-disciplinary review and recorded in his Performance Clock. 
• Ensure that each Academy Player undergoes the following tests to measure physical and physiological fitness:
  • Age-appropriate medical and physical screening.
  • Anthropometric assessments.
  • Physiological/fitness testing.
  • Movement and posture/functional screening.
  • Predictive testing of size and shape/maturation measurement.
  • Cardiac screening for Academy Players in the Under 15 age group and above.
• Be present at each training session and game in the Professional Development Phase Games Programme.
• Work with Coaches with regards to training load planning.
• Lead a weekly injury clinic for Under 9-16 players.
• Lead the planning and implementation of the daily injury prevention work for the U18-21.
• In conjunction with the Designated Safeguarding Officer, ensure all policies, practices and procedures relating to the safeguarding of young people are implemented. 

Person Specification 

Qualifications

Essential 

• BSc or MSc Physiotherapy
• Be a registered Physiotherapist member of the Health and Care Professions Council
• FA ATMMiF (To be achieved within an agreed timeframe)
• FA Safeguarding Qualification (To be achieved within an agreed timeframe)
• Enhanced DBS Clearance (To be completed through the Club Safeguarding Officer)

Desirable 
• Masters Degree in a relevant discipline

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Have recent and relevant professional experience in a sports performance environment.
• Excellent communication skills 
• Competence in all MS Office packages with experience of recording and reporting information 
• Experience of dealing with minors and an excellent understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures including the relevant clearances for individuals. 
• An understanding of the EFL Youth Development rules and regulations.
• Previous experience of management within an Elite Sports Environment or Academy setting working within the EPPP framework.
• A comprehensive understanding of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP).

General Information:

The employee must at all times carry out their duties with due regard to the Accrington Stanley Football Club policies and procedures.

The employee must ensure a positive commitment towards equality and diversity by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relationships between all internal and external stakeholders.

Safeguarding:

Accrington Stanley Football Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This role involves the supervision of and working with children and young people. The role will require CRC check through the DBS and clearance for work in football by the FA. As the role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, the applicant must disclose all previous convictions including spent convictions.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Accrington Stanley Football Club's commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is to confront and eliminate discrimination whether by reason of age, gender, gender assignment, sexual orientation, marital status or civil partnership, race, nationality, ethnicity (race), religion, ability or disability, pregnancy or maternity and to encourage equal opportunities (Protected Characteristics, Equality Act 2010).

Employees of Accrington Stanley Football Club must ensure a positive commitment towards equality, diversity and inclusion by treating others fairly and not committing any form of discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any description and to promote working relationships between all internal and external stakeholders.