Academy Physical Performance Coach

Arsenal; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading football club in London is seeking an Academy Physical Performance Coach to enhance the athletic development of Academy players. The role involves designing training sessions, conducting fitness tests, and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to promote player health and performance. Applicants should hold an MSc in Strength and Conditioning and have experience in elite youth sport environments.

Benefits

Exciting reward and recognition scheme

Generous holiday allowance

Internal learning and development programmes

Access to match tickets

Competitive health and wellbeing benefits

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts with Partners

Qualifications

• Qualified specialist with relevant degree and accreditation.
• Proven experience in elite youth sporting environments.
• Flexible and adaptable mindset.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver effective athletic development sessions.
• Conduct and communicate fitness testing activities.
• Monitor training loads in collaboration with technical coaches.
• Create individual development plans for youth players.
• Lead match-day provision and recovery sessions.

Skills

Strength and Conditioning expertise

Communication skills

Teamwork

Relationship building

Proactivity

Education

MSc in Strength and Conditioning or equivalent

Job description

The Role

We are looking for an Academy Physical Performance Coach to work closely with our Lead Academy Physical Performance Coach and play a key role in the athletic development of all our Academy players (U9-U16).

In this exciting role, you'll be entrusted to diligently plan, deliver and evaluate both on-pitch and gym based athletic development sessions. You will optimise player potential by enhancing availability, maximising physical performance, and mitigating the risk of injury.

Operating as a vital part of a multidisciplinary team, you will collaboratively work with a range of colleagues to optimise the health, physical capacity and on-pitch application of our Academy players.

Who we are

We are one of the most famous clubs in world football, with a rich heritage and history of success – read more about our history, here.

Beyond that, we are passionate about our local community and, behind the scenes, we have a wide variety of opportunities and career paths for all. We have a very defined purpose: to act for a winning team, culture and community. We achieve this by ensuring we are courageous in the pursuit of progress, we champion our community and each other, and that we do the right thing (even when no one is looking).

Your day-to-day

• Deliver on-pitch athletic development - you will be responsible for the design and delivery of effective athletic development and rehabilitation sessions
• Plan, conduct and communicate fitness testing - you'll take pride in organising and delivering impactful fitness testing activity
• Ensure key philosophies are in place - you will be entrusted to make sure that the Most Efficient Mover philosophy is implemented throughout all allocated age groups
• Collaborate with colleagues on training load management - you'll proactively monitor and appropriately moderate training loads in collaboration with our technical coaches
• Assist in setting individual development plans - you will partner with our coaches and the wider interdisciplinary team to create crucial individual development plans for our youth players
• Create and present player reports - you'll prepare and share player progress reports as well as mid and full season reports with technical coaches
• Champion effective match-day preparation - you'll lead match-day provision and deliver important recovery sessions
• Act as a trusted ambassador for our club - you'll diligently maintain our child protection, health, safety and equal opportunity procedures and you'll conduct yourself with the utmost discretion with regards to the confidential nature of our club operations

What we are looking for

• Qualified specialist- you proudly hold an MSc degree in Strength and Conditioning (or equivalent) as well as UK Strength and Conditioning Association Accreditation (UKSCA)
• Proven background in sport - you come with a history of implementing athletic development within an elite youth sporting environment
• Courageous team player - you've successfully worked within a diverse and collaborative performance support team
• Best-in-class relationship building skills - you build professional relationships with ease and act with influence to motivate change
• Excellent communicator - you're able to communicate complex information in a simple and understandable way
• Flexible and adaptable mindset - you come with exceptional prioritisation skills and are able to respond to the demands of elite football
• Proactive and versatile approach - you're always on the front foot and looking for different ways to apply your expertise

Why choose us

At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service
• Great internal learning and development programmes
• Priority access to apply for match tickets
• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package
• A leading Employee Assistance Programme
• Great discounts with some of our Partners

Arsenal for Everyone

Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to the same Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch.

Disability Confident Leader

We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application.

If you are likely to meet the definition of being a ‘disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme - please indicate this in your application form below. The information you share with us about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment decisions.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We therefore require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.

Application Closing Date - Sunday 10th August2025

Please note: we reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later.

Good luck!