Lead Academy Performance Physiotherapist

Barnsley Football Club; London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Barnsley Football Club seeks an Academy Physiotherapist/Sports Therapist to manage medical care for Academy players, ensuring high standards of support while leading a team of therapists. This role includes patient assessment, collaboration with coaching staff, and essential contributions to player rehabilitation processes.

Qualifications

• DBS Check and FA Safeguarding Certificate required.
• Experience with elite youth athletes is essential.
• CSP/HCPC membership is mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Oversee medical care for Academy players, managing acute treatment and rehabilitation.
• Ensure high standards of medical support and collaboration with Performance staff.
• Lead and mentor Academy physiotherapists and therapists.

Skills

Assessing injury

Treatment & rehabilitation of sports injuries

Interest in paediatrics

Team environment

Numeracy and literacy

Organisational skills

Empathy with young people

Education

BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy

Post graduate qualification within sport and exercise medicine

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

To prepare, manage and oversee the medical care for all Academy age groups, including pitch side cover, acute treatment, collaborative RTP processes, and input into the physical development of Academy players. This role requires line management and development to all full-time and casual Academy Physiotherapists/Sports Therapists. This role also requires strong collaboration with all Performance / Football staff to enhance the wider programme.

Clinical Medical Services

• To ensure high standards of medical support across the Academy are met,in both active delivery of medical services to players, as well as overseeingall aspects of the medical department.
• To ensure that all processes and practice that is used within the Academymedical department will follow the principles and processes as a club stance,specifically referring to the club performance model.
• To implement and align all screening processes for Academy players,ensuring they are fully appropriate for the age and stage of the player /development phase. Ensure the screening processes are sequential and alignedfrom U8-U21 (in-line with 1 st team processes)
• To produce up to date physiotherapy notes within 24 hours of assessment/ treatment, and log this onto the clubs computerised database. This is in linewith HCPC/CSP guidelines. Medical notes / injury data must be logged andaccurately inputted via SOAP notes for legal and auditing purposing.
• Provide injury audits for relevant age groups at the required timelines to provide evidence around current practice and injury availability. This to be completed in-line with club injury auditing processes from 1 st team. (monthly for U18 / U21). Mid Term / End of Season for all age groups.Attached to this includes weekly injury reports for Academy age groups.
• To lead on all processes linked to trialists screening, and pre-signingmedicals. To ensure all medical information is gathered for both situations andfull MSK summaries / reports are written within the club process and sent torelevant stakeholders.
• To liaise with external healthcare professionals, in collaboration with othermedical staff to ensure appropriate imaging, reviews and consultations forexpert opinion are conducted within the appropriate case and time. To ensureprocesses of escalation and adhered to by all therapists within the department.This may require attending an appointment with an Academy player ensuring alltravel requirements are made.
• In collaboration with the Academy Doctor, ensure all routine cardiacscreening is organised and implemented as per FA guidelines.
• In collaboration with the Lead Academy PPC, take a lead role in thegrowth and maturation processes within all Academy players, in implementationand programme adaptations based on maturation status and clinical symptoms.
• To provide essential input for all ‘non injured’ players programmes –input into gym / prep programmes, loadings, screening protocols and individual considerations– drive this process within the therapy team.
• To be the lead through all Academy age group therapists to maintain andkeep high standards with all clinical working spaces.

Return to Play Services

• In line with the overall club RTP philosophy / framework, actively planand lead on key rehabs including collaboration with all departments to plan allaspects of the rehab (OFF & ON pitch progressions)
• Ensure all RTP are done with the club planner, and full decks arecompleted and presented to the MDT
• Quality assure and mentor all therapists around RTP plans and ensure aguidance around off / on pitch progressions with thorough objectiveprogressions / clinical reasoning.

Leadership and CPD Services

• To lead the medical department, as a line manager for all full/part timetherapist, ensuring staff development plans / appraisals are carried outalongside the Head of Integrated Performance.
• To work alongside all Academy doctors to provide thorough leadershipwithin management of individual players. Ensure doctor cover is arranged forall necessary events.
• To play a lead role in the recruitment of all full/part time therapistsrequired at the club.
• To process and manage all timesheets / expenses within the medicaldepartment.
• To lead in the construction and delivery of all medical educationdelivered to staff, players and parents. This includes the Academy CPDprogramme, as well as educational topics important to deliver at theappropriate age and stage.
• To play a lead role in the global Performance CPD programme for fulltime staff, providing delivery and support for other therapists around keytopics. Ensure the medical CPD programme is in place and delivered at timelyintervals (EAP Stress Testing / Defib / Scenario Training).
• To play a lead role in the weekly performance MDT’s and leadconversations / discussions around individual players plans.
• To undertake your own personal CPD and manage the departments externalCPD to fall in line with HCPC / CSP requirements.
• To provide a knowledge and understanding of FA Anti-Doping Policy andimplement this process to all players and staff

Overall Environment Duties

• Attend all appropriate review/planning meetings (Team, MDT, Performanceetc) in order to proactively contribute to the overall management of theenvironment, players, AOB and general day to day scheduling.
• Attend all MDT meetings around IPP’s / ILP’s and have direct impact to playersindividual development programmes
• To provide regular updated to the Head of Integrated Performance andother key stakeholders and members of the coaching team around individualresponses
• To attend 1 st team MDT’s when possible, and educate / implementthe same MDT meeting amongst the age groups within the performance department

Projects

Work closely with members of the Performance & Football Departments to Identify and develop projects that drive impact to the individual players as well as the club and department.

Provide support and lead the operations of the Academy physiotherapydepartment, with effective areas of; development, scheduling, timesheets, etc.

Safeguarding

• To have or develop an impeccable knowledge ofsafeguarding best practice to include a deep understanding of safeguardingchildren’s regulations, including legislation & governing body rules.
• Toensure that any safeguarding or welfare concerns are reporting efficiently.
• To comply with all company policies/procedures andadhere to all company regulations regarding policies, procedures, health,safety, and security.

About The Candidate

Qualifications

• Advanced DBS Check
• Current FA Safeguarding Certificate
• BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy or equivalent
• Post graduate qualification within sport and exercise medicine or a related field of study (desirable)
• Current CSP/HCPC membership

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Able to assess injury
• Experience of planning and delivering treatment & rehabilitation of sports injuries
• Interest in paediatrics
• Previous experience of working with elite level youth athletes and treating sporting injuries
• Good understanding of growth & maturation and its implications on the development of athletes
• Experience of working in a professional football club environment
• Experience of working in a team environment
• IT skills to include a very high level of competence using Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Excellent overall level of numeracy and literacy
• A professional ‘can do’ attitude with strong organisational and administrative skills
• A genuine team player
• Flexibility to work with children and young adults
• Empathy with young people and their challenges

Personal Qualities

• A hardworking and enthusiastic individual
• Takes responsibility for ensuring a high quality of work
• Demonstrates enthusiasm and is personally committed to achieving agreed objectives
• Is receptive to feedback about own behaviour, strengths and areas for improvement
• Displays a high level of confidentiality