This season, Northern Tigers have partnered with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to implement Strength and Conditioning Programs for our players. We spoke to Technical Director, Jason Eagar, and High-Performance Sport Science Coordinator UTS, Greta Conlan to learn more about the programs!
‘We are looking forward to establishing an ongoing partnership with UTS to support the players each season’ said Jason. ‘The main purpose of the programs is to educate and train the players physical development with the support of highly qualified exercise science specialists’
‘Additionally, it is a great opportunity to discuss and test our Club systems with the UTS experts in terms of player conditioning, rehabilitation, recovery, speed development. Not only is it benefitting the players, but also allows for professional development for the coaches.’
Greta Conlan and her students have implemented a range of specific programs made uniquely for each group of players.
‘We have created and implemented programs for range of the Northern Tigers groups, including Youth Girls/Boys, Mixed/Girls SAP and Goalkeepers’ said Greta. ‘Each program has been created specifically to meet the needs of the players within the group.’
Jason explained that in consultation with UTS, they identified 3 key areas where we could leverage off the UTS program to support the player’s physical development:
- Injury prevention for youth players (girls and boys)
- Speed and Agility for SAP players (girls and boys)
- Power development for Goalkeepers (all Goalkeepers in the Club)
Greta provided a detailed insight to each of the programs and its benefits:
Youth Females: The warmup program is an evidenced based program that will ensure the teams are physically and mentally prepared to start their training session. The strength/power session is designed to prevent injuries of the legs but also enhance strength and power of lower body and core muscles to improve strength and power in movements such as sprinting and jumping. The speed/agility program enhances the players ability to accelerate off the mark and change direction quickly and effectively.
Goalkeeper: These programs will help develop the athletes explosive power ability, which is a key performance metric for goalkeepers. In order to improve their power output, we aim to improve their movement ability and coordination, which in turn can help reduce the risk of injuries.
Boys SAP & Girls SAP: The players are being taught introductory techniques for speed and agility, to improve their movement efficiency. The drills provided are made to be fun, competitive, and interactive to increase engagement. The players are also being exposed to a variety of fundamental movement patterns to build their overall physical competencies.
Boys Youth: There is a particular focus on exposing the players to movements that will reduce their injury risk. Evidence-based strength, plyometric and mobility-based exercises utilised not only can minimise injury rates, but also enhance performance and efficiency on the field.
Alongside improving the performance of our players, Greta explained the value of the experience for the students in their studies.
‘The students have learnt how to transfer theory into practice and have developed experience around coaching athletes of different ages, genders and abilities’ explained Greta. ‘This is an invaluable experience for the students and is vital to their development in the field of coaching. The students have also learnt that engagement is critical and making activities fun and competitive can assist with this’.
Thank you to Greta and the UTS students for providing this fantastic opportunity.