The Importance of Involvement in a Players Career

This week on the Pacey Performance Podcast, Rob is speaking to Leigh Egger and Stijn Vandenbroucke. Stijn is Head of Medical and Performance amd Leigh is Head of Performance, both at Feryenoord Rotterdam.

Main talking points -

• Innovative ways to structure a performance department
• Managing up the chain
• Developing strategies to reduce injury rates
• Utilising consultants effectively
• Individualising training
• Developing a culture of "athletes" not "footballers"

Feyenoord had an incredible season being crowned Champions of the Eredivisie, the top league in the Netherlands. So this episode is all about what makes a performance department successful and how they go about contributing to success on the pitch.

In the first part of this episode we discuss the structure of the department that Stijn and the hierachy at Feyenoord have put in place. We then talk about how that structure has led to the streamlining of processes and increased clarity in how things run day to day. Leigh gives his thoughts on how this structure has allowed him to do his job effectively alongside his fellow Head of Performance.

In the second half of this episode we get into the detail of how the club has kept muscle injuries to a minumum this season. Stijn then describes how they dealt with the "mini- pre-season" because of the World Cup.

If you're looking for an in-depth look into how a league-winning performance department operates, this episode is for you.