Read in English below.
Ved du, hvordan du skaber progression og navigerer i din karriere inden for fysisk performance?
Til Football Performance Summit 2025, som Divisionsforeningen og SDU stod bag, holdt James Malone et oplæg med titlen “Navigating your career path as a football physical performance practitioner”.
James Malone er i dag mentor og konsulent for praktikere inden for fysisk performance. Han er ph.d. fra Liverpool John Moores University, hvor han sideløbende også arbejde hos Liverpool FC. Kort sagt har han dedikeret sin karriere til at hjælpe andre med at optimere fysisk performance og udvikle træningsmetoder.
I denne Q&A deler James Malone sine erfaringer med og råd til, hvordan du skaber en succesfuld karriere inden for fysisk performance. Han giver et indblik i, hvilke kompetencer og strategier der er nødvendige for at lykkes. Her spiller et stærkt netværk og en balance mellem videnskab og praksis en stor rolle.
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| Hvad ser du som de vigtigste færdigheder for at få succes som fysisk præstationspraktiker inden for fodbold? | Tidligt i din karriere handler det mere om at udvikle dine “hårde” færdigheder gennem formelle studier på universitetet. Jeg mener, at det er vigtigt for praktikere inden for fysisk performance at have en solid grundlæggende forståelse af træningsfysiologi og læse original litteratur (se links nedenfor).
Nogle gange kan studerende være skyldige i at bruge sociale medier eller AI for meget til at informere deres læring. Når du begynder at arbejde i fodbold, vil du opdage, at udviklingen af dine “bløde” færdigheder, såsom kommunikation og sociale evner, bliver en større prioritet. |
| Hvordan kan du bedst navigere i udfordringerne og kravene, når det gælder en karriere inden for fysisk performance i fodbold? | Du skal virkelig have en plan. Mange praktikere hopper fra klub til klub uden en klar langsigtet plan, men blot for at forblive i fodboldens verden. Tal med en mentor eller en person med stor erfaring i fodbold for at få indsigt og strukturere dine karrieremål.
Det er vigtigt, at du forstår, hvordan en “typisk” karrierevej ser ud for performance-praktikere inden for fodbold. For eksempel tager man i Danmark typisk en bacheloruddannelse, efterfulgt af en kandidatgrad og muligvis en ph.d. Trænerlicenser er meget udbredte i Danmark, hvor mange praktikere mindst har UEFA B-niveau. At have de rette kvalifikationer kombineret med praktisk erfaring i forskellige roller vil skabe fundamentet for en succesfuld karriere i fodbold. Som inspiration har Matt Springham et al. beskrevet den ‘typiske’ karrierevej for fysiske-trænere fra praktikant til leder af afdelingen. Du skal dog se modellen med det forbehold, at den er udviklet med afsæt i Storbritannien, som kan adskille sig fra den ‘typiske’ danske karrierevej.
For nogle er karrierevejen dog ikke altid så lineær i forhold til progression. Mens nogle får mulighed for at starte på toppen (men skal kæmpe for at blive der), starter andre nederst i pyramiden og arbejder sig op. Med nye tendenser og krav til kvalifikationer på vej er det vigtigt, at praktikere holder sig opdateret for at forblive attraktive på arbejdsmarkedet. |
| Hvilken rolle spiller netværk og videndeling i faglig udvikling inden for dette felt? | Netværk er supervigtigt. Det er et område, mange praktikere forsømmer. Omkring 85 procent af jobs i fodbold opnås uformelt (det vil sige ikke offentlige stillingsopslag), og en af de vigtigste måder at få job på er via mund-til-mund-metoden.
Jeg har fokuseret på at opbygge et personligt brand – eksempelvis via min LinkedIn, et nyhedsbrev og min hjemmeside. Du kan også fokusere på at opbygge et personligt brand, men gør det på en måde, hvor du tilbyder dit publikum og dit netværk ny viden og inspiration i stedet for at “sælge dig selv” og fremhæve for meget, at du arbejder i fodbold. Her kan du komme i kontakt med og følge mig:
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| Kan du give specifikke råd til (unge) professionelle, der ønsker at starte eller skifte til en karriere inden for fysisk præstation i fodbold? | Du skal være så godt forberedt som muligt på kravene ved at arbejde i fodbold. Du vil skulle arbejde lange timer (også alene) og ofte gå glip af sociale begivenheder. Som jeg tidligere har nævnt, kan du med fordel tale med erfarne praktikere og mentorer for at få vejledning om, hvordan du bedst navigerer din karriere.
Men til sidst: Nyd det! Der er ikke mange jobs i verden, der giver dig mulighed for at arbejde med din hobby inden for fodbold. Det slår helt sikkert at sidde ved et skrivebord fra 09:00 til 17:00. Efter min mening! |
James Malone: Navigating your career path as a football physical performance practitioner
Do you know how to progress and navigate your career as performance practioner?
At the Football Performance Summit 2025, hosted by the Danish League Association and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), James Malone delivered a presentation titled “Navigating Your Career Path as a Football Physical Performance Practitioner.”
James Malone is now a mentor and consultant for practitioners in physical performance. He holds a Ph.D. from Liverpool John Moores University and worked concurrently with Liverpool FC during his studies. In short, he has dedicated his career to helping others optimize physical performance and develop training methodologies.
In this Q&A, James Malone shares his experiences and offers advice on how to build a successful career in physical performance. He provides insights into the skills and strategies needed to succeed, emphasizing the importance of a strong network and achieving a balance between science and practice.
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Question |
Answer |
| What do you see as the most essential skills for succeeding as a football physical performance practitioner? | Early in your career, it’s more about the development of your ‘hard’ skills through formal studies within university. I think, it’s important for physical performance practitioners to have a solid fundamental understanding of exercise physiology and doing some original reading (see links below). Sometimes students can be guilty of using social media or AI to inform their learning too much. As you begin to work in football, whilst hard skills are still important, you will find that developing your ‘soft’ skills such as communication, social skills, etc. will become more of a priority. |
| How can one best navigate the challenges and demands of a career in football physical performance? | You really need to have a plan. Many practitioners will bounce around from club to club without a clear long-term plan, just to stay involved within the game. Speak with a mentor or someone with vast experience in football to gain future insights and work together to structure your career goals. It’s important you understand what a ’typical’ pathway looks like in football for performance practitioners. For example, in Denmark typically practitioners will do a bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s then possibly a PhD. Coaching licences are very big in Denmark, with many practitioners at least UEFA B level.
In addition, the new UEFA fitness diploma will play a big role in how practitioners will become accredited, particularly in Denmark where there is a lack of an accreditation body for sports science and strength & conditioning. Having the right qualifications plus applied experience in different roles will set you up for a successful career in football. When mapping out your career plan, it’s important to know what qualifications/courses are required depending on the level you are working at. As inspiration, Matt Springham and colleagues, highlight the ‘typical’ pathway. This is illustrated in the figure below. Please note that the figure has the is based on the typical British career path, and there may be deviations from the system in your country.
However, for some, the pathway is not always this linear in terms of progression. While some get the opportunity to start at the top (and must, though, battle to stay there, others start down the bottom of the pyramid working their way up. With new trends and qualification requirements on the horizon, practitioners must keep up to date to remain employable. |
| What roles do networking and knowledge sharing play in professional development within this field? | Networking is incredibly important, yet it’s an area many practitioners overlook. Around 85 percent of jobs in football are secured informally (i.e., not through public job postings), and one of the most effective ways to land a job is through word-of-mouth.
I have focused on building a personal brand—for instance, through my LinkedIn profile, a newsletter, and my website. You can also focus on developing a personal brand, but do it in a way that provides your audience and network with valuable knowledge and inspiration, rather than just “selling yourself” or overly emphasizing that you work in football. Feel free to contact and follow me:
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| Can you offer specific advice to (young) professionals looking to start or transition into a career in football physical performance? | You must be prepared as best you can for the demands of working in football. You will have to work long, unsocial hours and often miss social events, such as weddings and birthdays. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I suggest to speak with experienced practitioners and mentors to provide guidance around how to best navigate your career.
Lastly – enjoy it! Not many jobs in the world allow you to work in your hobby area of sport/football. It certainly beats sitting at a desk 9-5 in my opinion! |
