Certificate in Soccer Training Load Management

This bespoke certificate has been designed to help you make better decisions in your career by understanding the tactical and technical elements of the game and providing you with knowledge of the soccer performance components that make successful sporting teams. During this course, you will be taught by world-class, respected practitioners and academics from the world of football. You will explore topics such as soccer-specific player testing and monitoring strategies, the theoretical models surrounding training load management, and approaches to monitoring tools and microcycle planning.

Course Content

Module 1 Soccer player testing and monitoring – real evidence

• Led by Professor Darren Paul.
• Soccer specific player testing and monitoring strategies based around real evidence.
• Coach and player considerations on monitoring.
• Considering the different monitoring and testing protocols possible. 

Module 2 Injury reduction strategies in professional soccer

• Led by Patrick Orme.
• Key injury reduction strategies currently associated and used within professional soccer.
• The link between the physical stimulus required to keep players healthy and available to train.
• Key soccer process planning and scheduling.

Module 3 Considerations and applications of training load management in elite soccer players

• Led by Professor Vasilios Kalapotharakos.
• Considerations and applications of training and monitoring in soccer.
• Theoretical models surrounding training load management.
• Understand the internal and external methods used.

Module 4 Soccer specific monitoring: weekly microcycle, planning and performance

• Led by Dr. Dawid Golinski.
• Load monitoring methods used functionally within the game, allowing you to explore weekly training microcycles.
• Specific soccer strategies for planning and performance, and how you can implement them in your work with the team.

Module 5 External load monitoring in professional soccer – GPS tracking

• Led by Dr. Xinyi Ji.
• The role of external load monitoring processes in professional soccer.
• Understanding GPS tracking systems.

Module 6 Testing and monitoring in soccer: training and games

• Led by Dr. Berni Guerrero.
• Understand the difference between testing and monitoring.
• Internal and external methodologies used in testing and monitoring.
• Practical application of testing and monitoring and how it can be put in place within a soccer specific environment.

Module 7 Soccer specific monitoring: subjective effort assessment

• Led by Dr. Dawid Golinski.
• Examine the subjective load analysis and the RPE or effort assessment from a soccer specific process.
• Monitoring tools approaches and wellness monitoring.
• Detailed microcycle planning.
• Integrating literature around the acute versus chronic workload principle.

Module 8 Competitive soccer training microcycle: structure and justification

• Led by Dr. Adam Owen.
• The appliance of science into an applied setting with a detailed case study example in elite soccer.
• Examine soccer specific training load management within high-performance settings and philosophies.
• Specific indicators of injury reduction of risk factors from a player and coach centred perspective.