Portsmouth Football Club Magazine July 2020 | Seite 6

My placement year at Portsmouth F.C. DAN COLEMAN, WHO STUDIES BSC SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH, TALKS ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE OF A WORK PLACEMENT YEAR AT PORTSMOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB. has opened my eyes to the industry, so I’m planning on doing a Master’s in Strength and Conditioning at Portsmouth. Seeing what you’ve studied in action makes you excited to do more research. Hopefully that takes me to a career in sports science – attached to a sports team, taking their strength and conditioning sessions, or personal training, where you do freelance, one-on-one work. The University prides itself on having a high rate of employability after graduating. It’s the same at the Football Club. There’s a massive focus on player development, not just on the pitch or in the gym but on a personal level. It’s sort of like the shared values of the city – a massive emphasis on development. The start of second year, we were introduced to the idea of placements and how they benefit our student experience. I started messaging different football clubs around Christmas time. I got an email from a sports scientist at Portsmouth saying they had two opportunities as an Academy intern. I replied with a personal statement and got an interview around Easter. I’ve been doing my placement part time in my third year. Because the Club’s on the doorstep, I’m able to split my time between placement and University. We always had a plan of the week and plenty of time to study. There’s two sides to it – working with the First Team and the Academy. There’s two sports scientists in the first team, so it’s shadowing them, assisting with the day-to-day. I’ll come in a couple of days a week and get an insight into the daily on-goings of a league football club. I get involved with the coaches all the way up to the manager and help with some rehab with the players. The other side is the Academy. That’s more hands-on. Myself and Harry, the other student placement, have taken strength and conditioning sessions for under-11s through to under- 14s, every Tuesday throughout the year. That helps us build leadership, confidence, the ability to plan sessions and programming. You build up your portfolio of different exercises, how they work, how they improve players’ ability. We give them their own programmes now – seeing them improve has definitely been rewarding. Having proof that I’ve applied my knowledge, but also that I’m gaining knowledge from the First Team’s sports scientists, definitely helps my employability. The placement ‘SEEING WHAT YOU’VE STUDIED IN ACTION MAKES YOU EXCITED TO DO MORE RESEARCH’ If we don’t take radical action, the consequences of plastic pollution on our health and the environment will be catastrophic. We’ve got to build a world that’s more sustainable. A globe-spanning plastics economy based on circular principles. Before it’s too late. Right now, our researchers are making change happen. We’re working to transform the potential of plastic recycling and reuse. Reduce waste through packaging innovation. Develop new, sustainable materials. Formulate new policies and incentives. Further the world’s understanding of how microplastics affect our seas, economy and the air we breathe. A revolution has started in Portsmouth. We call it Revolution Plastics. It’s going to take global partnerships to turn the world around. If you’re with us, email [email protected] 9 10