Academy U9-16’s Strength & Conditioning Coach Location: Sparrows Lane Training Ground, South East London or as required Salary: £16,523 Hours: Part time, Permanent & Academy Matchday and as directed by your line manager Closing date: 30/03/2026 Benefits include private medical insurance, health cash back plan, EAP, auto enrolled pension The advert will close on the 30th March 2026, but as it is an urgent requirement we may not be able to wait until the closing date before progressing applications. Please apply early to avoid disappointment. To design, deliver, and monitor age-appropriate Strength and Conditioning programmes for academy players aged U9–U16. The role will support the long-term athletic development (LTAD) of players, ensuring sessions are safe, engaging, and aligned with the club’s performance philosophy. The coach will work collaboratively with coaching, medical, and performance staff to optimise player development and wellbeing. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Design & Deliver Age-Appropriate Athletic Development Programs • Implement LTAD-aligned programs tailored to growth and maturation stages. • Focus on developing fundamental movement skills, mobility, coordination, balance, speed, and agility. • Introduce basic strength training techniques using bodyweight and light resistance (particularly for U13–U16). • Progress physical development based on individual biological age rather than just chronological age. Injury Prevention & Movement Quality • Identify common movement inefficiencies and implement prehabilitation routines. • Promote injury prevention strategies, especially for common youth injuries (e.g., Osgood-Schlatter, Sever’s disease, groin issues). • Ensure players are moving efficiently through functional movement assessments and corrective exercises. Testing & Monitoring Physical Development • Conduct regular physical testing (e.g., sprint times, jump tests, movement screens) in an age-appropriate and non-invasive manner. • Track growth and maturation markers (e.g., Peak Height Velocity [PHV]) to guide training loads. • Maintain accurate records of physical development and training attendance. Education & Communication • Educate players on physical literacy, healthy habits, warm-up routines, recovery methods, and training mindset. • Communicate effectively with: • Technical coaches to integrate S&C into the football curriculum. • Parents to support training outside of academy and reinforce good habits. • Medical staff regarding injuries, rehab, and return-to-play planning. Integration with Football Training • Design physical warm-ups linked to session outcomes. • Collaborate with coaching staff to ensure physical development is integrated, not siloed. • Use football-relevant drills to develop speed, agility, and conditioning (e.g., with the ball, reactive components). Safeguarding and Welfare • Ensure all sessions are delivered with full awareness of safeguarding responsibilities. • Foster a positive, safe, and inclusive environment for all players. • Understand and adapt for players’ psychosocial stages of development. Continuous Professional Development • Stay updated with the latest research in youth athletic development, sports science, and injury prevention. • Engage in internal CPD with academy staff and external learning opportunities. MAIN JOB REQUIREMENTS AND PERSON SPECIFICATION Education/Qualifications/Training: • Undergraduate degree in Sports Science or similar related discipline. • Post graduate degree in Strength and Conditioning or similar related discipline. • UKSCA Accredited or a willingness to obtained. • BASES Accredited or the ability to obtain. Specific Experience: Experience in Youth Athletic Development • 1–2 years working with youth athletes, ideally in a football. • Proven experience designing and delivering age-appropriate physical development programs aligned with LTAD (Long-Term Athlete Development) principles. • Experience modifying training based on growth and maturation (e.g. working around Peak Height Velocity phases). Session Delivery Across Age Groups • Comfortable coaching across all foundation and youth development phases: • U9–U12 (Foundation Phase): Emphasis on movement quality, agility, coordination, and fun. • U13–U16 (Youth Development Phase): Increasing focus on structured strength, speed, and power development. • Experience in both individual and group coaching formats, ideally in a multi-sport or football-specific environment. Testing, Monitoring, and Reporting • Experience conducting physical testing protocols and movement screening. • Familiarity with tracking tools/software (e.g. Excel, Smartabase, Kitman Labs, or bespoke academy platforms). • Understanding of how to analyse, report, and interpret data to inform training adjustments. Injury Prevention and Return-to-Play Support • Worked alongside medical or physio teams to deliver prehab and rehab support. • Experience implementing injury prevention programs (e.g. Nordics, groin strength, FIFA 11 adapted for youth). • Ability to safely reintegrate players into training post-injury in line with S&C and medical guidance. Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Integration Worked as part of an MDT including: • Technical coaches • Physiotherapists/sports therapists • Analysts • Psychologists • Proven ability to communicate effectively across departments and contribute to holistic player development plans. Parent & Player Education Delivered or supported parent/player workshops on: • Growth and maturation • Nutrition and hydration • Sleep and recovery • Basic S&C principles • Ability to explain S&C concepts in simple, engaging ways to young players and their families. Experience in Elite Academy or Development Settings Previous role(s) at: • EPPP-accredited football academy • School or college with a strong athletic development program • National or regional development squads • Understanding of EPPP requirements and academy categorisation processes (if in the UK). Abilities/Skills/Knowledge: • Adaptability • Strong Communication • Organisation & Planning • Problem Solving • Understanding of Youth Athletic Development Models • Growth & Maturation • Multi disciplinary Collaboration Safeguarding Charlton Athletic Football club are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We endeavour to provide a fun, safe and welcoming environment where children and young people feel respected and valued. If you are successful, then you will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS. Additional Information • This a full-time role that includes work on weekends and evenings • Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK • Charlton Athletic is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to a satisfactory DBS Disclosure • As such, this post is exempt for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and the successful candidate must disclose all convictions spent convictions should be declared, that have not been subject to filtering by the DBS • Charlton Athletic FC is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and its policies for recruitment, selection, training, development and promotion are designed to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment. • Any personal data that you provide to Charlton Athletic Football Club Ltd (data controller) will be processed in line with applicable data protection laws and will be used only for the purpose of recruitment. • We will keep your personal information for 6 months after which we will erase it. You can always choose to have your data erased earlier by emailing us at [email protected]. • We’d love to hear from you if you believe you can meet the challenges of working within an elite sporting environment. Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive we regret that we are unable to respond to unsuccessful applicants. Please Note Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London. The club was founded on June 9th, 1905 and has a very storied history from rising to the top-flight of English Football in the 1930s (First Division) and again in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, to winning the FA Cup in 1947 and to leaving their Valley home in the mid-1980s only to make an impassioned return in 1992. Historically, the women's team played under Charlton Athletic from 2000 to 2007 but were released to become an independently run team in 2007 following the men's team's relegation from the Premier League. The women's team were originally formed as a non-professional team in 1991 and were highly successful in the early 2000s winning The FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Charity Shield, as well as coming runners-up in the top division in multiple seasons. In February 2021, the club acquired the Charlton Athletic Women's team, turning the team full-time professional, and integrating them to become one club again. Currently, our men's first team competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football, and our women's team competes in Women’s Super League 2, the second highest division of women's football in England. At Charlton, we are ‘one club’ and can be truly described as a ‘family club’.