The ADP · BASES endorsed certificate
Understand growth. Make better decisions for young athletes.
A practical, research-informed journey through biological maturation, measurement, injury considerations, bio-banding and an integrated development strategy. Learn from academics and applied practitioners working across youth sport.
15+ hours of material10 BASES endorsed CPD credits on completionAssessment and certificate
From evidence to everyday practice
What you will learn to apply
Chronological age alone does not tell the whole developmental story. This course brings the science and the practical decisions together so you can interpret individual differences more thoughtfully.
01 · Assess maturationUnderstand biological development and compare methods of collecting and interpreting maturation data.
02 · Consider riskExplore how growth and maturation relate to training demands and injury considerations in youth athletes.
03 · Adapt the environmentExamine bio-banding in training, testing and competition and build a more joined-up development approach.
Who is this for?
For sport scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, sports medicine practitioners, coaches, students and researchers working with or preparing to support youth athletes across sports. The course connects research insights with the decisions made by multidisciplinary teams.
Explore inside · course preview
Practise the decisions you make with young athletes.
Alongside the specialist presentations, applied case studies and knowledge checks help you connect the evidence to your own environment. Try this short sample from the bio-banding topic.
Sample case · fictional athlete
Alex: when physical advantage becomes less decisive
Alex is a 13-year-old footballer who often wins physical duels in the usual age group. In a maturity-matched trial, Alex faces more resistance and reports that the game feels harder. Your aim is to create more opportunities to scan, combine and solve problems under pressure.
Think like a practitioner: What would you observe, and what would you ask Alex, before deciding whether to repeat or adapt the session?
Try a knowledge check
Which response is most appropriate?
- Move Alex permanently because a harder game guarantees better development.
- Review Alex’s feedback, decisions, opportunities and welfare against the session’s developmental aim.
- Stop the trial because any increase in difficulty is harmful.
Reveal the answer and reasoning
B. Useful challenge depends on the learning aim and the individual player’s experience. Review meaningful actions, confidence and welfare alongside perceived difficulty. A single session is too noisy to justify permanent placement or a claim of long-term benefit.
More ways to turn learning into practice
Applied case studiesWork through bio-banding and maturity versus relative-age scenarios, then explore the suggested reasoning.
Research and practitioner insightLearn through specialist presentations, research reports and In The Field interviews.
Reflection and assessmentUse practical prompts and knowledge checks to review your understanding before the end-of-course assessment.
This preview is a shortened teaching example. The full course develops the underlying science, measurement choices and implementation considerations across five modules.
Who are the course content providers?
About Ben Bradley MSc, ASCC – Coordinator of Performance & Medicine at a Professional Football Club
Ben Bradley is the founder and owner of The Athlete Development Project, and the architect of The Certificate in Growth & Maturation for Youth Athletes. He has an undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science, an MSc in Applied Sport Science and is an accredited Strength & Conditioning coach. Ben has worked as a Sport Scientist, S&C coach and Performance & Medicine leader in professional sport since 2012. Ben is currently the Coordinator of Performance & Medicine at AFC Bournemouth having previously been Head of Academy Performance & Medicine at the same club for over a decade.
About Dr Sean Cumming – Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Bath
Dr Sean Cumming is a senior lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Bath. He is recognised internationally as a leading expert on the subject growth and maturation in the context of sport and exercise. Experienced in the measurement and consideration of growth and maturation in young athletes, Dr Cumming has worked in research and consultancy roles with a number of leading National Sporting Organisations and professional sports teams including the Premier League, Football Association, Lawn Tennis Association, British Gymnastics, Scottish Rugby Union, AFC Bournemouth, Southampton FC and Manchester United.
About Dr David Johnson – Performance Director (Women’s & Academy) at a Professional Football Club
David Johnson started his career by completed an undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science at Manchester Metropolitan University alongside working in the academy at Crewe Alexandra FC. David has also completed a master’s in research at the University of Bath investigating growth and maturation in academy Footballers. David currently works as Director of Performance (Women & Academy) at West Ham United. He was previously Academy Head of Physical Performance at the same club joining from AFC Bournemouth, where he was academy Sport Scientist. David has completed a PhD looking into training load and injury in adolescent Football players.
About Dr Amanda Johnson – High Performance Physiotherapist and consultant
Dr Amanda Johnson has worked as a physiotherapist in several sports at a high level including the Great Britain Aquatic teams particularly swimming, synchro swimming and 10 years with the GB diving team. She has travelled with the England Athletics Team to international camps and competitions. Latterly, she has been focused more on football. Amanda spent 10 years as the senior physiotherapist at the Academy of Manchester United before becoming the lead physiotherapist at Aspire Academy for 8 years. Amanda has served for 5 years as the England Women’s Football team physio and as a senior lecturer for the Football Association, in addition to lecturing at many international conferences on youth development, maturity and injury.
About Dr Will Abbott – Academy Performance Manager at a Professional Football club.
Dr. Will Abbott has spent more than a decade working in elite sport and is currently the Director of Performance Services at Charlton Athletic FC, having previously been Academy Performance Manager at Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Whilst holding BASES Sport and Exercise Scientist, and UKSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach accreditations, Will has recently completed his PhD thesis. The work is titled ‘monitoring and prescription of GPS training load in elite academy soccer athletes. Additional to his work in training load, Will has authored and co-authored research investigating training and match demands, athlete well-being, recovery modalities, mental fatigue, strength asymmetries, and bio-banding.
About Prof Jon Oliver – Professor of Applied Paediatric Exercise Science
Jon L. Oliver, PhD is a Professor of Applied Paediatric Exercise Science and Co-Founder of the Youth Physical Development Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), at Auckland University of Technology. His research interests consider the interlinking domains of physical performance, injury risk and health and wellbeing in long-term athletic development. This includes a particular interest in the role of strength and conditioning in the development of young athletes. He has worked across a variety of sports and continues to collaborate with professional organisations, both nationally and internationally, to help inform policy and practice.
About Dr Gill Myburgh – Performance Support Manager at the Premier League
Gill is a previous Strength and Conditioning Coach for Johanna Konta as well as overseeing the S&C delivery for the GB Fed Cup team. Through her career she has worked across the development spectrum, training youth players in several sports, including women’s football, squash, table tennis and hockey. Having led the design and delivery of the S&C support for the LTA’s National Age Group Program, Gill holds a special interest in youth athlete identification and development and has completed a PhD on the topic of growth and maturation at the University of Bath. Gill is an accredited UKSCA member and a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, where she currently serves as an executive member on the LTAD Special Interest Group. Gill previously held the role of Academy Head of Performance at Fulham FC before joining the team at the Premier League.
About Tejal Sarika Patel MSc, ASCC – Pathway Support Lead at British Gymnastics
Tejal has completed a PhD with British Gymnastics and the University of Bath looking at Growth and maturation, training load and injury in competitive gymnasts. Tejal is now the pathway lead delivering sports science throughout the performance pathway for the Olympic disciplines. Previously, Tejal completed her undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science and her postgraduate degree in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough University. She has also had a mix of voluntary research and applied experience with a range of sports, including Cycling, Swimming and Rugby. Tejal is both UKSCA accredited and NSCA certified strength and conditioning coach.
About Rowan Prosser BSc – Digital Editor
Rowan is The ADP’s digital editor and deals with all of the video content across the site including all of the content provided in this course. Rowan holds a first class BA Honours degree in Television Production from Bournemouth University. Rowan is currently a Video Producer for Norwich City Football Club having formerly worked as an assistant digital editor for AFC Bournemouth. Rowan has worked on a variety of productions ranging from sports broadcast with PLP, Norwich and AFC Bournemouth, to live television working on Mock the Week and editing for BBC Music Introducing.
Other Contributors
We are also delighted that the amazingly talented group of people below also agreed to contribute to the course in different ways. Many thanks to each and every one for sharing their expert knowledge in the field.
Graham Mills BSc – Senior Lecturer in Football Coaching at Solent University & YDP Coach at a Professional Football Club.
Jorge Arede MSc – PhD candidate and S&C coach – Head of Athletic Development working in Basketball.
Dr James Parr – Sport Scientist at a Professional Football Club.
Dr Matt Cloutier – Clinic Director, Director of Sports Performance at Kinetic Physical Therapy.
Megan Hill MRes – PhD Student- Growth and Maturation of Athletes.
Dr Joe Eisenmann – Scholar-Practitioner-Applied Sports Scientist
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