This British Association of Sport & Exercise Science (BASES) endorsed course is the most comprehensive education programme in the world in relation to growth and maturation for youth athletes. The course delivered by top level applied practitioners and world renowned academics highlights key topic areas that are fundamental to the development of youth athletes across sports.
On course completion you will receive your CPD certification and be entitled to 10 BASES credits.
When working in or aspiring to work within a youth athletic environment; it is essential to have an in depth knowledge and understanding of Growth & Maturation and the impacts it may have on each individual athlete. Research and practice have shown the many different ways children are effected by the changes the body goes through during early life, including biological and physiological adaptation which impacts the way each individual develops over time. These changes have far reaching implications and it is the role of top class practitioners across disciplines to provide youth athletes with the best service possible with these aspects at the forefront of their mind and built into their philosophy. The Certificate in Growth & Maturation for Youth Athletes has been put together by some of the best academic researchers and applied practitioners working in this area and identifies the key aspects that anyone working with youth athletes should be skilled in. From Sport Science and S&C; medical, coaching, analysis and talent ID perspectives everyone has a role to play in the implementation of a development strategy to enhance the experience and development of our next generation of athletes. This British Association of Sport & Exercise Science (BASES) endorsed online course will ensure you have extensive knowledge of these concepts while giving you the tools to apply the knowledge in your current or future working environment.
Who is the course for?
Anyone working or aspiring to work in a performance support role with Youth Athletes in any Sport. See recommendations below:
•Sport Scientists and S&C coaches
•Medical practitioners – Doctors; Physiotherapists, Sports Therapists
•Sports Coaches who hold high level technical coaching courses e.g. in Football The FA Youth Advanced award or UEFA B with aspiration of gaining FA Youth Advanced Award.
•Students enrolled on Degree level programmes in any of the above disciplines.
•Academics and Researchers wanting to expand their knowledge of Growth & Maturation, its implications for development and implementation strategies.
Who are the course content providers?
About Ben Bradley MSc, ASCC – Head of Academy Sport Science & 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 and S&C coach in professional sport since 2012 spending most of his time in an academy environment. Ben is currently the Head of Academy Sport Science & Medicine at AFC Bournemouth, where he leads a team of Science and Medicine staff that have a reputation for high quality youth athlete development and research.
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 David Johnson MSc – Academy Head of Physical Performance 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 at West Ham United FC having previously been an Academy Sport Scientist at AFC Bournemouth. David is also in the process of completing his 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 the past 10 years working in elite sport and is currently the Academy Performance Manager at Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Will leads a team of science and medical practitioners in providing performance support to athletes aged 8-23 years within the Premier League club’s academy. 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 – Academy Head of Physical Performance at a Professional Football Club
Gill is the Head of Academy Physical Performance at a Professional Football Club. Gill was previously S&C 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.
About Tejal Sarika Patel MSc, ASCC – Sport Scientist and PhD student with British Gymnastics
Tejal is currently a PhD student with British Gymnastics and the University of Bath looking at Growth and maturation, training load and injury in competitive gymnasts. Tejal also supports the sports science team at British Gymnastics, including supporting pathway programmes with Strength and Conditioning. 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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