Des Ryan works for Setanta College as Director of Coaching & Performance. Des is one of the leading youth coaches and performance managers in sport and a world-renowned practitioner and speaker in the field of youth athletic development. At Setanta College, Des will contribute to the Colleges mission to be recognized in Ireland and Abroad as a leading provider of human performance and sport science research, training and education. Des joined Setanta from his position as Head of Sport Medicine & Athletic Development at Arsenal Football Club Academy, which he held for over 8 years and where he has re-shaped the concept of player development within the world of football. He has previously served as Head of S&C at Connacht Rugby, S&C to Ireland and as Fitness Education Manager within the IRFU, where he spent over 13 years developing the IRFU’s coach and player development system. Over the years Des has presented at the UKSCA, ASCA and the NSCA conferences as well as many other conferences around the world. He also has worked as a consultant to World Rugby and the National Cricket academy in India. Des has a Masters in Strength and Conditioning and is also an Accredited Strength and Conditioning coach with the UKSCA. He also has achieved the High Performance Sports Accreditation from the British Association of Sports and Exercise Science and is a chartered scientist.
In this episode Des discusses:
- What he would do different during is 8 years at Arsenal Academy.
- What organisations should be considering in order to attract top coaching talent.
- How to keep coaches engaged at the youth academy level.
- The importance of regular performance reviews and CPD plans.
- The importance of developing a blueprint with a multidisciplinary team and regularly revisiting it.
- Some of the opportunities early career coaches are over looking.
You can listen to the episode in full here.
You can keep up to date with Des on Twitter: @DeasunO and Setanta College via www.setantacollege.com .
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