Chelsea and West Ham may be Premier League rivals from opposite sides of London, but one thing they have in common is that for both clubs, getting their men’s first teams in the best possible physical shape is in the hands of Swansea sports science graduates.
Tom Taylor and Jordan Smith both studied for a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at Swansea University, followed by a Masters by Research in Sports Science.
They are now lead Physical Performance Coaches at Chelsea Football Club and West Ham United respectively.
At Swansea they were in a department which has worked extensively with elite and professional athletes, from football and rugby to Formula 1. Their studies gave them a thorough academic grounding in the subject, together with practical experience including placements with professional football clubs. This combination boosted their employability and launched them both on their career paths towards the Premier League.
Each of them is responsible at their club for delivering a physical performance programme to the Men’s First Team squad, overseeing a team of physical performance coaches.
Tom Taylor, after graduating, worked with top-flight football clubs in England and Scotland, including Glasgow Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United, before taking on the lead role at Chelsea.
Tom Taylor said:
“Studying Sport Science at Swansea University laid the foundation for my career in professional sport. The lectures provided a solid understanding of the science behind performance and the laboratory sessions brought it to life along with enhancing your practical skills.
On completing my degree, I continued to study at Swansea for an MSc by research, under the supervision of Professor Kilduff, in conjunction with a year-long placement at West Ham Utd. This allowed to me really focus on particular performance challenges faced within professional football, which through the help of my MSc, enabled me to develop bespoke performance solutions”.
Jordan Smith, after graduating, started his career with a post in the performance team at Swansea City before moving to Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion where he worked with the first team. From there, he moved to West Ham to take on the lead role.
Jordan Smith said:
“My time at Swansea really cemented my drive to work in elite sport and the degree gave me both the theoretical and practical skills to succeed in this highly competitive space. The department and staff really emphasised all elements of career development throughout my time there and my placement with Swansea City F.C. brought everything to life. The support I’ve been given throughout my career from key staff really shows how passionate they are about continuing to develop the next generation of Performance Scientists”.
Many other Swansea graduates in sports science have also seen their employability prospects boosted. For example, every one of the students who followed the MSc in sports science have found roles in the sector, from professional sport to school sports departments.
Sport and Exercise Science at Swansea University - find out more
Professor Liam Kilduff of Swansea University department of sport and exercise science said:
“Jordan and Tom are two great examples of alumni who have gone on to make a real difference in elite sport.
Our undergraduate degree sets a really strong foundation for our students and our recently launched MSc in Advanced Sport Performance Science further develops the skills and knowledge required to excel in professional sport. Equally students who have a passion for exercise science have the same opportunities and development while studying here.
As a department we really pride ourselves on developing well-rounded, well-educated students who can make a real impact in industry.
We have recently launched a new suite of Master’s programmes that focus on the needs of our industry. For example, our new MSc in Advanced Sport Performance Science draws on our world-class performance science research and has been devised in collaboration with our industrial partners.
This MSc offers a year-long placement in an elite sporting organisation. So not only do the students get taught by world-leading academics and practitioners, but they also get to embed this knowledge into applied practice while being mentored at experienced applied practitioners.”