A-League strength and conditioning coaches know that in 2016, football comes first.
For a parochial sport often divided on tribal grounds, individual clubs are adopting a unified philosophy behind the scenes that prepares their players to meet the demands of the competition.
While the science of sport is far from exact, the coaching and conditioning departments work hand-in-hand across the board to ensure players are not only the best athletes they can be, but also the best footballers.
Andrew Clark acts as the strength and conditioning coach of Sydney FC.
The 41-year-old is a Graham Arnold loyalist, having followed the current Sydney FC manager from the Central Coast Mariners to Vegalta Sendai before reuniting at the Harbour City in 2014.
He views the integration of sports science into the football department as his main role with the club.
“I act as an intermediate between the medical and coaching teams,” explains Clark.
Very little is achieved on the Sky Blues’ training ground at Macquarie University without the input of Clark.
The modest former A-League player understands that every element of the fitness of the squad comes back to football.
“The emphasis must always be on the game and how it is played in an 11-versus-11 environment.
“Sports science technology has allowed us to monitor the output of players in training and in games better than ever before.
“This allows for a safer working environment for players and more specific levels of conditioning to match the technical and tactical requirements of the game,” Clark says.
Lee Spence performs the same role across the Tasman at the Wellington Phoenix.
Having begun in 2012 at the club, Spence is under no illusions where the parameters of his work start and finish with head coach Ernie Merrick.
“Football is what ultimately comes first,” asserts Spence.
“At the end of the day, sports science and strength and conditioning coaches are there as support staff to the head coach.
“Their aim should be to help him facilitate his plan,” says Spence.
So how is this implemented during a season in New Zealand?
“Along with the other coaches and medical staff, Ernie and I are in constant communication throughout the training week,” outlines Spence.
“This might start with coaching staff going through their plan for the session before Rob Lee, our physio, and myself discuss who is fit to train, who isn’t and certain players who may need to have lesser training load.
“We then can start to talk around targeted outcomes for the session from a technical and tactical point of view and a physical target if required.”
Being the sole overseas franchise in the A-League, Wellington Phoenix carry an extra travel burden that directly impacts Spence’s role.
“Since Ernie joined we have taken a get in, get out approach.
“With so many of our players having wives and young families, we try to minimise the time we spend outside of Wellington.”
Spence believes Merrick’s simplified scheduling removes a majority of the obstacles the Phoenix have experienced in the past.
Their improved results on the road indicate that it’s a thriving success.
“Depending on the number of flights required to reach our final destination, we would normally have a light training session in the morning before flying out in the afternoon,” says Spence.
“We fly in the night before and look to stay in the same hotel every time we visit each city to help the players feel comfortable in their surroundings.
“Then we fly out first thing in the morning to allow us to arrive back in Wellington around mid-afternoon.”
Aside from adjusting to time difference and jetlag, fluctuations in weather can prove to be a substantial stumbling block for the backroom staff to overcome.
The club’s home at Westpac Stadium is notoriously wet and windy, creating various preparation challenges.
“It is very difficult to prepare the players adequately for this when the weather in Wellington is so different,” states Spence.
“There are no heat chambers or any such facilities in Wellington so we can’t even utilise that sort of equipment.
“The best we can do is stay on top of the players’ hydration levels and employ some pre-cooling methods before, during or after games.”
Clark’s Sydney FC sweltered in 34°C heat during their November clash away against Perth Glory earlier in the season.
This demonstrates the other end of the climatic extreme.
Head coach Graham Arnold publicly slammed the scheduling to argue the conditions were dangerous and not conducive to a good spectacle.
Although many within the football community agree with this position, Clark is pragmatic about managing a squad that competes across the hottest part of the calendar year.
“We change the way we prepare to employ cooling strategies to minimise the effects of heat,” explains Clark.
“It is inevitable with a significant change in climate, the time-motion characteristics of a game of football change.
“This has been proven many times.”
Although neither Spence nor Clark could be regarded as veterans in their field, they have been involved in the sport long enough to see the changes within their industry.
“There are very few players who can compete nowadays without having a good level of conditioning,” argues Spence.
“They soon get found out if they try to.”
Clark views his role as the yin to Graham Arnold’s yang, understanding that physical conditioning is purely complimentary to the bigger picture.
“Sports science provides a critical piece of the puzzle,” says Clark.
“In a functional environment they are both complimentary because specific roles require specific physiological requirements.”
Whether it’s soft tissue injury from excessive running or bone damage from direct contact, Spence believes the role of conditioning has to be valued as much as the coaching effort.
“Every session can impact on the next physically, either negatively or positively, and this means there has to be a balance.
“In a sport such as football they have to be complimentary.”
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