**Salary & Benefits:** Depending on Experience

**Hours Required:** Permanent Contract Full Time (includes evenings and weekends)

**Reporting to:** Head of Academy

**Purpose of Role:** To plan, deliver and review all aspect of medical care within the Junior Academy (U15-U18) with a focus on injury assessment, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and prevention

**Based at:** Kingston Park Stadium, Newcastle upon Tyne as well as other locations in and around the region.

We are Newcastle Falcons one of the Premiership rugby teams. We are setting our sights on a new, exciting future and are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and approachable physiotherapist to lead the medical care provision within our Junior Academy (U15-U18) on a full-time basis. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and forward-thinking team with a proven track record of producing professional rugby players for the Newcastle Falcons 1st team squad. The role will involve working closely with the most talented young rugby players in the elite pathway in their pursuit of excellence to assess, diagnose, rehabilitate, and prevent injuries.

**Other key responsibilities as part of this role include:**

* Lead and manage all medical provision for the Junior Academy in line with club directives, working in conjunction with other staff and taking a lead role in the development of all contracted Junior Academy players
* Provide pitch side cover at all Junior Academy training sessions and age group fixtures in conjunction with other staff, providing strapping requirements, injury management and pitch side extraction where appropriate
* Provide trauma, triage, screening, assessment, and diagnosis of new injuries as well as planning and delivering rehabilitation, treatment, and bi-weekly management of on-going injuries to all Junior Academy players
* Update coaches bi-weekly on injury diagnosis and return to play time frames, communicating with international age group staff and liaising with CSC staff to monitor progress against objective markers
* Work in collaboration with medical staff at schools, clubs, and CBs to ensure Junior Academy players follow a single rehabilitation plan, visiting off site where appropriate and develop strong working relationships across the network and providing supporting education to all
* Provide additional support to all Junior Academy EAPs in line with their individual development plans the form of additional off-site injury rehabilitation sessions, recovery sessions, robustness provision and well-being support
* Oversee the level of medical provision within the Developing Player Programme, including managing the minimum standards of care and the education of players, coaches and parents on recovery, injury management and injury prevention
* Provide medical support to the ACE Scheme at Gosforth Academy, holding bi-weekly injury clinics and providing pitch side cover to all matches in conjunction with other staff
* Liaise with Academy S+C Coach to devise and deliver injured player rehabilitation programmes as well as leading injury surveillance and research projects from time to time
* Manage and maintain up-to-date records of all Junior Academy players in accordance with club directives on the rugby squad central player database

**Key performance indicators:**

* Effectiveness of clinical interventions provided to academy players
* Up-to-date record keeping and monitoring of each player over time on rugby squad
– Development of sustainable practices across the academy
– Adherence to all RFU / PRL regulations to maintain the academy licence
– Adherence to RFU / PGB minimum standards such as CSP, HPC and other medical protocols
– Feedback from players / stakeholders on the quality of service provided

**Essential requirements:**

– Experience working in a sporting environment and understanding of youth development/physiology
– Appropriate professional qualifications including a relevant degree and ICIS (or equivalent)
– Flexibility to work unsociable hours, including evenings and weekends
– Organised, efficient and able to work both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
– Enhanced DBS clearance
– First aid qualification
– Full clean driving license with access to transport

**Desirable**

– Knowledge of rugby how it is played, nature and scope of common rugby related injuries and their treatment and prevention.
– Pitch-PHICIS training

**People dimensions:**

* Comfortable in a team environment and motivated to work independently

**Safeguarding**

– Newcastle Falcons, Thunder and Foundation take safeguarding very seriously and is committed to ensuring that all children and adults at risk are safeguarded at all times when engaging in club activities or services. The club has numerous safeguarding policies and best practice guidelines to support this and expects all employees to adopt such policies and practices at all times.
– The club adheres to strict guidelines, policies and procedures when recruiting staff who work with children and/or adults at risk and is committed to ensuring staff receive appropriate safeguarding training suitable to their role/s. Successful applicants are expected to share the club’s approach to safeguarding at all times.

**Equal Opportunities:**

– The post holder’s duties must be carried out in compliance with the Club’s Equal Opportunities Policy, with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and subsequent Health and Safety Legislation.
– Newcastle Falcons, Thunder and Foundation are an equal opportunities employer, all applicants for employment will be given equal opportunities irrespective of sex, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin.
– These duties and responsibilities should be regarded as neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other reasonably determined duties and responsibilities within Newcastle Falcons, commensurate with the post without changing the character of the post. This post requires an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). Information on all convictions including spent convictions must be declared, in line with the new Government Filtering System.

If you wish to see our Candidate Privacy Notice click **[here][1]**.

Employment is subject to: satisfactory professional references, the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK as well as a successfully cleared enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check and clearance of RFU safer recruitment procedure.

Please apply with a CV and a cover letter to **cheryl.abdul@newcastle-falcons.co.uk**

We will accept no more applications after midnight on **Wednesday, January 18**

Any questions please contact **cheryl.abdul@newcastle-falcons.co.uk**

**Start date:** March 2023

[1]: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67084057/newcastle-rugby-privacy-notice-for-candidates