Episode 182: In this episode of the Sport Performance Leadership Podcast host Pete McKnight speaks to Luke Passman, a seasoned performance leader with experience across rugby, tennis, baseball, and football at the elite level. Luke is currently the Head of Performance Sciences – Academy at Chelsea FC, where he oversees S&C, sport science, and nutrition.

Luke’s career spans top roles including Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for the New York Mets, where he oversaw player development systems in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, and Head of Sport Science Support at SotoTennis Academy, leading multidisciplinary teams. He’s also a private performance consultant on the WTA Tour, working with players at Grand Slam and WTA 250/500 events.

Career journey – From coaching in Spain to leadership at the Mets and Chelsea FC

Transition to leadership – Moving from S&C delivery to managing multidisciplinary teams

Leadership at the Mets – Navigating decentralised systems and empowering staff

Strategic performance impact – Leading initiatives like performance scouting for the MLB Draft

Learning to lead – Mentorship, reflection, and executive leadership training at Oxford

Navigating change – Managing staff and culture through leadership turnover

Core leadership principles – Authenticity, clarity, autonomy, and honest feedback

Cultural adaptability – Leading across Spain, the U.S., and the UK

Future of performance leadership – Data-driven systems, generational shifts, and staff development

Advice for aspiring leaders – Be self-aware, seek support, work hard, and own your growth

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Where you can find Luke:

•⁠  LinkedIn

•⁠ Instagram

•⁠ X

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Sponsors

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.

VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.

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Our Team