Supporting Champions

This week we have two guests, Mark Richardson and Marcus Smith. Mark Richardson is the drummer for the band Skunk Anansie, a band that were figureheads of the Britrock explosion in the mid-nineties, with defining songs Weak and Hedonism and remain a highly influential band 25 years since they were formed.

Dr Marcus Smith is Reader in Sport and Exercise Physiology at the University of Chichester, with background of supporting elite athletes, especially boxers to Olympic success but Marcus loves his music too and as you’ll hear he became curious about how hard drummers work while on stage. This led to him contacting Clem Burke the drummer of Blondie and from there a fascinating project was struck up involving quantification of the physiological demand of performing Their work began to gain momentum and the Clem Burke Drumming Project was founded. And Mark Richardson got involved in the project because in music circles he was known as one of the most ferocious drummers about.

In the conversation, Mark describes his early career, how he found drumming as an outlet, how exploring his own performance with Marcus has opened up his thinking and practice to a much healthier, sustainable way of approaching the demands of performing on stage or touring. They also both share some wonderful spin-offs that the project has had in supporting children with autism too (see the links below).

Make sure you listen right to the end of the episode where you can listen to Mark performing the drumming for "Tear the place up" (courtesy of Skunk Anansie and reproduced with permission)

This episode is sponsored by Junius, a multi-award winning, health food + drinks company. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We’ve partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop  make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.

(Disclosure: Affiliate links are used for each product that we are an affiliate of, which means that if you click that link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a commission. You pay nothing extra; any commission we earn comes at no additional cost to you.)

Show notes

Drawing comparisons between performers and understanding of what is performance

Marcus discusses how he became interested in music; Blondie & Clem Burke the drummer. PhD with Olympic boxers and sport science.

Heart rate data collection of Clem drumming

Mark - the baddest hardest hitting rock drummer

Marcus discusses why he was fascinated by drummers and specifically fatigue

Mark discussed his childhood and how physical activity helped him not misbehave

Alcoholism, AA meetings and therapy, learning to get fit and stay healthy

The similarities between Premier League football players and drummer

The dichotomy between the perception a=of a having a dream job and the reality of the demands

The need to look after self pre-tour, including fitness, food and mentally

Marcus discussed the importance of asking questions and the person above the numbers

Learning to accept when ‘good enough’

The importance of collaboration and surrounding yourself with people more intelligent than you

Communication through movement and sound reaching out to kids with autism and the benefits of drumming

Outro of Mark playing “Tear the place up” (courtesy of Skunk Anansie and reproduced with permission)

Links

If you’re ambitious to work in sports performance, and you realise that there’s no golden ticket to the chocolate factory – that you have to learn and develop and build a network of collaborators to get there – then sign up for our Graduate Membership today – go to http://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/ and enrol. We’ll look forward to connecting with you there.

Connect with Marcus on Twitter on https://twitter.com/MarcusSmith78

Mark on Twitter https://twitter.com/markskunkanansi

https://clemburkedrummingproject.org/

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on;

Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/  or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

This week’s guest is Peter Vint. I’d got in touch with Peter with the full intention of discussing analytics, and the trend towards data and to fully explore the wave of interest, activity and investment in capture, understanding and use of information – and we do explore this especially as he has directed and delivered this function at the highest level at the USOC and in the Ineos sub 2 hour marathon project with Eliud Kipchoge. And now Peter is Chief of Sport at USA Volleyball – so has a much broader leadership role.

But I can’t say we spent the whole conversation discussing data – that’s because Peter is such an interesting person that we ended up exploring adapting to the pandemic, culture, long-term athlete development to name a few areas. So I promise you I’ll be exploring information and data in more detail in future episodes, but in the meantime enjoy a free ranging conversation with someone who over the last ten years of knowing Peter, it’s become apparent to me, that he is a luminary, a source of deep insight and knowledge and philosophy.

This episode is sponsored by Junius, a multi-award winning, health food + drinks company. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We’ve partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop  make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.

(Disclosure: Affiliate links are used for each product that we are an affiliate of, which means that if you click that link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a commission. You pay nothing extra; any commission we earn comes at no additional cost to you.)

Show notes 

As Chief of Sport at USA Volleyball Peter discusses how COVID affecting the year?

The culture of pay-to-play in youth sport

What could, and should, youth sport look like?

Peter discusses the need of sports people to achieve something very special and the technology that supports these feats

The gap between what we know and what we have and how do we make it useful and impactful

The Ineos Project

Deterministic approach becomes probabilistic

Links

Follow Peter on Twitter https://twitter.com/PeterVint

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on;

Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions

Graduate Membership enrolments are open for students and graduates to up their skills, join in the conversation about what’s on their mind and to network and connect. If you would like to sign up go to https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

This week’s guest is Chris Rosimus, Chris is the Head of Nutrition at the Football Association, leading all aspects of dietary provision to the England football teams. Prior to that Chris was nutritionist at England and Wales Cricket Board, English Institute of Sport and England Squash.

What was fascinating about this conversation was the route that Chris followed, which you might consider unconventional, if there is such a thing as a conventional route. Chris essentially followed his passions and interests, and what you’ll hear from Chris is how through chance, through his own connection with his experiences and through his intuition, he honoured the ideas that have sparked deep enthusiasm by pursuing them. At the centre of all of these discussions is one recurring theme that Chris has respected and protected during his career, one theme that has enabled him to influence a whole host of elite players and coaches – and that is relationships.

This episode is sponsored by Junius, a multi-award winning, health food + drinks company. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We’ve partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop  make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.

(Disclosure: Affiliate links are used for each product that we are an affiliate of, which means that if you click that link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a commission. You pay nothing extra; any commission we earn comes at no additional cost to you.)

Show Notes

Chris’ unique route into nutrition, 6 months as an apprentice gas engineer, 6 months making conservatory roofs, 6 years as an alarm engineer

Football coach for kids

Progressing to coaching badges which sparked an interest in nutrition

Chris reflects on how much he has changed

Taking the leap in applying for a nutrition course

A foundation year and learning to be academic and use a USB stick

Chris had a plan and knew he needed experience

First time doing a one-to-one session and struggling!

Common characteristics of a nutritional role

Feeling under pressure, being supported but having to work very hard to survive

Preparing a team for a major event

Having something positive to sell

Research and reading to stay on top of your game

Perceived traits of effective practice

Links

Connect with Chris on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rosimus-a77425180/

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on;

Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions

Graduate Membership enrolments are open until 2nd November 2020 for students and graduates to up their skills, join in the conversation about what’s on their mind and to network and connect. If you would like to sign up go to https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

Dr Cath Bishop competed as a rower at three Olympic Games, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens (and I had the privilege of working with Cath throughout her career), with highlights including winning the World Championships in 2003 and an Olympic silver medal in 2004. As a diplomat specialising in conflict issues, Cath was posted to Sarajevo, Bosnia, Basra and Iraq, as well as leading in Whitehall on the UK civilian contribution to conflicts around the world. 

Cath has written a book, out on 13th October 2020, calling on us all to redefine what winning is. Cath brings extraordinary and insight together, back up with numerous anecdotes, references and her own experience to examine what winning has come to mean to society and to us as individuals and offers a fresh perspective on how we might redefine success – personal and professional - for the longer-term.

This episode is sponsored by Junius, a multi-award winning, health food + drinks company. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We’ve partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop  make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.

Notes

Cath discusses the reasons for writing the book, being tested provoking debate and furthering thinking

Cath was a sporting failure at school

Shifting identity to an athlete and competing at the highest level.

Surviving in a high intensity, high performance environment

Relief at results at a high level but could it be reproduced at the Olympics

Being tough, but how much can you take?

When the results don’t match your physiology you realise there is more to performance

Associating failing to perform with your identity, at the time they were the same thing

If you come second you are a loser, but there is and has to be a different way

The longer you compete the more you realise the mental and cultural side of performance has a huge impact

There is a different psychology around ways to motivate it doesn’t need to be base on aggression or a macho narrative which is self-limiting

The Long Win – why are we still relying on outdated mantras and beliefs?

Athletes and even the athletes who are on the winning podium feeling unfulfilled and empty

Role modelling values and the way in which you can role model performance

Why is it important to win the medal? Why is it you train?

What are the costs of the sport you love, are you buying into them, do you understand them?

What is acceptable in the journey to success and what is unacceptable?

Playing to the longer term metric and strategies in both sport and business

Stating a wider purpose other than results

How can we unlock performance in a different way?

The IOC specifically states that competition is not between nations!

Working in partnership with your athlete and to explore unlocking even more

Links

Links for Cath

https://twitter.com/thecathbishop

https://cathbishop.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Win-search-better-succeed/dp/1788601912

Follow us

If you want to follow us on Twitter you can do so at  www.twitter.com/support_champs

And me on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

Follow our Linkedin page Supporting Champions at  www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

This week’s guest former Formula One driver Mark Webber. During his career Mark won nine Formula one Grands Prix, finishing third on three occasions, while driving for Red Bull racing. Mark has also won the FIA World Endurance Championship with Porsche.

In this interview I ask mark about how he’s making sense of his career now that he’s retired and hear all about a strange mix of feeling fortunate and experiencing the loss of his career. We discuss physically and mentally what he felt he was losing that meant he wasn’t able to compete. Mark shares how he with the help of his father was stretching to ever higher standards and he offers a fascinating insight into competing against the very best in Michael Schumacher. In a really powerful section Mark divulges what it was like to experience some of the most severe and spectacular (in the factual sense of the word) crashes. Perhaps what was just as fascinating was how Mark processed his thoughts and what struck me about this discussion was how effective Mark is at using frameworks to move to action, deliver the necessary behaviours, discipline and focus required to ascend, recover and improve. Much of this is self-taught, instinctive and so perhaps is a talent itself.

This episode is sponsored by Junius multi-award winning, health food + drinks company – Junius. Junius have made a superb range of plant-based juices. We've partnered with Junius so that you can benefit from a 10% discount on your first order from a range of themed boxes of 7 juices. When you go to the checkout at wearejunius.com/shop make sure you enter the exclusive code Champions10.

Show notes

Mark discusses how covid-19 has affected him and Formula 1

Personality traits, competition scenarios and keeping perspective/composure

Retirement and career reflections

Levels of boredom

Mark does not want to get in a grand prix car again

Grand prix driving is a young mans’ game

It’s tough at the top, winning, tough conversation/messages and self-discipline to adapt

Mark’s youth, how did he rise to the top?

The subtlety of feedback

The paranoid perfection pressure

The crunch moment – not having a plan B

Moments when Mark new he was ‘good’

Winning in Europe

Michael Schumacher the desire, pressure, belief and risks

Adapting to scenarios, team mates and pressures

The crashes

Providing support to others

Hindsight is their foresight

Doing the basics brilliantly and focus on yourself

Links

Mark Webber on Twitter

https://twitter.com/AussieGrit

and Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/aussiegrit/

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

I would put this week’s guest into a very select place in the world of endurance, one that has combined four often distinct factors, first quality academic research, second in a topic that contributes to elite performance, third creates a paradigm shift that challenges how most of us think about training, and fourthly has been successfully applied to the non-elites, the serious amateur athletes or training for the general population.

Professor Stephen Seiler’s has captured, described, cross-referenced and validated the unique training patterns of the world’s best athletes and has found a somewhat remarkable, counter-intuitive trend – that the training they do is polarised, that is that the best endurance athletes make their easy training easy and their hard training hard. This has become known as the polarised approach.

Stephen and his research group’s contribution to endurance sport took a bit of time to become recognised, now is widely accepted, considered and underpins the practice and thinking of coaches and athletes around the world.

We have a right old natter in this discussion, and in truth we could have spoken for hours more, we take a good couple of hours to explore, psycho-physiology, training, periodisation, philosophy and we both coin some new markers of over-training. We actually sort of drifted into a fascinating discussion right from the off, before we really started, which is representative of what you’ll hear, much less an interview but much more of a long-form conversation

Show notes

Talking shared book titles, Star Wars

Steve and Stephen discuss children and the role of parenting, ensuring you are mindful of their resilience and coaching them in their chosen field

Stephen discusses his daughter’s eating disorder and the areas he needs to be mindful of. Passing on the mantle of coaching, Stephen’s role will then have been fulfilled.

Gathering teams with different skills sets communicating effectively and putting the athlete in the centre

Stephen discusses the routine, the mundane aspects of high performance and planning for the extraordinary.

Self-doubt and elements of OCD within athletes regardless of achievement or performance level.

Providing positive support to athletes during competition

Getting bogged down in the details whilst forgetting the exceptional work completed over the long term

Interval training relax this is not rocket science!

Confidence versus certainty

Agile periodisation

The cheetah - moments of aggression

The adaptive advantage of the polarised approach

Signal versus stress

Staying under the stress radar

Getting the athlete and the coach on the same page

The relevance of subjective indicators

The hair in the yoghurt indicator!

Evolution and innovation of training

Resistance to change

I have been a gold medallist and I can be one again

Science meets arts and the development of new constructs for explanation

Links

Follow Stephen on twitter

https://twitter.com/StephenSeiler

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

In this week’s episode I speak to a true innovator, pioneer and superstar of human movement – Sebastien Foucan. Sebastien was one of the founding developers of the discipline of parkour and later Sebastien stretched his practice to develop free-running – creative, acrobatic, exploratory, jumping, vaulting, rolling, climbing and interacting with obstacles and environments.

Sebastien was also Bond baddy, delivering his art form on the big screen in a breath taking chase sequence with Daniel Craig at the start of Casino Royale! Sebastien has starred in Madonna video and toured with her.

In this interview we discuss Sebastien’s early athleticism, the origins of parkour, the split to free-running, the assessment of risk against knowledge of his own physical capabilities, the founding philosophies and links to Bruce Lee’s doctrines and the demands of getting it right on stage and screen. We also find out who was the harder taskmaster Madonna or Bond!

I’ve been in awe of Sebastien for many years and it was a compelling, deep yet fun conversation to have.

Show notes

Early origins of Sebastien's athletic ability

Creation of parkour and the split with free running

The philosophical nature of three running and the links with Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do 

Evaluating risk and understanding of personal physical abilities when performing free running

Importance of practice

Feeling flow, in the zone, the importance of the environment

Delivering free running on the big screen in James Bond Casino Royale movie

The demands of touring with Madonna

Sustaining performance as Sebastien gets older

Mentoring others and being the Obi-Wan Kenobi of free running

Links

https://twitter.com/SebastienFoucan

https://www.foucan.com/

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

This week’s guest is Kit Holder, first soloist at the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Kit has spent his whole career dancing, he came from a family of dancers, he went to the Royal Ballet School and has performed at the highest level on stage and now is a choreographer for the Birmingham company.

There’s a number of interesting angles that I took from this interview, one that he is working to the direction of a new boss the world renowned Carlos Acosta – finding out how the style, manner and expectation change with the new direction. Kit also shares an interesting hurdle he had to overcome where a particular routine and section caused a real performance blocker for him and how he overcame this limiting inhibition. Fascinating still how this experience has propelled him to study more about the psychology of performance. Kit also shares his insights into choreography, nurturing others, directing, inspiring and co-creating works with other dancers.

We’ve always been super keen to learn from diverse fields. Sport is not the reference point for all things performance – that’s something I’ve learnt since we set Supporting Champions up and begun applying performance thinking to business, education and the performing arts. To that end we've featured, west end stars, military commanders, television presenters in our interviews and there is always something ratifying about the convergence of ideas from parallel fields. This episode does the same.

Show notes

Prior to lockdown Kit was performing with the Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake

How COVID-19 affected the rehearsals, performances, classes and training.

Kit observes his motivation during the first few weeks of lockdown

Balancing road cycling and ballet

The specifics of training for ballerinas and maintaining performance

The film, ‘Alone Together’

Challenging audiences with performance  

Dancing for a digital audience

Kit’s experience of dancing as a child and following in his brothers’ footsteps

From the Royal Ballet School to the Royal Ballet Company

Kit set his sights on specifically wanting to work at The Royal Ballet School

The inherent desire to dance

Ballet dancers aesthetic 

Physical performance and psychological skills

Choreography

Choreography of a jazz improvisation and the realisation of the bigger components that allow a ballet company to function

Kit’s learnings about choreography

The ability to admit you were wrong

What’s next for kit?

Links

https://twitter.com/KitHolder

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

This week’s guest is Mel Marshall. As a swimmer Mel made five Olympic finals at two Olympic games’ and she is one of the most decorated swimmers for England at the Commonwealth Games. You’re likely to know Mel as much for her reputation as an elite swimmer as the coach of perhaps the most dominant swimmer on the planet at the moment – the imperious Adam Peaty.

Mel has coached Adam from his pre-teenage years taking him to the top of the Olympic podium in the 100m breaststroke at the Rio Olympics and having devastated the 100m breaststroke world record breaking it on five occasions.

Mel shares her tensions about what the COVID-19  crisis has taught her and how she needs to balance her energy and frustrations and when she’ll switch her focus. She shares her philosophies of coaching and how these evolved over the 12 years she’s been out of the pool and guiding others. And in a fascinating section Mel lets us in on the 4 facets of what makes Adam Peaty great, how he’s always had these and how it’s up to her to channel his voracious athletic and competitor talents.

Show notes

Adapting to COVID-19 personally and professionally creating working environments, winning each round but struggling with the lack of buzz personally

12 weeks out of water, what is lost in terms of physicality and psychology?

Innovating programmes

Building momentum for 2021, accepting and moving training forward confidently

Supporting confidence with short term goals

Mel is ‘on’ but she’s not ‘on on’!

Mel the coach and Mel the swimmer

Sticking to the process and making the coaching athlete centred

Mel’s reason for becoming a coach

Adam Peaty and his abilities physically and psychologically

Preparation minds and bodies

The difference between club level and elite level sport

Mel’s proudest achievement, her relationship with Adam

Coaching the shit out of emotions

Knowing athletes and what makes them tick

Mel’s favourite day as an athlete…it may surprise you!

Coaching into the unknown and the emotional toll it takes

Links

You can follow Mel on twitter at

https://twitter.com/massivemel

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.

Dr Eva Carneiro is this week’s guest (I will give you Eva’s introduction in two parts).

Eva is a Sports Physician and was one of the first eight pioneering doctors recruited nationally to the UK Sports and Exercise Medicine Specialist Training Programme. She worked in the New South Wales Institute of Sport in Sydney and at the Olympic Medical Institute in London in the build up to the Beijing Olympics.

Eva worked at Chelsea Football Club from 2009-2015. During her four seasons as First Team doctor the team was successful in winning Champions league, Premier league, Europa league, FA Cup and League Cup titles. During her six and half years with the team she worked with a total of seven elite international football managers. She is the first woman to sit on a team bench pitch-side in Champions League, Premier League, and Europa League competitions and the only woman to become the First Female Assistant Medical Director in a Football Club in the UK.  That’s the introduction to Eva’s medical and performance credentials.

Here are some details about an incident that erupted in 2015. On the first game of the 2015-16 premier league season, Chelsea played Swansea. During the game, Eden Hazard twice called for medical attention following an impact to his abdomen. The medical team were then then summoned on the pitch by the ref on two separate occasions ….  Eva, along with club physio Jon Fearn came onto the pitch to attend following rules of the game. But the manager Jose Mourinho reacted to the situation, because he didn't feel the injury warranted attention. The reaction was pivotal to Eva's case, first there was a demotion from the first team. Footage emerged of Jose Mourinho used abusive phrases towards Eva, which he denied being sexist in motivation. The subsequent furore received extensive press coverage, both for the dismissal, the claim for abuse and the character and personal attention, scrutiny and sensationalism that Eva was exposed to. Eva's lawyers filed for constructive dismissal, but before she gave evidence the tribunal the case was settled on confidential terms. But importantly as part of the settlement, Chelsea issued a statement "We wish to place on record that in running onto the pitch Dr Carneiro was following both the rules of the game and fulfilling her responsibility to the players as a doctor, putting their safety first". This was important because that statement indicates the position that Eva upheld; upheld beyond the stage of the game or its results, the Hazard situation, beyond the clash with the manager and club, beyond football, beyond sport perhaps too - in not only serving her professional duties and duty of care, but in doing what is right and not capitulating to compromise.

Eva’s case received widespread media and public attention all sorts of accusations, pressures, intrusions into her personal and private life for, as I say, essentially doing her job, but perhaps the difference is that she also held her ground against all of those pressures.

 If you’ve tuned in to the dirt being dealt around this case – you’re in the wrong place, that’s not what this podcast is about. However, if you want to hear from someone who has operated at the heart of one of the most successful football clubs in recent history, if you want to hear the piercing lessons from someone who has lived through unwarranted scrutiny and exposure but has held the utmost professionalism throughout and is now leading a campaign for higher standards of professionalism, ethics and governance – and ultimately is standing for doing what is right, you are in the right place. The fact that she has pioneered in a ‘male dominated environment’ makes her achievements, perspectives and voice all the more profound.

Show notes

The key responsibilities of a doctor in a football club – but feeling the pressures and being effective in an elite football environment

Eva’s dream as a 16 year old, buying an American College of Sports Medicine book about sports injuries on the beach

Taking in the atmosphere. The adrenaline infecting every molecule of the buildings. Memories of Chelsea playing Barcelona FC in the Champions league behind Fernando Torres and getting the nod from Lionel Messi

Being part of the team – adding to the culture, team motivation and dynamics

Being an optimistic realist

How to weigh risk and judgement for the players, performance and the club when medical issues arise. Going on the journey with the players

Football restarting. Systems not in place to respect medical governance and players.

Non-medically staff can have a lot of power. You don’t learn about what’s required in 3 weeks. Huge credit to the medical staff for the immense work that’s go in to ready players as best they can.

Without the audit and review – competition has restarted, with enhanced protocols, but sustaining these protocols and within the culture of football could face problems.

Footballers being the only people in the country going back to work without social distancing.

Eva trained in accident and emergency to develop skills and understanding around trauma cases.

It helped to be able to speak different languages to calm the players

Keeping your mind at the pitch side

Knowing your athlete is key

Trauma and loss of life is a part of a medic’s job, it’s sobering and grounds your reference point.

How did Eva cope through the ordeal?

It’s taken time to overcoming the emotions

We need to be clearer about the non-negotiables

We do need to understand that medical governance is about justice

Football lives in a bubble at times

A new generation of players and managers that can change the culture

Allowing players to feel safe and to be able to speak – leads to better performance

A new style of leadership must arise

Safeguarding of athlete’s medical treatment is central to Eva’s cause.

How do you feel about the decisions that you make in a week, month, a year, 5 years

I need to be able to live with myself

Links

Eva is on twitter at

https://twitter.com/evacarneiro

and her medical practice

http://www.thesportsmedicalgroup.com/

Supporting Champions on Twitter www.twitter.com/support_champs

Steve Ingham on Twitter www.twitter.com/ingham_steve

Supporting Champions on Linkedin, www.linkedin.com/company/supporting-champions

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supportingchampions/

A reminder if you’re keen to pre-register for the next wave of Graduate Membership enrolments then you can do so at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/membership/

If you’re looking for some coaching support or some virtual team development help to support you to get to the next level in work, life or sport then take a look at https://supportingchampions.co.uk/coaching-mentoring/

or drop us a note at [email protected] then you can sign up for a free consultation to explore which package is right for you.