As the Course Leader of the DProf in Elite Performance David is responsible for the development of the programme and overseeing the management of the many DProf in Elite Performance students enrolled at UCLan. Focussing on system development, student support and with colleagues within ICaP (Institute of Coaching and Performance) ensuring the course maintains its outstanding reputation. David has published work in injury risk, recovery, performance monitoring, development of performance departments, all within elite sports environments. The focus of his work is driven by practice and implementation of research in to a ‘real world’ environment, aligning his research with the teaching completed within the programmes he delivers on.
David initially began his career as a physical education teacher post completion of his sports science degree. Alongside this role he worked within semi-professional environments as a sports scientist. Pre enrolment on his Sports Therapy MSc programme he obtained his first role within elite football, moving away from physical education. After a few years as a practitioner in elite performance he moved into higher education in 2011 as a Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University. In addition to this David continued his work as a practitioner within elite football, consulting for various clubs including Accrington Stanley FC, Salford City FC, Everton FC; to name a few. These roles varied in nature, including specific performance monitoring approaches, rehabilitation processes and developing the performance department. During this time David also embarked on his research journey completing his PhD in ‘The Temporal Pattern of Recovery of Eccentric Hamstring Strength and Dynamic Stability of Elite Footballers’.
In 2015 David moved to UCLan as Course Leader in Sports Therapy. In this role he developed the existing UCLan programme introducing 100+ placement opportunities for the students and the course achieved its highest ever NSS rating. In addition to this he developed the current MSc Football Science and Rehabilitation programme, with his colleague Mark Leather and delivered on other post graduate programmes, supervising numerous post graduate students. 2020 saw David move into his current role as the Course Leader of the DProf in Elite Performance. David works closely with numerous experienced practitioners within elite performance and partner institutions, particularly within elite sport across the UK and other countries.
