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Darcy is the Director of High Performance with Chicago Fire FC (MLS) and has been operating at the highest level of soccer for nearly three decades. His career spans some of the biggest stages in the game, with roles at European giants Bayern Munich and AS Roma, as well as extensive experience in international soccer. Darcy spent six years with the US Men’s national team and was part of the German national team staff that made history winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Alongside his work in elite soccer, Darcy has also held performance leadership and consultancy roles with Exos and Kitman Labs. His depth of experience, perspective, and knowledge is second to none and in this conversation, Darcy reflects on a career defined by highs, lows, and a lifetime of lessons, both professional and personal, which all began on the rural slopes of Canada far from the packed stadiums and bright lights of the world game.

Highlights from the episode…

• What it was like being part of the beginnings of “Athlete's Performance” the organisation that went on to be commonly known today as the world renowned performance company, Exos.
• Working at Exos, the revolutionary ideas, structures, systems, personnel etc. that Darcy still leverages to this day in the high performance programs he’s involved in.
• How Darcy, admittingly "having no clue about soccer” secured a role with one of the biggest clubs in world soccer, Bayern Munich (Bundesliga).
• The "Power Formula" that Darcy has refined to facilitate performance in his players across all the environments his worked in.
• The "Trust Equation". How to get buy in from your athletes…and keep it!
• How Darcy was able to maintain professionalism and perform at the highest level in amongst the uncertainty and volatility that comes with abrupt coaching changes.
• When accepting roles abroad what considerations he makes to ensure that the move works both professionally and personally.
• Conflict resolution. Having difficult conversations in challenging times with staff, players, media etc.
• How Darcy got a better understanding of human performance by reviewing an unexpected source in the "Supply Change Council of America’s" website.
• “Linking your thinking”. Structuring his thoughts and tools he uses to develop the frameworks and models that he implements around RTS, performance enhancement, injury prevention, management etc.
• Being a part of the 2014 World Cup with the German national team, what it was like to win it and a humbling story post winning the World Cup.
• We discuss the ever-expanding use of technology and whether we are obligated to use it when the data exists. What are we not considering when being a slave to technology.
• With a World Cup being held in the US and all the work he is doing with the Chicago Fire FC, what is Darcy is excited about?

People mentioned:

• Shad Forsythe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shad-forsythe-b94757237/?originalSubdomain=uk
• Craig Friedman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigfriedman/
• Mark Verstegen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Verstegen

Darcy Norman contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcy-norman-1705496/
• X: https://x.com/DarcyNorman
• Website: https://www.darcynormanconsulting.com/contact

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

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From international rugby to Major League Baseball and back again, Alex’s journey in elite sport is truly unique. He has made significant contributions to the game of rugby across four countries: in New Zealand as Sport Science Manager with the The Blues (Super Rugby); in Argentina as Physical Performance Manager across all levels of their national rugby program; in the United States as Head of Performance for USA Rugby; and currently overseeing multiple levels of the national program with Scottish Rugby. Beyond rugby, Alex has also held senior leadership roles in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins. This conversation explores the story of someone who grew up immersed in a sport that held relative obscurity in his own country, yet went on to make a global impact shaped by the experiences his gained from multiple high performance environments, research, and a deep commitment to the game he loves.

Highlights from the episode…

• Alex describes the early days of being involved in Rugby in the US where the sport was relatively unknown and considered more recreational than professional.
• Alex spoke about his move to New Zealand and the challenges of eventually breaking into pro Rugby as an American in a Rugby obsessed nation.
• What Alex learnt about the high performance landscape during his time in NZ and chats about the similarities/differences he experienced in high performance settings in the US and the world.
• With no experience in running an international Rugby program, living in a non-English speaking country and not being able to speak the local language, how Alex courageously secured a role with Argentina as Physical Performance Manager across all levels.
• Now stepping into a role with Argentina and admittingly having limited experience, what did Alex pulled from as a guide for implementing systems, setting up structures, decision making etc?
• What's it like trying to transition into new country and new way of living?
• After rapid success in Rugby, why Alex chose to move into a new sport in Baseball joining the world renowned New York Mets (MLB).
• Alex provides an insight of what it’s like to work in a 162 game MLB season. The resources, staffing, training schedule, daily/weekly plan, load management, periodising strength training etc.
• “Individual development plans”...what are they? And what Alex has gained from Baseball that could assist with rugby athletes.
• With an increase in data collection and ability to monitor more in sport, how do you choose what to measure?
• When dealing with multimillion dollar contracted athletes, how do you get players to do things, that they may not want to do, because you feel strongly that it will benefit them?
• Are you more data informed or intuition informed when it comes to decision making? You'll be surprised by the answer...
• You have experienced an exceptional career that has also come with its challenges…Has it been worth it?

People mentioned:

• John (Mitch) Mitchell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mitchell-48041722a/
• Peter Bendix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bendix
• Scott Lawrence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-lawrence-rugby/

Alex Ross contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsross15/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.

Send us a text

Justin is an Australian sports physiotherapist who has worked at the pinnacle of football in Australia in both the round ball game and Aussie rules football. He has been the Head Physio for 3 separate A-League clubs including the Newcastle Jets FC, Melbourne Victory FC and Macarthur Bulls FC, as well as spending 5 years as Rehabilitation Physio for the Syndey Swans (AFL). What’s most fascinating about Justin is not only has he been able to transition successfully across different sports, but he has also uniquely been able to transition between being a “generalist physio” to a “specialist physio”. In this conversation we chat all things rehab, including who should be involved, general milestones and the specifics of developing, implementing and evaluating a comprehensive and successful rehab plan, in amongst his own personal journey from starting in Hunter region of Newcastle, moving interstate, working in the AFL and returning full circle to where it all began.

Highlights from the episode…

• What a Match day +1 entails and discusses the recovery protocols, top up drills for players and triaging of injured players that currently occur at the club.
• He talks about the steps that opened the door to his first opportunity in professional sport, including helping out and observing for over a year unpaid before ever being presented with a role at the club.
• How Justin deals with complex cases and the process he uses to manage injuries where he may not have extensive experience and knowledge around.
• After being on a rollercoaster of results with the Jets, Justin shares the lead up to the historic 2018 home grand final in Newcastle.
• How Justin received a job offer from one of the power houses of Australian football (Melbourne Victory FC) and the things he had to consider moving away from Newcastle to Melbourne.
• Justin shares his time at the Melbourne Victory and meeting world renowned sport scientist Ryan Timmins.
• Why Justin chose to leave one of the biggest and established A-league clubs to join one of the smallest and less developed clubs in the A-League.
• After only a few months at Macarthur Bulls FC, how Justin was offered a role in a different sport, in a different role with a different club with the Sydney Swans.
• What is involved in a specialised rehab physio role and how the medical/performance team was structured at the Swans.
• "With increase personnel comes with the risk of decrease integration”. With larger medical/performance teams in the AFL, can there be too many people in department?
• If things don’t go according to plan, what’s the evaluation process you use when assessing the outcome of a return to play scenario.
• When developing and implementing a comprehensive rehab plan, how do you know what exercises, tests, milestones matter most?
• Justin shares why he left the Sydney Swans to go back and join the Newcastle Jets as Head Physio.

People mentioned:

• Anthony Crea: https://open.spotify.com/episode/61NEsihgoSiiw5qDRl812x
• Damian Raper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-raper-5b212b23/
• Ryan Timmins: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Bt1GdDjwWiXNcCmjU2jBq

Justin Dougherty contact details:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-dougherty-185a0739/

Host: Luis Resa

Contact me on:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-resa-a975196b/
• Email: luis.resa@outlook.com

Thanks for listening and please leave a review. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this episode simply send me an email.