• 54 minutes 21 seconds
    Accelerate - Jordan Stewart-Mackie: Sports Tech Implementation

    Episode 232: In this episode of Accelerate Podcast, host Nicola Graham is joined by Jordan Stewart-Mackie an Applied Performance Scientist and PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham, where his research focuses on wearable technology and data integration.

    Jordan's work has spanned some of the most contrasting environments in world sport — from the Premier League to Thai football to NBA Academy Africa — settings where resources, infrastructure, and staffing vary dramatically. That range has given him a rare view of what actually determines whether technology succeeds: not the sophistication of the device, but the system and the people around it.

    ㅤ At the centre of the conversation is the translation problem in sports tech: the gap between what data can tell us and what practitioners can act on. Jordan has built a set of structured models to close it — BISA for technology selection and evaluation, SFQT for turning data into actionable decisions, PLACE for cultural readiness and implementation stickiness, and ATRIS, the end-to-end system that connects those layers.

    ㅤ The discussion also explores why human connection remains the deciding factor in adoption, and how educating and empowering athletes — rather than simply monitoring them — turns data from something done to a squad into something they buy into.

    ㅤ Topics Discussed:

    • The Translation Problem in Sports Tech
    • Building Frameworks for Implementation: BISA, SFQT, PLACE & ATRIS
    • The Need for Human Connection
    • Empowering and Educating Athletes to Aid Adoption

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    Where you can find Jordan:

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    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    24 August 2026, 4:33 pm
  • 45 minutes 6 seconds
    Alan Murdoch & Simon Harries - ACL Gameplan

    Episode 231: In this Gameplan episode, Andy McDonald is joined by both Alan Murdoch & Simon Harries to discuss their combined approach to ACL rehabs. 

    -
    Alan is the founder of Elevate: Speed & Rehab, a performance rehab consultancy working with athletes from professional to Olympic level. With over 15 years’ experience, he specialises in the link between rehabilitation and sprint performance, using movement efficiency and speed-based principles to drive recovery beyond traditional timelines.
    -

    Simon is a specialist Rehabilitation Strength & Conditioning coach with a passion for problem solving the complexities of high performance rehabilitation. He has a PhD in Human Physiology and is an accredited ASCA Master L3 S&C coach with over 15 years of experience in high performance sport, having worked with athletes from a diverse range of backgrounds, including AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Rugby Sevens, Water polo, and a range of individual event sports.

    -

    Topics Discussed:

    • Addressing High Re-Injury Rates
    • The Performance Rehab Triad
      • Load-Compromised Joint
      • Neuromechanical Deficits
      • Neurocognitive Deficits
    • Acute Phase Non-Negotiables & Gait Re-Education
    • Managing Quad Lags
    • Early RFD Training
    • Redefining the Plyometric Framework

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    Where you can find Alan:

    Where you can find Simon:

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    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    18 August 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Keith D'Amelio: Innovating not Copying In Professional Sport

    Episode 230: In this episode of the Inform Performance Podcast, Andy McDonald is joined by Keith D'Amelio, PhD a performance architect with more than two decades inside the highest levels of elite sport and business.

    Keith has led performance for the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors, guided innovation at Nike's global HQ, and advised startups, athletes, and leadership teams on how to build sustainable systems that enable performance at the highest level. He founded Heretic Performance to challenge conventional thinking and to help teams and companies execute consistently and with purpose.

    Throughout the episode, Keith explores why sporting organisations so often default to risk aversion, and what it actually takes to build decision-making processes that hold up under pressure. The conversation examines the holistic cost of implementing new systems — the time, staffing, and cultural load that rarely appear on the invoice — and where the line sits between genuine innovation and practicality in an applied environment.

    The discussion also looks at what sport can learn from other high-stakes industries, why so much low-hanging fruit in performance still goes unpicked, and how practitioners can focus their energy on the things that move the needle rather than the things that look impressive.

    Topics Discussed:

    • Why sport teams are often risk averse
    • The importance of decision-making processes
    • Holistic costs of implementing new systems
    • Balancing innovation and practicality
    • Learning from high-stakes industries
    • Addressing low-hanging fruit in sports performance

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    Where you can find Keith:

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    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    17 August 2026, 6:11 pm
  • 1 hour 22 seconds
    Travis Gaudet - High Ankle Sprain Gameplan

    Episode 229: In this Gameplan episode, Andy McDonald is joined by High Performance Physio Travis Gaudet, the Co-Owner & Director of Rehabilitation at Orka Performance. Travis regularly consults with Pro-Athletes, Collegiate Athletes, Youth Athletes, and general population alike. He has spoken and delivered workshops Internationally, and has consulted with athletes in the NHL, MLB, Olympics, CFL, MLS, Canada Men’s National Soccer Team, USPORT, NCAA and more. 

    -

    In this episode, Travis shares his comprehensive Gameplan framework for a High Ankle Sprain in Ice Hockey players. 

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    Topics Discussed:

    • High ankle sprain biomechanics in hockey
    • Phased rehab protocols for ankle injuries
    • Sport-specific movement analysis
    • Return-to-sport criteria and testing
    • Role of biomechanics research in rehab
    • Rehab strategies for hockey skating and shooting
    • Conditioning and neurocognitive training in rehab

    - 

    Where you can find Travis:

    - 

    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    11 August 2026, 1:41 pm
  • 1 hour 25 minutes
    Athletic Shoulder: Gus Morrison - You can nail every number & still send them back broken

    Episode 228: Ben Ashworth chats to Gus Morrison, BSc, MSc, ASCC. Gus earned his Bachelor's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Southampton in 2013, followed by a Master's degree in Sports Medicine at University College London. During this period, he sought mentorship from Ben, focusing on refining his expertise in data-driven shoulder assessments and rehabilitation. Together they published his Master's dissertation in the Journal of Physical Therapy in Sport, exploring the Athletic Shoulder Test's application in amateur rugby players. Alongside this, Gus achieved full accreditation as a Strength and Conditioning Coach through the UKSCA. He went on to establish the Shoulder Assessment Unit at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, delivering a data-driven assessment service for athletes recovering from shoulder injuries. Recognised for his expertise, he has spoken at webinars and conferences, and recently co-authored a publication with Ben in the Strength and Conditioning Journal on the synergy between testing and training for shoulder injuries. Gus joined Athletic Shoulder in July 2023, where he provides comprehensive testing and rehabilitation services to a diverse clientele of athletes and patients returning to sport and exercise post-injury.

    Topics Discussed
    - The Four Buckets: Range, Endurance, Strength and Power
    - Why Capacity Is the Biggest Driver of Pain
    - Outcome, Performance and Process Goals in Rehab
    - Quality Assuring Tests: Spotting Compensation Before You Trust the Number
    - Motor Learning, Joint Position Sense and the L and Y Holds
    - RFD and the Athletic Shoulder Test as a Force Transfer Test
    - From Closed Gym Skills to Chaos: Return to Contact

      Where you can find Gus:   •LinkedIn  

    Sponsors

    Gameplan is a rehab Project Management & Data Analytics Platform that improves operational & communication efficiency during rehab. Gameplan provides a centralised tool for MDT’s to work collaboratively inside a data rich environment

    VALD Performance, 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

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

    BTL: BTL Industries develops advanced rehabilitation and performance technologies, including SIS DUO, Shockwave Therapy, High-Intensity Laser, TR-Therapy, Lymphastim and R-FORCE. BTL systems are designed to support recovery, pain management, functional rehabilitation and return-to-play pathways across clinical and elite sport settings.

    - 

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    -

    Our Team

    10 August 2026, 4:35 pm
  • 38 minutes 47 seconds
    Tim McGrath - PCL Gameplan

    Episode 227: In this Gameplan episode - a collaboration between Gameplan & Inform Performance, Host Andy McDonald is joined by Consultant Physiotherapist and Director of Pitch-Ready Tim McGrath. 

    Tim is a Sports Physiotherapist with over 23 years professional practice & professional sport experience. Most recently returned to Australia after working as Senior Director of Player Health & Performance for the Washington Commanders NFL team in the USA, Tim completed his PhD from the Research Institute of Sports & Exercise (UCRISE) at the University of Canberra on the topic of ACL rehabilitation and return to sport following knee injury in 2016.

    -

    In this episode, Tim shares his comprehensive Gameplan framework for PCL rehabilitation and return to play. 

    -

    Topics Discussed:

    • PCL injury assessment and management
    • Sport-specific physical demands and rehab goals
    • Progressive training buckets: quad, hamstring, calf, lateral movement
    • Objective benchmarks for an effective return-to-play
    • Common pitfalls and decision making in PCL rehab

    - 

    Where you can find Tim McGrath:

     

    Where you can find Pitch Ready: 

    - 

    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    5 August 2026, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 11 seconds
    Sports Science Insights: Dan Ramsden - Career Transition, Leadership & Concussion.

    Episode 228: In this episode of Inform Performance, host Steve Barrett is joined by Dan Ramsden — Head of Performance for Super League's Hull KR, promoted into the role after eight years as the club's Head Physiotherapist.

    Dan now leads the club's strength, conditioning, and rehabilitation programmes, bringing together medical and performance functions under one department. Alongside a physiotherapy degree and a PhD focused on concussion, he holds a 5th Dan Black Belt in Aikido, and specialises in injury prevention and building athletic resilience in a collision sport.

    At the centre of the conversation is Dan's transition from clinician to department lead. He discusses what changes when your remit shifts from treating individual athletes to setting the direction of an entire performance team, the skills that transfer from physiotherapy, and the ones that have to be learned on the job.

    The discussion also explores the culture required to build and sustain a high-performing staff — how roles are defined, how disciplines are integrated rather than siloed, and how Dan develops the practitioners around him.

    Dan then unpacks player availability and its relationship with training and match intensity, before moving into his research area: concussion, neck strength, and the role of rate of force development (RFD) as a measure that goes beyond maximal strength testing.

    —

    Topics Discussed:

    • Progression from Physio to a Head of Performance role
    • Culture and development of a high performance team
    • Player availability and its link to intensity
    • Concussion and the use of rate of force development (RFD) within neck strength

    Where you can find Dan:

    —

    Sponsors

    Axon: Performance teams spend the morning after game day stitching together six systems before the coach gets an answer. Axon Perform fixes that. Every source you already use, Catapult, StatSports, VALD, Opta, OVAL, Wyscout, WHOOP, Garmin and the rest, connects into a dedicated Snowflake warehouse.
    Ask Axon, the in-platform chat, lets analysts and sports scientists query the lot in plain English. Reports that took hours now take seconds.
    Used by the Springboks, England RFU, Japan RFU, Sydney Roosters and a growing list of rugby, football & cricket clubs and federations. Your data, reports, measures and AI models stay yours, fully portable.
    See if your data is ready for AI at axonperform.com

    BTL: BTL Industries develops advanced rehabilitation and performance technologies, including SIS DUO, Shockwave Therapy, High-Intensity Laser, TR-Therapy, Lymphastim and R-FORCE. BTL systems are designed to support recovery, pain management, functional rehabilitation and return-to-play pathways across clinical and elite sport settings.

    VALD Performance, 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

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

    - 

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    -

    Our Team

    3 August 2026, 10:25 am
  • 47 minutes 35 seconds
    Lindsay Bull - The Handover Hangover: Sequential vs. Concurrent Return to Performance Models in Elite Sport

    Episode 225: In this Gameplan episode - a collaboration between Gameplan & Inform Performance, Host Andy McDonald is joined by Consultant Physiotherapist Lindsay Bull. 

    Lindsay is an experienced sports physiotherapist and medical services leader working across elite professional sport and high-performance environments. His work centres on performance rehabilitation, return-to-sport decision making, and management of complex musculoskeletal injuries, particularly thigh muscle and hip/groin conditions across elite athletes. Lindsay's experience includes leading medical services within elite AFL programs across multiple programs, with responsibility for multidisciplinary team leadership, medical and rehabilitation strategy, and player availability outcomes.

    In this episode, Lindsay shares unpacks his recent article collaboration with Martin Buccheit titled: The Handover Hangover: Sequential vs. Concurrent Return to Performance Models in Elite Sport.

    -

    Topics Discussed:

    • The villain in suboptimal rehab: siloed approaches
    • Job security and its impact on collaboration
    • Principles of collegiality, alignment & concurrent engagement.
    • Common misalignments in prognosis and expectations
    • Practical tips for building a collaborative department
    • The role of facility design and communication  

    - 

    Where you can find Lindsay Bull:

     

    Where you can find the paper: 

    - 

    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

     

    28 July 2026, 10:59 pm
  • 57 minutes 1 second
    Accelerate: Mark Opar - The Sports Tech Transition from Elite Sport to Healthcare

    Episode 224: In this episode of Accelerate Podcast, host Nicola Graham is joined by Mark Opar — a clinical physiotherapist of ten years who made the leap into sports technology, and now serves as Head of Strategy for Health at VALD, one of the world's leading sports technology companies.

    Mark's career has bridged the clinic and the boardroom — giving him a rare perspective on what it takes to translate elite sport innovation into everyday healthcare. VALD's force plates, strength testing systems, and assessment tools are trusted by thousands of elite teams worldwide, and Mark's mission is to bring that same objective assessment capability to clinics, hospitals, and the general population.

    ㅤ At the centre of the conversation is a provocative thesis: objective assessment isn't just about better data — it's about better engagement. Mark unpacks how giving practitioners and patients a shared language changes the dynamic of care, driving motivation, trust, and ultimately better outcomes.

    ㅤ The discussion also explores the realities of moving from clinician to corporate strategist, and what elite sport can teach healthcare about measuring what matters.

    ㅤ Topics Discussed:

    • The Clinician-to-Corporate Transition
    • VALD's Position in the Market
    • Crossing from Elite Sport to Healthcare
    • Objective Assessment as Engagement

    Sponsors

    Gameplan is a rehab Project Management & Data Analytics Platform that improves operational & communication efficiency during rehab. Gameplan provides a centralised tool for MDT’s to work collaboratively inside a data rich environment

    VALD Performance, 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

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

    BTL: BTL Industries develops advanced rehabilitation and performance technologies, including SIS DUO, Shockwave Therapy, High-Intensity Laser, TR-Therapy, Lymphastim and R-FORCE. BTL systems are designed to support recovery, pain management, functional rehabilitation and return-to-play pathways across clinical and elite sport settings.

    - 

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    -

    Our Team

    20 July 2026, 10:42 am
  • 45 minutes 33 seconds
    Michael Giakoumis - Gameplan for Hamstring Strains

    Episode 223: In this 1st episode of Gameplans - a collaboration between Gameplan & Inform Performance, Host Andy McDonald is joined by Michael Giakoumis the Head of Rehab at Manchester City FC.

    Michael is an experienced sports physiotherapist with specialised expertise in complex hip, groin, and lower-limb muscle injuries, frequently providing second opinions for challenging cases. He has previously held roles at the Marylebone Health Group (MHG) in their specialist hip, groin, and muscle injury clinic, as well as within elite international athletics with British Athletics and across multiple other sports. 

    In this episode, Michael Giakoumis shares his comprehensive framework to hamstring rehabilitation, emphasising the importance of understanding sport demands, individual variability, and systematic planning for effective recovery.

    -

    Topics Discussed:

    • Framework for deconstructing football-specific demands.
    • Identifying hamstring strain co-actives
    • Phased approach to hamstring rehabilitation
    • Physical qualities and their role in rehab
    • Use of speed bounds and biomechanical demands
    • Individualized rehab based on injury severity and history
    • Monitoring and adjusting rehab objectives
    • Importance of interdisciplinary collaboration

    -

    Where you can find Michael Giakoumis:

    - 

    Sponsors

    Gameplan Is a Rehab Management System providing Medical & Performance Departments with a centralised platform to plan, track & manage the return-to-play process inside a data rich environment. Gameplan provides one platform to connect the people, process and data during rehab. 

    -

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    -

    Our Team

    13 July 2026, 7:55 pm
  • 53 minutes 45 seconds
    Warren Bradley - FIFA World Cup: Physiological Challenges & Strategies

    Episode 222: In this episode of the Inform Performance Podcast, Andy McDonald is joined by Dr. Warren Bradley — sports nutritionist turned co-founder of Hytro, the world's leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable used by elite teams across multiple sports worldwide.

    With over a decade of experience in professional sport and a PhD in sports nutrition, Warren has spent the past six years transitioning from applied practice into building a company that delivers BFR solutions to high-performance environments around the globe. His unique perspective bridges the science of recovery with the practical realities of elite sport.

    Throughout the episode, Warren explores the physiological challenges athletes face during congested tournament schedules, and how practitioners can mitigate the effects of jet lag, travel fatigue, and accumulated load. The conversation examines neuromuscular function, the role of perception in fatigue and recovery, and how emerging modalities like BFR may support tendon recovery.

    The discussion also dives into how practitioners can identify which recovery strategies actually matter, how to evaluate their effectiveness, and why the human element remains central to recovery science — even as technology and data continue to evolve.

    Topics Discussed:

    • Physiological challenges in tournaments
    • Mitigating jet lag and fatigue
    • Neuromuscular function and recovery techniques
    • Perception of fatigue and recovery modalities
    • Exploring BFR and tendon recovery
    • Identifying key recovery strategies
    • Evaluating recovery effectiveness
    • The human element in recovery science

    Where you can find Warren:

    - 

    Sponsors

    Gameplan is a rehab Project Management & Data Analytics Platform that improves operational & communication efficiency during rehab. Gameplan provides a centralised tool for MDT’s to work collaboratively inside a data rich environment

    VALD Performance, 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

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

    - 

    Where to Find Us

    Keep up to date with everything that is going on with the podcast by following Inform Performance on:

    -

    Our Team

    8 July 2026, 3:03 pm
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