How did you get into sport?
This is the “How did you get into sport?” podcast where we explore the ins and outs of working in high performance sport.
These are conversations with leaders in the industry about their journey and most importantly how they got to where they are. Working in professional sport is one of the most sought after yet highly competitive industries with limited professional organisations offering opportunities to work at the highest level of their respective sports.
This podcast was created on the back of countless conversations with a diverse range of experienced professionals overly frustrated yet still highly motivated to work in their dream role and asking the question “How did you get to work in professional sport and what did you have to do to get there?” Host Luis Resa is a Sports Physiotherapist who has worked in various elite professional organisation both in Australia and internationally.
In each episode, Luis has deep conversations with Sports Physiotherapist, S&C coaches, Head coaches, High Performance Managers and other leaders in the field of elite sport to discuss what it takes to excel in the world of sport as well as diving deeply into the intricacies of what got their foot in the door of some of the world’s most desirable roles.
Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. In the meantime, enjoy a deep conversation and learn the specific do’s and don’ts of both securing and surpassing expectations in the field of high performance sport.
How did you get into sport?
Tim McGrath - Senior Director Player Health & Performance, Washington Commanders (NFL)
Tim is an Australian Sports Physiotherapist currently working in arguably the most competitive, physical and high pressure leagues in the world. Before joining the NFL he worked as Head Physiotherapist for the Canberra Raiders (NRL), ACT Brumbies (Super Rugby), Australian Rugby Men’s 7s team, Port Adelaide Power (AFL) and has provided consultancy to other clubs such as the St George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla Sharks (NRL). In addition to working directly in professional sport he has also owned his own private practice and is the director of “Pitch Ready” that provides data driven return-to-sport and injury prevention strategies to professional teams and athletes across the globe. In this conversation we leave no stone unturn diving into all aspects of professional sport, to running a business, to family and how he navigated it all to become one of the most sought after practitioners in world sport.
Highlights from the episode…
- The decisions around completing a PhD, and where others may make the mistake when choosing what they should study next.
- Only 2 years since graduating, how Tim’s was able to secure a head physio role in the NRL with the Canberra Raiders.
- Most of Tim’s roles have NOT come from a formal hiring process. Tim shares how practitioners usually get appointed to professional sports teams.
- Although now having a flourishing career in professional sport, why Tim chose to go into business and take the risk of opening a private practice?
- Tim shares the challenges in the early days of business including not being paid for 6 months, acquiring patients, needing to learn business skills etc.
- After persisting through the challenging years and now having a thriving practice, why Tim chose to move to Adelaide to take on the Head Physio role at the Port Adelaide FC.
- How Tim remotely managed running a private practice and maintaining stability with his family, while he was working interstate with Port Adelaide (AFL).
- With no prior experience in the NFL, how Tim was able to secure a senior role with the Washington Commanders.
- The genesis of “Pitch Ready”, what it does and how it can help performance teams and athletes in RTS decision making.
- When anlaysing data how do you know what metrics to pay attention too and in turn what and how to correct what you determine is fundamental?
- Does movement efficiency matter? Or does the body just compensate for inefficiencies and in turn this is what actually builds robustness?
- If an athlete has poor movement (Eg. Cutting) is this a skill issue or a capacity issue?
People mentioned:
- Ed Hollis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-hollis-66a16732/
- Darren Burgess: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6RtvVQHvNNU4eRjJNQ7Mrz
- Tim Parham: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4W9EViwgEvNRwnRYqQjtyD
- Ian McKeown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-mckeown-a5551625/
- Mark Young: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17aAXmr5EdiTtxfqs1D1Zn
- Simon Rice: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NOUezYUtUXFUk53Ky4ZOK
Tim McGrath contact details:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-mcg/
- Pitch Ready: https://www.pitch-ready.com/about-us/
- X: https://x.com/_timmcgrath?lang=en
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.
