PREMIER LEAGUE

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT RULES
SPORTS SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
Sports Science and Medicine Programme
213. Each Club which operates an Academy shall establish a Sports Science and Medicine
Programme (in accordance with the criteria set out in these Rules which apply to the
Category of its Academy) for the benefit of its Academy Players.
214. Each Club’s Sport Science and Medicine Programme shall be managed by its Head of
Academy Sports Science and Medicine (in the case of a Club which operates a Category 1 or
Category 2 Academy) or by an appropriately qualified Official (in the case of the Club which
operates a Category 3 or Category 4 Academy).
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT RULES
215. The Sports Science and Medicine Programme of each Club should detail the planned
provision to each of its Academy Players of at least the following areas:
215.1. sports science (including physiology, biomechanics, physical testing and
measurement);
215.2. physiotherapy (including hydrotherapy and sports massage);
215.3. medical services (including the prevention and treatment of injury and diet and
nutrition);
215.4. Performance Analysis; and
215.5. psychology.
216. The progress and development of each Academy Player under the Sports Science and
Medicine Programme (including without limitation the results of the tests set out in Rule
217, and full details of any injuries, the treatment thereof, and the length of any period of
rehabilitation) shall be noted in his Multi-disciplinary Review and recorded in his
Performance Clock.
217. Each Club which operates an Academy shall ensure that each of its Academy Players
undergoes the following tests to measure physical and physiological fitness (as such tests are
defined in the Audit Tool):
217.1. age-appropriate medical and physical screening;
217.2. anthropometric assessments;
217.3. physiological/fitness testing;
217.4. movement and posture/functional screening;
217.5. predictive testing of size and shape/maturation measurement (save that a Club
operating a Category 4 Academy shall not be obliged to conduct such tests);
217.6. psychological profiling (Category 1 Academies only); and
217.7. monitoring of physical exertion (Category 1 Academies only);
and shall submit to the League such information as it may from time to time require in order
to establish a national database of athletic development.
218. Subject to a Club complying with Rule 217, the League will make available to it (on an
anonymised basis) benchmarked data derived from the information provided to it by all Clubs.
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