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England Universities Rugby League: Joe Wardill shares postgraduate pursuits, performance analysis role and upcoming entrepreneurial endeavours
Having just graduated with a BSc (Hons) Science of Sport Performance, rugby player Joe Wardill is returning to Headingley Campus this September to carry out his MSc in Sport Performance Analysis.
After applying for a scholarship during the third year of his undergraduate degree, Joe went on to not only play for England Universities, but conduct performance analysis for the team. Now, alongside his postgraduate-studies, Joe has ambitions of setting up his own personal training, coaching, and performance analysis company, specialising in rugby league player development.
Not many people can say they had two simultaneous roles within a major competitive sport, while also carrying out an undergraduate degree and a rigorous training schedule. However, recent graduate, Joe Wardill, is one of those people.
In addition to competing as a player of the England Universities rugby team, Joe was also enlisted as a performance analyst, collecting statistics from each of the games played. He would then offer his positive and negative observations to the coaches for evaluation, potentially leading to implementations and changes to benefit match outcomes. “The work-training balance was the tough part of the England Universities program,” Joe explains. “Managing work commitments, university, and then having to maintain a high level of fitness was tough in periods. But it was all worth it in the end to achieve the success we did both on and off the field.”
Fortunately, Joe could rely on the esteemed coaching cohort and academic staff for guidance and reassurance. “The England Universities coaches supported me in many ways, helping me with not overtraining and always having their doors open to address any issues or concerns,” Joe says. “Staff at the university understood if I had a clashing of my schedules or problems attending. They offered me additional support or other opportunities to help with work.”
Joe’s long-term ambitions combine his knowledge of sport performance, passion for personal development, and an entrepreneurial edge. He plans to embark on establishing his own personal training, coaching, and performance analysis company alongside his MSc degree this autumn. The end goal is to provide support in progressing people’s physical performance, with a focus on Rugby League coaching and personal player development.
Learn more about the England Universities Rugby League.
Visit Leeds Beckett Athletic Union Rugby and Sport and Active Lifestyles for more information.
Interested in the courses mentioned? Find more on the BSc (Hons) Science of Sport Performance course (available in Clearing 2023) and MSc Sport Performance Analysis course.
