Aaron studied BSc Sports and Exercise Therapy, graduating in 2014. He is now the Head of Sports Science and Medicine at F.C. Halifax Town, as well as working part-time as a Lead Therapist for York Knights Rugby League team. In this blog, he tells us what he enjoyed about his course at Leeds Beckett and how it helped him achieve his amazing career in health.

Course: BSc (Hons) Sports and Exercise Therapy

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you've been doing since you graduated.

After graduating in 2014 with a Sports and Exercise Therapy degree, I've been working in both professional football and rugby league.

In rugby league I've worked with Bradford Bulls, Hull Kingston Rovers, Featherstone Rovers, and York Knights at club level. Internationally I've worked with Scotland Rugby League Men's team at the 2016 Four Nations, and Under 19s teams at the 2018 European Championships.

I also work voluntarily with the England Lions teams across all age groups, which involves international tours. I was also selected to work as a Concussion Spotter at the Rugby League World Cup in 2022.

In Football I currently work at F.C. Halifax Town and was lucky enough to be involved in the FA Trophy Final victory in 2023. I've also worked for Manchester City FC Academy.

The best part of my role is the challenge of trying to maximise team and individual performance of athletes and minimise the risk of injury. The teams I work with are not blessed with depth of playing squad or resources. If I can help by keeping players fit and on the pitch, we can hopefully exceed our goals and challenge for titles.

Tell us a bit more about your current role and why it's amazing.

My current role at F.C. Halifax Town has evolved since I first joined in 2019. The main aim of the role is to provide emergency pitch-side first aid at training and games along with assessing and rehabilitating all injuries at the club.

I branched out further in an attempt to minimise injuries to players, so responsibilities now include overseeing the strength and conditioning programmes of all players with our Strength and Conditioning team to ensure the players are strong enough and ready to cope with the physical demands placed on their bodies.

I also oversee the Sports Science side of the club, where we provide individual supplementation advice, recovery strategies and monitor player training load both objectively and subjectively to highlight signs of underload or overload. This allows us to intervene appropriately before injury occurs.

I work very closely with the management and coaching team daily to ensure that training sessions are low risk for injury but also meet the physical requirements we need for the players. Suggestions such as total training time, pitch sizes, distances and intensity are used to help coaches plan each session.

We will plan the season as a performance team, from testing batteries and pre-season training loads, through to proposed recovery days in-season with the heavy fixture scheduling.

Working in football can be very rewarding, the main reward I get is seeing players back on the pitch and excelling after helping them return to the team following injury. Each rehab journey is different and brings its own challenges for you and the player to overcome together.

It's also very rewarding to see players at our level progress higher up the football pyramid after excelling in our system.

How did your course at Leeds Beckett help you get to where you are today?

The actual sporting experience I received through Leeds Beckett offered placements which kick-started my career in sport. I always wanted to work in a team environment in either rugby league or football. Leeds Beckett offered placements at both Bradford City AFC and Bradford Bulls during my studies.

Being from Bradford, I jumped at the chance to get experience at my hometown clubs. After impressing during my placements, and being available during the summer months, I was offered positions at both upon graduating.

The main modules I enjoyed on the course were the ones I felt would enhance my chances of working in the medical department of a professional team the most. Anatomy, Sports Therapy Skills, Sports Therapy Placement and Exercise Teaching helped to increase my knowledge base on assessing injuries and understanding rehabilitation.

What support or opportunities did you receive at Leeds Beckett that have helped shaped your career?

The placements at university were massive for me in terms of exposure to the jobs I wanted to do. As a bare minimum they gave me the hours required to qualify as a Sports Therapist, but I really took advantage of them and they gave me so much more.

Networking with the professionals in each high-performance team opened doors to other work opportunities in the future and has played a large part in the majority of my job roles since graduating. The placements themselves led to job opportunities that started me on my career immediately after graduating.

I also received help and guidance from student services during university regarding grants that were available to me.

Can you tell us about a project, piece of work or experience from university that you're proud of?

I am by no means academically gifted - infact, I really struggled with every assignment that I did at university.

I was much more engaged and confident in the practical classes, as part of our Anatomy lectures, we spent a lot of time assessing human anatomy. I could see how important that foundation knowledge would be to landing a dream job role and really knuckled down in those lectures.

I was proud of the high grade I scored in those exams as it showed that I'd been able to express my knowledge in a practical environment rather than in an assignment.

What would you say to someone considering studying your course?

Working in sport seems like a closed off shop, however the pathway into a career is there and readily accessible for people who genuinely want it. The Sports and Exercise Therapy course gives you a great foundation in the skills, knowledge and experience required to work in professional sport.

The degree offered by Leeds Beckett has given plenty of alumni a foot in the door for their desired sport and has an extensive track record. Vacancies in sport are increasing every year and a graduate from a Sports and Exercise Therapy degree from Leeds Beckett stands out.

What’s next for you?

I'm really enjoying my time in professional football and hopefully I can progress up the footballing pyramid as I continue to build on my knowledge and experience.

I'd also like to be involved in more International tournaments at a senior level and would love to work abroad at some point in my career.