! ROTHERHAM UNITED/SHEFFIELD HALLAM STUDENT PARTNERSHIP ! Student Introduction Package Prepared for: Placement Students from Sheffield Hallam University - Season 18/19 Prepared by: Paul Gambles, Head of Medical Services, Rotherham United FC 15th May 2018 Rotherham United FC - Department of Player Performance ! OVERVIEW Placement Rotherham United are pleased to offer Sheffield Hallam University Physiotherapy students the op- portunity of placements with their Player Performance and Medical Services Department during the 2018/19 English Football League (EFL) Season. Whilst on placement students will be able to view and participate in the monitoring of overall player performance in a proactive manner using the resources and clinical knowledge/reasoning of our team of Physiotherapists, Performance Manager and Data Analyst. As part of your placement you will be expected to fit seamlessly into the multi-disciplinary team taking advice and guidance from all members of staff to enhance your experience and learning. The placement is designed to provide you with both observational and practical situations in which to develop your skills through the expert guidance of our clinical team. Each student will have an individual mentor assigned to them whilst with the club who should be their first point of contact for any problems experienced during their placement period. The placement opportunity offered is within the environment of a professional football club and although each student will be treated with the utmost respect and professionalism, YOU must re- member you are coming into a working environment where ‘colourful’ language is often the norm and raised voices can often be heard by way of dispute or ‘banter’. Should you be easily offended by such language or find ‘banter’ difficult to deal with on an individual basis - you may wish to consider whether this is the best environment in which to place your self. If however you feel confident in your ability to deal with such situations, I am sure you will enjoy the learning environment and opportunities to enhance your experience in a fully functional treat- ment room, gym and out on the grass with elite athletes. This will be unlike any other placement you have experienced in the past or possibly in future and is different from NHS placements, in that you will be expected to spend a large amount of time with individual injured players, possibly providing treatment and rehabilitation on a one-to-one ba- sis over large periods of time through the day, whilst guided by your mentor. We do not work off appointments or time slots and players are constantly monitored for improvement, with other ar- eas of the body being worked and kept in peak fitness, even if they are unable to work their in- jured limb etc. It is therefore important that you are able to think ‘outside the box’ and holistically, not just treating the injury. Our methodology in dealing with injuries and rehabilitation is to use current up-to-date methods and reasoning to provide the best possible opportunity for players to recover safely and quickly without fear of re-injury using the experience of our staff from various backgrounds. It is hoped that the experience you bring in which ever sport you specialise will enhance our team and bring a further viewpoint into the functionality of elite sportspersons and variations on activities which may be used during the rehabilitation process to improve further the service we provide. Rotherham United FC - Department of Player Performance Logistics and Location You will be based at Rotherham United FC’s recently renovated training facility at Rawmarsh in Ro- therham. There may also be occasions where you may be asked to accompany a member of staff to an external gym, swimming pool or alternative rehabilitation facility for activities such as Hot Yoga, Trampolining or testing. Rotherham United FC - Department of Player Performance Rotherham United FC Opportunities for you to travel with the first team to either home or away games may occur. How- ever, permission to do so may be required from both management of RUFC and your University lecturers/placement leader due to these circumstances being outside normal hours of practice and possibly in excess of the number of hours required of your placement. Such opportunities will also be dependant on the current 1st team fixture list and may not be available to all students offered a placement at the club. ADDRESS TRAINING GROUND Rotherham United FC Training Ground, Green Lane, Rawmarsh, ROTHERHAM, S62 6LA HOME GROUND AESSEAL New York Stadium, New York Way, ROTHERHAM, S60 1AH Travel Travel to and from the training ground and/or stadium will be at the expense of the student. Any journeys required during the working the day (to swimming pools, gym etc) will be undertaken by a club member of staff and should not cause any further cost to the student, who will accompany either member of staff or players. Students will not be expected or allowed to drive players to any venues as they will be unable to claim expenses for such journeys and will also not have any in- surance liability in case of accident. Buses are available to and from the top of Green Lane, Rawmarsh with a short walk down the drive to the training ground should this be required. Details of buses and trains can be provided on request. There is a train station in the centre of Rotherham, with a service from various local towns and cities and the main bus station is just a short walk from there, with regular bus service towards both the training ground and stadium, although the stadium is just a 5minute walk through the town. Students travelling by car will find ample parking in the car park which is shared with Roundwood Golf Club, and is signposted as such, as you drive through Rawmarsh and at the end of Green Lane. Sat Nav Directions can be found by entering postcode S62 6LA. Rotherham United FC - Department of Player Performance Expectations Student It is important that students arrive with certain expectations and goals/objectives which they would like to achieve whilst on placement with Rotherham United. We would ask that you provide us with a CV or resume so we are able to ascertain what skills you bring with you. It is also imper- ative that you set your self some objectives so that we can measure the success of your placement and so that both parties are able to learn fully from the experience. On behalf of the club we would expect that you behave in a thoroughly professional manner whilst with us as you will not only be representing Sheffield Hallam University but also Rotherham United Football Club and therefore expect the same high standards as we do from our staff and players. We will endeavour to go through your objectives with your placement mentor each week to assess where you are and how you are coping/achieving. It will also be expected that you show a level of theoretical and practical knowledge associated with your current level of learning within the university environment and you may at some stage later in your placement be asked to provide a presentation to your peers within the department or playing staff on a subject of interest. On arrival at your placement you should also provide your tutor with all necessary forms provided by the University to complete your placement paperwork, marking criteria for your appropriate block, marking sheets and attendance records etc. Rotherham United FC You can expect a designated mentor assigned to you for your period of placement who will in con- junction with his colleagues oversee your learning and who you should report any issues to as they arise. The person assigned as your mentor will be the most appropriate member of staff at the time, bering in mind their current workload, aswell as area of expertise but also from the informa- tion gleamed from your CV looking at areas of experience, expertise and future interest. You can expect a respectful and professional working environment ideal for learning different as- pects of treatment and rehabilitation in an elite sporting environment, from vastly experienced and qualified members of staff. You can also expect to receive fair and objective feedback on your per- formance, attitude and behaviour whilst with us from a small but supportive department. As a group of staff we are always looking to improve our practice and reputation within the sport and as individuals we have many connections both with football and other sports.The ability to shine within such a department will not go unrecognised by the staff who are often asked by oth- ers if they are able to recommend people for jobs or roles at other clubs, this may become a great opportunity to establish a name for your self and also provide valuable evidence of employability when looking to begin your career. Rotherham United FC - Department of Player Performance Learning This is likely to take many forms, but the majority of time will be spent in a one:one learning situa- tion with your mentor or other member of staff. There may be occasions where you asked to com- plete some self directed learning or complete tasks whilst being supervised or overseen. It is high- ly unlikely that you will be asked to do any activity independently or left to your own devices, however students who show a higher level of learning and ability may be provided with greater independence toward the end of their placement period. There are a number of learning resources available to students, including, journals, textbooks and internet via the clubs wifi network within the building, should you be required to research any projects or subjects.