The Long Term Athletic Development Podcast

Mick Sterli (Katalyst Performance) - Building A Private Sector Youth S&C Program: From Garage Gym to Performance Facility

In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, James is joined by Mick Stierli, founder of Katalyst Performance, to unpack how he’s built a thriving private sector strength & conditioning programme for young athletes. Mick shares the story of growing his operation from sessions in his home garage to a fully equipped performance facility, and what’s actually involved in making that jump sustainable. Along the way, he discusses how he structures the athlete journey from first contact to long-term membership, key training principles that underpin his programme, and how he navigates the realities of fees, scheduling and parent expectations while still doing what’s best for long-term development. Mick, a Coach of the Year award winner with both the NSCA (USA) and ASCA (Australia), also reflects on lessons from working across professional sport and how these translate to youth settings in the private sector. Whether you’re thinking about starting your own S&C business or looking to sharpen an existing setup, this conversation is packed with practical ideas for building an athlete-centred, development-focused programme outside of traditional school or academy systems. To dive deeper into youth athletic development, head to ltadnetwork.com—and get a free month of membership by using the code FREEMONTH at checkout.

Tom Clarke (Tanglin Trust School) - Building A Whole School Athletic Development Programme

In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, James is joined by Tom Clarke, Head of Athletic Development at Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. Tom shares the story of how he has built a genuinely whole-school athletic development programme in a large international school—joining up curriculum PE, co-curricular sport, and a structured S&C / physical development programme, with clear pathways from junior through to senior school. They discuss what’s worked (and what hasn’t), why the project shifted from a narrow “performance pathway” into a broader, curriculum-embedded model, and how Tom navigates the realities of international school life: academic pressures, staff buy-in, engaging less confident students, and using simple systems and data to support better decisions for coaches and athletes. To dive deeper into Tom’s framework and see how you might apply it in your own context, join his live LTAD Network webinar on Wednesday 10th December at 1pm GMT. You can register here: 👉 https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar [https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar]

Stephen MacGabhann (NSWIS) - Enhancing Talent ID: Multi Sensory and Coachability Assessments

In this episode we are joined by Stephen McGhabban (UCRISE/NSWIS) — ex-elite Gaelic footballer, physiotherapist, UKSCA / ASCA L2 S&C coach, and PhD researcher focusing on enhancing talent identification with novel assessments of multisensory abilities and coachability. In this conversation we cover: * How NSWIS supports talent ID for Olympic/Paralympic sports and links with 12 regional academies. * Coachability: definition, the six components, and a dual-perspective questionnaire for athletes/coaches. * VVS-A testing (visual, vestibular, somatosensory, autonomic) and why it complements coaching judgment. * Research findings from Stephen's work with elite and emerging young divers. Upcoming live webinar:  “Can We Improve the Selection of Future Olympic Athletes? Integrating Multisensory Assessment with Machine Learning” Sun 2 Nov 2025 — 7:00 PM AEST | 9:00 AM GMT (UK) | 1:00 PM GST (Dubai). Join LTAD Network Premium — get the webinar + access to the recording. Use code 'FREEMONTH' for your first month on us. https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar [https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar] Resources & links: * Stephen’s LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/stephenmacgabhann * Coachability Systematic Review (Sports Medicine): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-025-02267-6

Dan Howells (Collaborate Sports) - Energy System Development

* In this episode of the LTAD Network Podcast, we’re joined by Dan Howells (Collaborate Sports) to unpack Energy System Development (ESD). During the converstion Dan and James discuss: * Conditioning vs Strength Training Priorities * Negotiation Strategies for Sports Coaches * Energy Systems Training for Athletes * Testing Protocols that “surf the curve” * Adapting Training for Diverse Groups * ESD/Conditioning for Youth Athletes Go deeper with Dan—live webinar: Wednesday, 8 October 2025, 6:00 pm BST (9:00 pm GST). Access this webinar (and all upcoming sessions) with an LTAD Network Premium Membership—£24.99/month: https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar [https://ltadnetwork.com/course/live-monthly-webinar] Plus, your membership includes: * 200+ hours of video libraries * The Youth Athletic Development System * Toolkits such as our Growth & Maturation Calculator New to LTAD Network? Get your first month free with code FREEMONTH at checkout.

Dr. Steve Barrett (PlayerMaker) - Talent ID in Football & Beyond

In this episode of the LTAD Network podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Steve Barrett from PlayerMaker to explore the evolving world of talent identification in football and beyond. We discuss the shift from traditional scouting to a holistic, data-informed approach that blends expert judgment with insights from wearables, performance testing, and long-term athlete monitoring. Steve highlights why talent ID should be seen as an ongoing process, considering technical, tactical, physical, and psychological factors—while supporting, not replacing, selection decisions. The conversation also covers innovative strategies such as pre-academy programs, multi-sport participation, and position-specific testing that align with coaching philosophies. With over 20 years’ experience across applied, academic, and commercial roles—including Hull City, Scunthorpe United, The FA (England Women), and more than 60 academic publications—Steve brings deep expertise on youth development and talent ID processes across football and other sports. Join us for the webinar "Talent ID in Football and beyond" with Dr. Steve Barrett, Dr. Nick Gearing, Dr. Michael King & Dr. Johann Windt on Wednesday 3rd September at 6pm BST (UK time) with a Premium Membership (monthly [£24.99] [https://ltadnetwork.com/subscription/vip-monthly] or annual [£249.99]) [https://ltadnetwork.com/subscription/vip-annual] available at https://ltadnetwork.com/memberships [http://www.ltadnetwork.com/memberships]  which also include access to a huge online video library with 200+ hours of video content, practical resources and LTAD toolkits plus our flagship Youth Athletic Development System.