Sounders FC today announced details surrounding its Sports Science Seminar presented by adidas, an annual conference hosted by the club that regularly attracts top names in the sports industry from across all major leagues to discuss the most cutting-edge innovations and developments in sports science and sports performance. Given the current best practices in combatting COVID-19, the annual Sports Science Seminar is being held virtually in 2020, with all registration fees being donated to support the Seattle Sounders FC Relief Fund, which supports individuals, nonprofits and small businesses in the neighborhoods surrounding CenturyLink Field.
The seminar is taking place on three consecutive Wednesdays in April – April 15, April 22 and April 29 – from 12:00-4:00 p.m. PT each day.
“The Sounders FC Sports Science Seminar has grown from humble beginnings into a program we’re incredibly proud of,” said Sounders FC President of Soccer & General Manager Garth Lagerwey. “With the challenging circumstances we’re all facing this year, we feel that fostering collaboration and engaging with one another is even more important than usual, so we’re thrilled to be able to continue the seminar with this new virtual format. Furthermore, we’re really pleased to aid in efforts to support those in need through the donation of all registration fees to support the Seattle Sounders FC Relief Fund, because we truly are all in this together.”
The focus of this year’s conference takes a different path than in past seasons, recognizing the challenging time most are facing and the innate desire for deeper human connection. Rather than focusing on cutting-edge monitoring or the newest training and rehabilitation methods, the 2020 Sports Science Seminar is concentrating on a single theme: hearing from 12 world leaders across multiple sports and leagues about what winning means in their role and how they communicate cross-functionally across their organization. In discussing a single topic in intense detail, the goal is to put stakeholders from successful teams in one place all together to ignite discussion about different roles within the team environment, with the hope that all participants leave with a better understanding of different perspectives while fostering connectedness.
Each day of the seminar consists of four 45-minute presentations, each from a different speaker who will take participants inside the speaker’s world from their respective organizations. Each presenter will discuss their role, their industry journey, what winning means within their position and how they communicate this across their organization. The final hour of each day’s schedule will feature a moderated roundtable between participants and speakers, along with the addition of special VIP guests.
This year, the 12 presenters include the following leaders in their fields:
- Jim Bauman, U.S. Navy Seals Sport & Human Performance Psychologist
- Andreas Beck, Borussia Dortmund High Performance / Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Gregg Berhalter, U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team Head Coach
- Maggie Bryant, LA Clippers Director of Rehab
- David Joyce, The Performance Union High Performance Leadership & Strategy Specialist
- Efthymios Kyprianou, Hatta Club FC Sports Scientist
- Garth Lagerwey, Sounders FC President of Soccer & General Manager
- Alexandra Mandrycky, NHL Seattle Director of Hockey Strategy & Research
- Daniel Poneman, Beyond Athlete Management NBA Agent
- Mike Robertson, Owner, I-FAST
- Albert Rude, Inter Miami CF Assistant Coach
- Brett Uttley, Inter Miami Assistant Coach & Video Analyst
Additionally, special guests joining these speakers for the roundtable portions of the event include Art of Coaching Owner Brett Bartholomew, Rangers FC Assistant Coach Michael Beale, Sounders FC Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Sean Muldoon, Sounders FC Assistant Coach Gonzalo Pineda, Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer, former Director of Rehab for Everton FC, Matt Taberner, Orlando Magic High Performance Director and former Sounder Dave Tenney and Seattle Seahawks Director of Research & Development Patrick Ward.
Those interested in viewing the full event schedule, learning more or registering for the 2020 Sounders FC Sports Science Seminar presented by adidas may do so via SoundersFC.com/SportsScience.
