Rugby League Coaching Manuals

The first ever Sport and Exercise Medicine and Performance Conference takes places on 10th/11th March at the Thackray Museum in Leeds. This high profile interdisciplinary event should act as the starting point in a new era of education in the game.

The keynote addresses on day one are from Dr Mike Turner (Chief Medical Advisor to the British Lawn Tennis Association and British Horseracing Authority) and Dr Richard Budgett (Chief Medical Officer for the London 2012 Olympic Games). These are followed by a series of lectures and workshops on Sport and exercise Medicine.

The key topics included are focused on team sports and their future. Medicolegal aspects for medical staff and for record keeping are discussed along with injury surveillance and medical contracts. The day also provides a choice of lectures and workshops presented by leaders in their field on such topics as ultrasound diagnosis, collision sports of the upperlimb, asthma in sport with the new regulations and handling the media.

A conference dinner at the end of the first day will give everybody in attendance a chance to mix and meet new people, some from within rugby league, but many more from outside our game, working with other leading teams and sports from around the world. The dinner is enhanced by the opportunity to listen to Shaun McRae share his experiences and wisdom as the after dinner speaker. This is a fantastic opportunity to make new contacts and increase the network of knowledge and expertise in the 13 man code of rugby.

The conference continues and Day Two has the added advantage of providing delegates with a choice of pure sports medicine, sports science and a mixture of the two relevant to both distinct disciplines.

Kelvin Giles (previous Director of Performance and Strength and Conditioning, currently consulting in football) opens Day Two with a Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Rugby League which is followed by lectures on hydration, nutrition, psychology, and cardiac screening. The rest of the day has workstations looking at a whole range of subjects aimed at improving the physical performance of a modern-day rugby league player.

The conference is closed with the final keynote address from Professor Ron Maughan, (professor of sport and exercise nutrition at Loughborough University) on Supplement usage in team sports.

The quality of the speakers and the quantity of information available in just two days is unbelievable and I would urge anybody with an interest in the science or medicine behind rugby league, or in fact any other top level sport in the UK to attend this conference.

It would almost be negligent for a person working within the game to miss this opportunity if they can make the date.

If you would be interested in attending please contact Dr Lisa Hodgson at the RFL on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Barry Hill on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it