Academy Performance Coach

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About Us

Utah Royals FC, Real Salt Lake, Real Monarchs, and the RSL Academy are united by a shared mission of winning together through development. We are committed to building world-class teams by investing in people—developing players, staff, and leaders through collaboration, growth, and a high-performance culture. If you’re passionate about sport and motivated to grow your career in a purpose-driven organization, we invite you to join us.

Summary

Real Salt Lake is seeking two Academy Performance Coaches to support the physical development, performance monitoring, injury prevention, and recovery of Academy athletes across multiple age groups, while also contributing to the performance needs of Real Monarchs.

Reporting to the Head of Academy Performance, this role will work closely with coaches, sports medicine staff, and the broader performance team to design and implement training programs, monitor athlete performance, and support long-term player development. The Academy Performance Coach will help ensure players are physically prepared to perform and progress in alignment with Club and first-team performance standards.

Responsibilities Include

• Lead daily on-field physical preparation, including warm-ups, conditioning, speed development, and individualized player programs.
• Design and implement strength and conditioning programs for academy athletes.
• Monitor player performance and workload using GPS, heart rate, wellness, and other performance data.
• Analyze performance data and provide actionable recommendations to coaches, medical staff, and players.
• Collaborate with coaching, sports medicine, and performance staff to support player development and return-to-play processes.
• Conduct fitness testing and performance assessments to evaluate player progress.
• Educate players on training, recovery, nutrition, sleep, and long-term athletic development.
• Maintain accurate performance records and athlete monitoring data.
• Support Academy and Real Monarchs training sessions, matches, tournaments, and related travel as needed.
• Ensure compliance with all MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, MLS NEXT, U.S. Soccer, and Club performance standards.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of applied experience in elite youth, collegiate, or professional sport. Soccer experience strongly preferred.
• Current CPR/AED certification required.
• Demonstrated competence with GPS and athlete monitoring technology (e.g., Catapult, STATSports, Playermaker, or equivalent) and the ability to process and present data clearly.
• Working knowledge of training load management, soccer-specific conditioning, and youth long-term athletic development.
• Proficiency with athlete management systems (e.g., Smartabase, Kitman Labs) and core data tools (Excel required; R, Python, or Power BI a plus).
• Strong on-field coaching and communication skills, with the ability to engage players ranging from early teens through pre-professional ages.
• Collaborative disposition; comfortable operating within a multidisciplinary team including coaches, athletic trainers, and sports scientists.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and travel as required.
• Able to pass a background check and become Safe Sport certified.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) required. Additional credentials (e.g., USAW, FRC, ACSM-EP, NSCA-CPSS) are a plus.
• Prior experience within an MLS Academy or comparable elite player development pathway.
• Coaching credentials from USSF, UEFA, or NSCA.
• Experience supporting return-to-play processes alongside medical staff.
• Background in applied research or use of data for performance enhancement.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
  
  

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The job requires regularly lifting/pushing up to 10 pounds and occasionally lifting/pushing more than 25 pounds or exerting heavy force, in a wide disparity or environmental conditions. The job involves standing, stooping, bending, lifting, pushing, etc.

Real Salt Lake provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Note: The need may arise to revise, supplement, or rescind portions of this job description, and the Club reserves the right to do so at any time. Employees shall be required to meet the qualifications and perform the duties of any revised job description.