“Strength and power are no longer optional”: Contemporary strength and conditioning practice in an English Premier League first team

Purpose Strength and Conditioning (S&C) coaches play a central role in optimising performance and mitigating injury risk in elite football. Despite this key responsibility, limited research has examined the practical application of S&C within the daily realities of top-tier professional environments. This study explored applied S&C practices within a first-team department of an English Premier League (EPL) football club to generate context-specific insights relevant to practitioners and researchers. Methods A qualitative research design was employed using semi-structured interviews with five first-team performance and medical staff members. Interviews explored S&C training philosophy and delivery, testing and monitoring approaches, and operational and contextual constraints. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three overarching themes were identified: (1) Player profiling, (2) Injury prevention, and (3) Challenges in programme S&C delivery. Individualised S&C programming was primarily informed by player profiling and the positional demands. Strength and power were monitored regularly during the season, whereas comprehensive speed profiling was not consistently conducted during the season. Injury prevention strategies were systematic and individualised, integrating screening processes, targeted exercise selection, and load management. Enhancing player education and modifying exercises were key to improving player compliance, but staffing limitations and time pressures restricted the extent of individualised S&C. Conclusion This study provides novel insights into the applied realities of S&C practice within an EPL first-team environment. While practitioners adopted evidence-informed approaches, practical constraints necessitated ongoing compromise and flexibility. These findings highlight the importance of adaptable, context driven decision-making and demonstrate the value of qualitative inquiry for capturing the complexity of elite football performance settings.