Simon Coleman

MSc S&C | ASCC | BSc Sports Science | S&C Coach @IrishFA Academy | Sports Scientist @NorthernIreland Mens U17s| All views are my own

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

Talent doesn’t run on a fixed timeline ⚽️

The NI Futures programme supports players based on biological maturity, helping talent thrive at the right time.

Find out more from some of the players involved & National Academy Player Performance Lead, Simon Coleman 🎥👇

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

The NI Futures Programme returns for 2026 ⚽️

This programme groups players by biological maturity, not just age, ensuring every young player gets the right support at the right time 👏

A significant step in the ongoing development of our player pathway ⚽️

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

The JD Academy Residential is thriving 💪

Manager Kris Lindsay shares his pride in seeing academy graduates step into our senior squad & gives an inside look at the daily work driving the academy forward 👏

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

📸 A brilliant experience for our JD Academy players today as they played Southampton Academy.

To top it off, they crossed paths with a familiar face in Shea Charles 💚🤍

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

Final session of the year for NI Futures ✔️

Game day brought together our early and late developers, rounding off a year focused on grouping young players by biological maturity, not just age 👏

A big step forward in our continually evolving player pathway ⚽️

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

A great first session this morning with the Northern Ireland Futures Programme’s late-developing players as we kicked off the first training block.

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

Developing talent and mindset 👏 The Irish FA JD Academy are putting in the hard yards on & off the pitch ⚽️🏋️ #TheFutureIsBright

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

@Arsenal 4/4 what would I do? Analyse the data in-game, is there scope to expose players immediately post match with minimal dosage. Vital to consider upcoming potential load exposures & practically, the research might not fit. Instead of weekly can we assess ind timelines for exposures

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

1/2 Striking alot of debate this one & it’s interesting. Support staff @Arsenal are doing exceptional work, the demands on players now at club & int is higher than ever. The performance solution here is complex & many saying the players need to hit 90%+ vMax & 200m vMax weekly

[STATSports @statsports]

This is what the elite clubs are now dealing with on a regular basis.

High intensity games every 3 days (including travel) leaves little or no room for sufficient maximal speed exposures in training. It’s mostly recovery and tactical work between games.

As we know from research, players who hit 90-95% of their max speed 1-2 times per week are less likely to suffer muscle injuries than players who hit <85% or less.

The paradox is that schedule is designed to showcase the best players more than ever - but the game demands increasingly leave less and less time to prepare for them.

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

@Arsenal 3/4 you’d hope they get exposed to vMax in the game across the week. But not always the case, even more so if your a team with greater in-possession, which Arsenal tend to have. The occasional transition to recover for counter-attacks for FBs, CBs, CM may be the only exposure

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

A week ago the @NorthernIreland U16s lifted the inaugural Gary Speed Cup 👏🏆 Head coach Kris Lindsay reflects on the experience 🗣️ #GAWA

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

A really enjoyable course and process. Thank you to the @IFACoachEd for delivering an excellent course.

As a physical performance coach, I believe it’s important to continue to develop my coaching impact, game understanding and apply greater specificity to the session delivery.

[Irish FA Coach Education @IFACoachEd]

A fantastic start to our UEFA Youth B Diploma. Candidates immersed in expert workshops on coaching pedagogy, player profiling, IDPs, and growth &amp; maturation. #CoachDevelopment #UEFAYouthB

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

What a way to start the first trip of the season 🏆👏🏻

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

🏆 @NorthernIreland Under-16s have lifted the inaugural Gary Speed Cup in Wales with a 100% record 💯

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

@SteveCurnyn Thank you mate. Hope all is well.

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

🎥 Irish FA Lead Physical Performance Coach Simon Coleman explains the benefits of the new NI Futures Programme

Grouping young players by biological maturity, not just age, as part of our ever evolving player pathway ⚽️

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

Brilliant evening as always, hard to believe that’s another season done! Well done everyone 👌🏻👏🏻

[Irish FA @IrishFA]

We celebrated the Class of 2025 at the Irish FA JD National Academy Residential Graduation 🎓 A night to recognise their dedication, development and potential 👏🏻

Hear from the players, U19s boss @G23mcauley and Head of Elite Player Development @Andy_Waterworth 🎥👇

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

The 1st NI futures programme training session. The NI futures programme will group players based upon their growth and maturation status. This will ensure we maximise and support the development of both early and late developing players.

[Simon Coleman @simoncoleman07]

A brilliant week away with the U15s squad and another important development oppourtinity for the squad.