Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Their first team compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The Club’s Category 2 academy recently ranked top in the EFL Productivity Rankings over a rolling 6 season comparison.

The Academy currently operate out of the Alan Higgs Sports Centre site in Coventry. Although there was some use of the members gym, the club did not have a dedicated gym space on site. When an unused studio spin room was made available, the team at the academy approached Perform Better to assist with the design and specification the facility.

When producing our end of season department reviews it was clear that a dedicated performance space was a necessity, and this was a view shared by the wider academy departments. To continue producing players capable of excelling within our first team we have to create strong efficient movers who are robust enough to meet the demands placed on them as they progress through our pathways. The addition of the facility is there to aid this both for our schoolboys and professional phase players.

Perform Better were asked to consult on the project because of their extensive experience within professional football and track record of providing turnkey solutions in a high performance environment.

After initial site visits to survey the space, then a series of remote and on-site consultations with the clubs staff, 3D design images were created by the PB team.

The key for the team was to maximize the available space in the room whilst providing multiple work areas for the players. The area was divided into barbell loaded, free weight, flywheel and bodyweight areas to allow a natural flow for players during the session.

Wall mounted half racks and disc storage were used to minimize the footprint into the room, whilst still providing two solid lifting and pull up stations. Also installed were adjustable benches, PB branded dumbbells, foam plyometric boxes and Exxentric kBox4 and kPulley2 flywheel devices.

Having equipment branded and in club colours was important for the team so that the gym made an impression on the staff and players, as well as being in keeping with the aesthetic of the rest of the academy. Perform Better were able to provide bespoke branding on the joining plates of the racks, plyometric box covers and bench frame and upholstery.

Equipment:

Wall Mounted Half Rack

Disc Storage

Adjustable Benches

PB Branded Dumbbells

Foam Plyometric Boxes

Exxentric kBox 4

Exxentric kPulley2

Club Branded Upholstery