Des Ryan
Des joined Arsenal FC in February 2013 after a successful strength and conditioning career in the rugby world. Des worked for the IRFU as fitness education manager and his responsibilities involved managing the Continued Professional Development (CPD) programme for IRFU strength and conditioning coaches and managing the fitness development structures for rugby players in under-19 sides and below. Before this, Des worked as head fitness advisor at Connacht Rugby from 1998 to 2008. During this time he had worked with the Ireland A rugby team for three years and assisted with the Ireland senior team.
At Arsenal Des is the head of the academy sport medicine and sport science department. He over sees the physical development of players aged from 8 to 23. During his time at Arsenal Des has helped develop the approach, size of the department and the facilities at the academy. This has helped support a number of players graduate from the academy to the first team. During his time at the Academy the sport science and medicine department have won three UKSCA awards. Arsenal was this first soccer team to win an award from the UKSCA.
He has also extensive experience in the world of GAA. Training Roscommon and Galway from 2001 to 2005 and also advising various Minor and U21 county teams from 2006 to 2013. During that time Des was part of John Tobin’s 2001 backroom team when Roscommon won the Connacht Senior Football Championship. He was also part of Peter Forde’s backroom team in 2005 when Galway won the Connacht Senior Football Championship and also the All Ireland U21 Championship the same year.
Des has completed a Masters in Strength and Conditioning and is also a tutor with the IRFU, Setanta College and a tutor trainer with World Rugby. He has been UKSCA accredited since 2008 and In 2016 Des completed the BASES high performance sport accreditation and charted scientist accreditation. He has a keen interest in the area of developing a player over a long term and has presented at many conferences around the world over the last few years including the UKSCA, ASCA and NSCA Conferences.