For those who are not aware, I am currently undertaking my Masters at La Trobe University. As part of my studies, I undertook a placement at FC Copenhagen (AKA FC Kobenhavn, or FCK) in Denmark in October.
My fiancé and I have been on the road for the past 3 months, travelling through southern Europe with the final destination being the UK. We plan to live in the UK to experience life on the other side of the world. After the warm beaches of Italy, Greece and Croatia, the October weather in Copenhagen was a bit of a change. After dropping our bags at the hostel, our first stop was the shops, looking for a winter wardrobe.
Once properly attired, we could explore Copenhagen. What a truly beautiful city, filled with happy (officially the happiest in the world), polite and very cooperative citizens.
We stayed in the city centre, and were struck by just how quiet it was. Where were the car horns, police cars and loud passionate arguments (normally about football) found in the rest of Europe? The 100-150% car ownership tax could go a long way to ‘supporting' the city’s famous bicycle culture.
Well we quickly realised this isn’t like the rest of Europe… this is Scandinavia.
The Danes do things differently to the rest of Europe, and the world for that matter, and most would agree, do most things better… They have the stats to back it up. Enough about Copenhagen the city, this isn’t a travel blog (The pictures tell a better story). On to the club…
A Warm Welcome
From even before setting foot in the Club, I felt very welcome. Dave Cosgrave (FCK Head of Medical Services, and my placement contact) had been in contact for months prior, assisting me with accommodation and travel logistics. This really was a great help. No one I knew had been to Copenhagen, and while we know it’s far from the crime capital of the world, it was nice to have someone help me get my bearings. This hospitality extended throughout the stay, with most days at the club ending with a café or restaurant recommendation.
My attempt at the perfect first impression
The first few days were spent sightseeing. Laura and I had a great time wandering the old but pretty and well-manicured streets. Being the ‘geographically challenged’ individual I am, I thought I’d use some of this time to familiarise myself with FCK’s facilities, and how to get there. The day before my placement was due to start, after some Google mapping and route memorising (I think it was a total of two turns, door to door), I ran to the stadium and back, just to triple check I knew where to go. There may have been one wrong turn on the way, but I got there.
Great idea on paper, and would’ve worked… if they trained at their stadium.
I found out this wasn’t the case when I arrived at the stadium ready to go at 9am on the Monday. Oops! A shorts but pricey taxi ride later, I had made it to the training facility slightly late, luckily Dave and the team found it more amusing than anything. Two lessons there: 1) Check your emails properly 2) No football teams train at their stadium.
A Lesson in Culture
I learnt a lot from my time at FC Copenhagen, and of course I learnt a lot clinically. However, spending my time shadowing Dave, as ‘Head of Medical Services,’ rather than a full time clinician, the experience gave me an insight into the managerial side of a an elite sporting club, something I have had very little experience in seeing closely. Watching Dave and his team work, I was noticing those ‘intangibles’ that make up a culture that you can’t teach or learn in a classroom, I thought I’d share some of these.
Whilst writing this blog, I truly realised how much I had taken from this experience. As a result, the word count got away from me. I have decided to split this piece into three more easily digestible chunks.
‘Janteloven’ – An ego-free atmosphere
For those who have worked with Scandinavian athletes, you’ll notice you are working with a very different athlete. From what I have been told and read, the humble, respectful nature and incredibly high level of compliance to exercise prescription is ‘the Danish way’ and may have it’s origins based loosely in the Scandinavian phenomenon of ‘Janteloven’ or ‘The Law of Jante.’
In a nutshell it makes for a team culture aligning itself very closely with the New Zealand All Blacks’ ‘No d**khead allowed’ rule characterised in Paul Kerr’s novel Legacy. For those interested in anthropology, have a Google, it’s an interesting read. Only head to reputable sites please (we’re all better than our WebMD first year undergrad assignments by now).
Whilst the Danish cultural fabric helps, Dave and his team have harnessed this innate characteristic and facilitated its permeation through the Club, immersing overseas imports into this culture seamlessly. As a result, this makes the whole team a pleasure to work with from a clinician’s perspective, and they get results. Being the ‘newbie’ on arrival in any workplace, but especially sporting clubs, can often be met with suspicious looks and standoffish behaviour. Don’t get me wrong, this is a normal human reaction to ‘outsiders,’ especially when entering such a tight micro-community like an elite sporting club.
This certainly did not happen at FCK… in fact it couldn’t have been more different.
I found myself looking like the awkward standoffish one when each player came in and greeted me like they did all the other staff, a warm handshake and a pat on the back. This welcoming theme stayed true with every person I interacted with from the club. The coaching staff, ‘kit men’ (property stewards), kitchen staff, even the fans at the games.
Though, most importantly this professional respect was maintained with the players during clinical work. Any treatment, exercise or small piece of clinical advice I offered, they took on board just like it was Dave, Simon or Alex (The FCK Medical Team). This left a memorable impression on me, and it would be something I’d love players to exhibit if I was ever lucky enough to be in a role such as Dave’s.
‘Athlete Centered Care’ – Practice what you preach
Why do most most sports physios like working in sport?
I’ll hazard a guess it’s one or a combination of the following (I’m far from innocent here):
‘Failed’ athlete themselves (Failed = sub-elite or retired)
Sports enthusiast/tragic
Type A personality looking to make it in a challenging field
Loves free team apparel and may enjoy telling people who they work for
Wants to wear shorts & runners to work
Common theme here… these reasons are all about ‘the self’ and none of these reasons mention the athlete. In reality we are the ‘support’ team, not THE TEAM. We are the people behind the scenes, supposed to be unseen and unheard if we are doing a good job. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, with ego and perceived reputation getting in the way.
Often health professionals preach the ‘patient centred care’ model, but do they actually preach it? I think athletes’ interests and desires are ignored in the face of the clinician’s opinion of ‘the best option’ based on sports science, or cutting edge (and often low quality) research. At FCK, players play an active role in what their recovery, strength and conditioning and preparation will involve.
It was not uncommon, for a morning discussion to involve questions like ‘What is YOUR focus point today?’ or ‘What do YOU feel you need today?’
Players are given the choice of whom their ‘head therapist’ is. This autonomy empowered the players to take control of their management, and work with those who they feel they have the best relationship and clinical alliance. It goes without saying that this style of management requires a level of trust in the athlete, to ensure they are not using this power of choice to take the easiest path, or not complete what is required to be a professional footballer (don't be caught calling it 'soccer' in Europe)… but this comes back to the cultural foundations laid out in point 1.
By having the right people with the right attitude, there is no risk in trusting them to do the right thing. If they don’t do the right thing, then they’re in the wrong club.
It is often overlooked that staff also need recovery. Elite sport involves work every weekend and lots of travel. A core concept at FCK is ‘Staff Recovery’. This is not a ‘work life balance’ statement quoted on the wall and not actioned. Got your child’s birthday? Don’t travel this weekend. Away game 5 time zones away… take the pre-travel day off. Under pressure at home? Its ok, we all are, how can we help?
How can you ask your staff to care for the players, if they don’t feel the club cares about them?
‘Beware the busy therapist’ – do what needs to be done.
‘Elite sport, you know it’s like 12 hour days 6 days a week’
‘I spent all weekend comparing last years injury data to this one’
☝️STUFF PEOPLE SAY IN ELITE SPORT☝️
Referring back to the ‘type’ who goes into physiotherapy, and sports physiotherapy specifically. These individuals are often type A, highly motivated, competitive people who want to help. What a perfect employee, you’d think… but every personality trait has good and bad aspects. This also often means this individual can be obsessive, competitive with colleagues, constantly seeking validation for their work, and struggle to switch off.
Now this becomes someone harder to manage.
Again, don’t get me wrong, this is a simplified and exaggerated observation from my limited experience in sport thus far, and I’m not criticising individuals, I share many traits with said ‘type’. Although, it is easy to see how this can spiral out of control, for both the individual and the medical team, creating burnout and disharmony respectively.
A key foundation of FCK’s philosophy is to actively 'do what is needed.'
Do the work that will provide a benefit that is worth the investment of time and effort. This includes actively enjoying times when it’s not busy and GOING HOME!! This makes for a more relaxed and enjoyable working environment, that can only result in better care of those the medical team is there for… the stars on the pitch.
To be continued... stay tuned for Part 2 of Dave's blog about his time at FC Copenhagen.
We love feedback! At Enhance, we are always looking to improve. If you there is anything you like or dislike about what we are doing, please let us know. You can comment below, or email us directly at enhancesport@gmail.com
We are always looking for contributors. If you have a topic, an opinion, or something about our profession that puts a bee in your bonnet, and you want to write about it. Let us know!!