Ella McCann
Bachelor of Sport, Exercise and Health
Major: Sport and Exercise Science
More than 400 hours with the Wellington Phoenix Academy gave Ella McCann a front-row seat to the demands of high-performance sport. By the end of her strength and conditioning internship, she was leading warm-ups, running gym sessions, supporting game days and working with GPS data to track player development.
My workplace experience
Placement organisation:
Wellington Phoenix Academy
Role:
Intern, Strength and Conditioning Department
Length of placement:
400 hours
What I worked on
I completed my placement at the Wellington Phoenix Academy, working with the U16 and U18 women’s teams. My role was an intern within the Strength and Conditioning department. This involved helping support the physical development of players, managing their training load throughout the week, and assisting with injury prevention strategies to help maintain player welfare across the teams. Over the course of the year, I completed more than 400 hours of placement experience.
At the beginning of my placement, I mainly shadowed the strength and conditioning coach to understand how sessions were structured and the reasoning behind programming decisions. As I progressed, I took on more responsibility and began leading warm-ups, gym sessions, conditioning work and individual top-up sessions, as well as assisting on game days. I was also involved in cutting and analysing GPS data to help monitor player load and development.
Skills I used (and grew)
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Leadership
- Project management
- Research
- Time management
How AUT prepared me
AUT did a really good job of covering the theory that I then got to apply during my placement. Once I was in the real environment, I started to see how all the different concepts link together and why things are done a certain way.
At the time, I didn’t fully understand the importance of courses like ethics, evidence-based practice and Uni 101, but doing placement and finishing my degree made me realise how much I actually used the information taught in these courses.
I also think the shorter 35-hour placements in my second year were really helpful because they gave me a chance to experience different types of roles and environments before committing to my main placement.
What I learned
I learned how to take what I’d learned in theory and actually apply it in a real environment. Over time I became a lot more confident in delivering sessions, giving information, and coaching players, which was something I wasn’t fully comfortable with at the start.
I also learned how important it is to build good relationships with both staff and players, as that makes everything run a lot smoother. On top of that, I figured out how I work best. I realised I can be a bit forgetful when I’ve got a lot going on, so I started using lists and writing things down, so I don’t miss anything.
My tip for other students
Pick a placement that aligns with your interests and has people you enjoy working with. If you’re in an environment you actually want to show up to, you’ll learn a lot more and it won’t feel like a chore to get your hours done.
I was really driven by my research topic, so I’d work on it in my spare time just because I was bored. I wanted to learn everything I could and go beyond what was required because I actually enjoyed it.
So I would say, make it enjoyable and choose something that genuinely aligns with what you’re interested in, because that’s what makes you want to keep learning.