Jordan Godfrey

My Graduate Story

My name is Jordan, and I graduated in 2018 with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences. I am currently the Head of Strength & Conditioning for the BC London Lions. As Head of Strength and Conditioning for the London Lions, I lead the design, delivery, and monitoring of all in- and off-season strength, speed, agility, and conditioning programmes for the professional men’s team. I oversee athlete performance testing, load management, nutrition, and injury rehabilitation, working closely with coaches and medical staff to maximise player readiness and availability across a demanding competitive schedule.

The London Lions are one of the UK’s premier professional basketball clubs, competing in the British Basketball League (BBL) and representing the UK in the prestigious BKT EuroCup. Based at the Copper Box Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Lions have established themselves as a dominant force in British basketball, securing multiple league, cup, and playoff titles in recent seasons. With a strong emphasis on high-performance culture, community engagement, and player development, the club combines world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science, and elite facilities to compete at the highest levels of European and domestic basketball.

A Day in my life

My day typically begins early, with a review of overnight player data — wellness questionnaires and sleep quality reports. This initial scan allows me to identify any potential red flags and make preliminary adjustments to the day’s training plan. By 8:30 a.m., I arrive at our facility to prepare the weight room and training areas, ensuring equipment is set, resistance tools are in place, and supplement stations are stocked. I also meet briefly with our medical and physiotherapy staff to align on injury updates, return-to-play progressions, and any individual restrictions. I will then communicate this with our coaching staff and collaborate in designing our training session.

As the players arrive, we begin our daily readiness assessments, which include jump performance testing, grip strength measurements, and movement screening. These quick but targeted assessments provide valuable insight into each player’s neuromuscular readiness and mobility status, allowing me to identify how each player is responding to workloads. We then move into player's injury prevention and weights routine, microdosing different training areas across the week. My role here is to ensure correct technique and maintain a high level of focus and intensity.

We then feed straight from the weight-room onto the court for training. I lead the warm-up, including a lot of gamification to improve focus alongside microdosing speed and agility training. After practice, we enter a recovery block, which includes cold water immersion, compression therapy, mobility work, and structured post-training nutrition. I use this time for informal check-ins with players, assessing both physical readiness and mental state.

Early afternoon is dedicated to multidisciplinary collaboration. I attend team meetings to provide feedback on player workloads, wellness trends, and recommendations for training modifications. Post-meeting, I often run targeted sessions for athletes returning from injury, focusing on controlled loading, movement re-education, and progressive return-to-performance strategies. Younger players may receive additional foundational training, particularly in movement efficiency and lifting competency.

The latter part of the day is spent analysing data from our athlete monitoring system, ensuring that our programming remains evidence-based and responsive to current demands. I prepare the next day’s plan and communicate relevant updates to the coaching staff. By early evening, I wrap up at the facility, but my role rarely ends there — I remain available for player questions, adjustments to travel schedules, or last-minute performance considerations.

My Journey to BC London Lions

After graduating, I secured a Strength and Conditioning internship with the Leicester Riders Basketball Club, which developed into a full-time role and eventually the Head S&C position. Along the way, I gained experience at multiple levels of the sport, from academy athletes to senior international teams. Each step built on the previous one, I sought out opportunities to learn, invested in additional qualifications (such as the NSCA CSCS and RSCC), and made a conscious effort to build my professional network. Those connections, combined with consistent results in athlete performance and availability, ultimately led to my current role with the London Lions.

My Birmingham Experience

My BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Birmingham gave me a strong foundation in the physiology, biomechanics, and psychology of sport, which I apply daily in my role. The combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application prepared me to design evidence-based programmes, interpret performance data, and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary teams. The emphasis on critical thinking and research during my degree has been invaluable in adapting my coaching to new technologies, evolving performance trends, and the specific demands of elite basketball.

Although I didn’t make direct use of the University’s support services, it was reassuring to know that resources such as the Careers Network were available if I needed them. Having that support structure in place created a sense of security and showed that the University was invested in helping students prepare for life after graduation.

Advice for Students

Make the most of your time at university to build experience and connections. I would strongly recommend pursuing internships,, alongside your degree. The applied experience you gain in those environments is invaluable. You learn to navigate the realities of elite sport, adapt to athlete needs, and collaborate within multidisciplinary teams. I completed four years of unpaid internships whilst completing my degrees which allowed me to walk into a lead strength and conditioning coach role as soon as i graduated.

Equally important is building your network; attend conferences, connect with practitioners, and maintain those relationships. In high-performance sport, opportunities often come through recommendations from people who have seen your work first-hand. Most employment opportunities come down to who you know, not what you know.

The best things about studying BSc Sport & Exercise Sciences

The breadth of the course at Birmingham was one of its biggest strengths. Having exposure to areas such as physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and psychology allowed me to develop a holistic approach to athlete performance. The quality of teaching staff was so important for me, being around world leaders kept me inspired daily. Also the access to excellent facilities, and the collaborative learning environment all played a key role in preparing me for a career in professional sport.

My Achievements

I consider the experiences I gained during my time at university to be my greatest achievement. Playing for the University Basketball Team was my first introduction to strength and conditioning, and working with the performance staff as an athlete helped me build strong relationships that led to a three-year internship with them. Alongside this, I worked with the City of Birmingham Basketball Club, further developing my practical skills. These opportunities opened the door to an internship at Michael Johnson Performance in Dallas, Texas, where I worked with NBA, NFL, NCAA, and Olympic athletes. Collectively, these experiences paved the way for my first role in professional basketball with the Leicester Riders, which I secured just one year after graduating from the University of Birmingham.