Episode 186: In this episode of the Sports Performance Leadership Podcast, hosted by Pete McKnight, we speak with Perry Stewart, Head of Academy Performance at Arsenal Football Club, and a highly respected leader in elite sport. With over a decade of experience across high-performance environments, Perry brings a unique blend of practical coaching expertise, strategic leadership, and a deep focus on developing high-trust, high-performing teams.
Perry holds an MSc in Strength & Conditioning, is pursuing a PhD at Loughborough University focusing on performance support teams, and is accredited by both the UKSCA and BASES. He was also named UKSCA Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year for Youth Sport, recognizing his outstanding work in athlete development.
Topics Discussed:Unconventional path to leadership – From community fitness roles to elite sport
Transitioning from practitioner to strategic leader at Arsenal
The importance of people over process in high-performance environments
How to build high-trust teams through empowerment and collaboration
Learning leadership through experience and reflection, not just formal training
Influences from organisational psychology and practical leadership frameworks
The enduring impact of classic leadership models like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This episode provides powerful insights for anyone interested in building culture, leading teams, and elevating athlete development within elite sport.
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Where you can find Perry:
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Sponsors
Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.
Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.
VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.
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Our Team