University of Brighton helps Worthing FC prepare for historic National League season

Worthing Football Club is receiving specialist sports science support from the University of Brighton as it prepares for its first season in the National League.

The club secured promotion earlier this year, marking its move from semi-professional football to becoming a fully professional side for the first time in its history.

A new partnership with the university is giving Worthing’s first-team players and coaching staff access to high-performance testing, specialist facilities and sports science expertise ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Earlier this summer, the squad visited the university’s performance laboratories at its Falmer campus for a series of pre-season assessments.

Players also used facilities at the neighbouring Square One Cricket Centre.

The squad will return to the university on 4 August, four days before Worthing’s historic first National League fixture, to repeat the tests following five weeks of pre-season training.

The results will allow coaches to assess each player’s readiness for the new season.

Further testing will take place throughout the campaign to help monitor fatigue, support recovery from injuries and assess potential new signings.

The programme includes sprint tests over ten and 30 metres, explosive strength and power assessments, and agility exercises measuring acceleration, deceleration and changes of direction.

By repeating the assessments during the season, coaches will be able to compare players’ results with their individual baselines.

The information could help identify fatigue and muscular imbalances linked to injury risks, while supporting decisions about training, rehabilitation and recovery.

Matt Miller, Head of Science and Medicine at Worthing Football Club, said: “Promotion to the National League is massive for the club. We want to give the players every opportunity to perform at their best. Having a bespoke testing programme helps us build a clear picture of where the squad is physically and gives us valuable information to support training and performance as we prepare to compete at this level.

"Working with the University of Brighton gives us access to excellent facilities and expertise, while also helping develop the next generation of sports science practitioners through our internship programme. It's a partnership that's already delivering real benefits for everyone involved.”

The testing is intended to provide information which can be used throughout the season, rather than acting as a one-off assessment of the squad’s fitness.

The partnership is also giving undergraduate and postgraduate Strength and Conditioning students practical experience of working within professional football.

Students are helping sports scientists carry out the testing under academic supervision, allowing them to apply their studies in a live performance environment.

Dr Jim Wallis, Principal Lecturer in Sport, Coaching and Exercise Science at the University of Brighton, said: "This is about much more than collecting data. Good sports science should help coaches make better decisions every day, whether that's managing training loads, reducing injury risk or understanding when a player is genuinely ready to perform.

"Too often in sport, clubs collect huge amounts of information that never gets looked at again. We wanted to create something that's practical, repeatable and genuinely useful throughout the entire season."

Dr Wallis said the partnership could also help players adjust psychologically to becoming full-time professionals.

He said: "Worthing have taken an enormous step into professional football. Bringing the players into a high-performance environment, working with specialist equipment and experienced sports scientists, reinforces that transition.

"When players are treated like professionals, they begin to think and perform like professionals. That confidence and sense of belonging can be incredibly powerful."

Worthing FC already operates an internship programme which gives students experience within a football performance environment.

Students who have previously taken part have gone on to secure roles at professional clubs including Portsmouth, Millwall and Sutton United.

Dr Wallis said: "Partnerships like this demonstrate the impact universities can have beyond the campus. We're supporting a local club at an exciting point in its history while giving our students opportunities to apply their knowledge in a genuine professional sporting environment."

Square One Cricket Centre is also supporting Worthing’s preparations for the new campaign.

Centre manager Dominic Heater said: 'We at Square One are delighted to assist Worthing FC in their preparations ahead of an exciting 2026/27 season. Another professional sports team is huge for the local area, and we can't wait to see how things progress at Woodside Road! We're also looking forward to seeing the players try their hand at cricket over the next few weeks!'

The collaboration forms part of the University of Brighton’s wider work with elite and community sport.

The university said the partnership would use research-informed practices to support Worthing’s performances while creating valuable learning and career opportunities for students.

As Worthing begin their first season in the National League, the partnership will provide the club with continued sports science support throughout its transition into professional football.

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