Stewart Heppinstall
Stewart Heppinstall has completed an Applied Sports Performance Analysis MSc
Stewart is graduating with a Distinction from his Master’s course and has spoken of his pride at becoming Lead Performance Analyst with Blackburn Rovers, the club he has supported for most of his life.
Stewart said: “I was delighted to achieve a Distinction in my Master’s. It is always my aim to strive to be the best I can possibly be, and, whilst there are lots of obstacles to overcome especially within the elite sporting environment, if you keep working hard you will get your rewards."
“Since finishing the course, I have become the Lead Performance Analyst at Blackburn Rovers Football Club. This role means much more than just a job to me, being the Football Club I have supported from a young age. I am very fortunate to work with a team of highly skilled and dedicated analysts as well as a management and coaching team that believe highly in the analysis process to develop players and impact results.”
Stewart initially studied for a Sports Coaching degree at undergraduate level; he then went on to work for eight years as a performance analyst, before deciding to return to education to enhance his skills and experience in a bid to land a lead analyst role.
“For me, one of the advantages of the MSc in Applied Sports Performance Analysis at Worcester was the ability to be able to learn through an excellent online learning programme,” Stewart said. “This type of learning allows students to essentially learn from anywhere in the world, meaning you can continue your academic education whilst still gaining practical experience within your field of work.
“In this sense the pandemic didn’t affect our studies too much since we were already used to the online lectures that many universities had to adapt to.”
Stewart is now committed to developing the performance analysis department at Blackburn Rovers, ensuring that it is forward thinking and able to evolve with the times to provide the best learning environment for elite footballers.
“I would like to thank both Dr John Francis and Mike Bateman at Worcester for their continuous support throughout the course,” he said, “and for helping me get to where I am today. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is aspiring to become a performance analyst within elite sport. With hard work and dedication, your goals can be achieved.”