I recently had the opportunity to deliver pre-season fitness testing for the Wigan Athletic F.C. Youth Development Phase (U15 & U16) squads.
Having been here before, it was great to return, see the staff and players again, and support their physical development at the start of the season.
We ran our usual testing battery:
✅ 30m sprint
✅ Isometric mid-thigh pull
✅ Countermovement jump (CMJ)
✅ Drop jump
✅ Maturation assessment
This time, I was particularly excited to introduce the VALD Performance ForceFrame into our testing.
The ForceFrame allows accurate, reliable isometric strength testing across multiple positions (hip adduction/abduction, knee extension/flexion, etc.). It’s quick to set up, player-friendly, and provides live feedback, enabling us to capture high-quality data efficiently to guide individualised strength programming.
