Melbourne City FC Performance Manager Lucy Kennedy has been awarded the Hyundai A-League/Westfield W-League Female Administrator of the Year at the rebel Female Football Week National Awards in Melbourne on Friday.
Since joining City in 2016, Lucy has become a valued member of the Club’s medical staff. Lucy has been recognised for her work at the Club following her second consecutive season of playing an integral role in helping City create history in Women’s football.
Over the past two seasons, Lucy has helped City secure back-to-back Westfield W-League Championships through her thorough approach to injury prevention and match preparation.
Lucy’s role at the Club includes working with the Women’s and Youth teams to develop individualised and tailored plans for injured players, addressing their physical needs and individual workloads.
Furthermore, Lucy has worked internationally as the Club’s Head Physiotherapist for the Suning Cup Youth Tournament in China, where she assisted City’s up-and-coming stars battle scorching temperatures and a demanding schedule to finish in third place behind European giants Anderlecht and Inter Milan.
“I’m very surprised to receive this award yet extremely grateful of the recognition. All the females I work alongside in our football department are equally deserving and I’m honoured to receive this acknowledgement,” Kennedy said.
“The last two seasons have been a valuable learning experience and I have been fortunate to be involved in two successful campaigns. There has been a lot of growth in our W-League program, from a human performance perspective.
“We now provide a full time Physio and Sports Science service, allowing us to implement an elite program for our Women’s players. One of our strengths this season was the physical capacity of our players through our training, gym and injury pre-hab programs.
“Another positive change has seen us implement greater injury prevention strategies with increased player recovery, player education and load monitoring. We will go back to the drawing board and think of more ideas for next season, to ensure we are continuing to be one step ahead.
“The most rewarding moment this season was seeing the girls win the championship. It doesn’t get any better than that, as I saw first-hand the hard work that went into it and the setbacks the players had faced. On a day to day, week to week basis, the incentives are seeing the girls develop physically from a strength and conditioning perspective and how this is reflected in their performance on pitch.”
“I’d like to thank our CEO Scott Munn and Head of Human Performance Andrew McKenzie for giving me the opportunity to work in football and the W-League coaching staff in Patrick, Paul and Sam, who have always advocated our medical and performance program and are enjoyable to work alongside.
“I’d also like to acknowledge our Sports Science staff Adam Centofanti and Team manager Louisa Bisby who are fantastic to work with and both make my role so much easier, and the playing group who put in so much hard work and the subsequent success that has brought.”
