LOS ANGELES (Friday, Feb. 7, 2020) – The LA Galaxy have appointed Phil Hayward the club’s Director of Performance and Sport Science pending receipt of his P-1 Visa, the team announced today. Hayward joins the Galaxy after spending over 10 years with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC in England, where he most recently served as the head of their medical department since 2012.
With the Galaxy, Hayward will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the club’s health, physical fitness and physical performance components of the first team.
While with Wolves, Hayward oversaw a department of 30 full-time medical and sports science professionals to provide player care to optimize health and physical conditions. As the head of the medical department, he implemented various sports science systems and processes club-wide to support physical development and care for the Premier League squad.
He first started with Wolves FC in 2008, where he served as the head of Academy Medical Services before moving into a role as the first-team physiotherapist in 2011. Prior to his time with Wolves, he was the head of the medical department for Oldham Rugby League Club and served as a Physiotherapist for NHS and Bolton Wanderers FC.
In 2018, his department were recognized as the Medical Team of the Year by the Football Medical Association in the English Championship. Additionally, he led his team to an all-time record for squad availability of 98.5% during the 2018-19 season.
He joins the LA Galaxy with an MSc in Manual Therapy from Coventry University and a BSc in Physiotherapy from Manchester School of Physiotherapy.
The five-time MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy’s 2020 home opener is set for Saturday, March 7 at Dignity Health Sports Park against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at 7 p.m. PT. Fans can purchase tickets to the club’s 2020 home opener by clicking here. Single-game tickets to Galaxy home games are available on www.lagalaxy.com/tickets.
