Garrison Draper
VICE PRESIDENT OF PLAYER HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE
Philadelphia Union, USA
Soccer, Heat, Altitude, Travel, Athlete Management, Sport Science
Garrison Draper has led an impressive career as a Sport Scientist and Performance coach in his/her 12+ years working in professional sport. In 2020, he was named Vice President of Player Health and Performance by the Philadelphia Union for his involvement in growing and developing the clubs Performance Department into a league leading group of practitioners that get results. The Union’s Performance Department, praise by team manager, Jim Curtin, was an important part of the Philadelphia Union’s impressive 2020 season where they won the MLS’ Supporter’s Shield (best record in the MLS Regular Season) and their current successes in CONCACAF Champion’s League. Garrison has also been featured in several well-known publications and conferences, including Vice Sports, International Journal of Sport Science and Coaching, PerformanceMDT hosted by PlayerMaker, and multiple other sport science related events.
Serving as the Vice President of Player Health and Performance at the Philadelphia Union, Garrison plays a major role in athlete monitoring, development, and innovation at the Philadelphia Union. The major focus of the club and Performance Department is to develop elite soccer playing athletes who can thrive in the challenging environments within the MLS and Worldwide soccer.
Along with his current role, Garrison is also in the process of completing his Doctoral degree through Teesside University, researching the physical effects which Weather, Travel and other external conditions have on an athlete’s performance in team sports such as soccer. Prior to his/her current role at the Union, Garrison worked within multiple other MLS Club’s sport science departments, along with some experiences abroad in both soccer and other sporting environments, helping grow the breath of knowledge of the teams in the field of sport science, or offering a new perspective to well established processes. Feel free to reach out to Garrison to discuss anything sport science and athlete performance!