“I had nothing, absolutely nothing.”
Alex Calder packed his bags and bought a one-way ticket to the United States in 2016, pursuing a dream with no leads or role lined up.
Throw in two jobs, one in the evenings at a restaurant, just to make ends meet. All to find work in strength and conditioning.
The leap of faith paid dividends, with the Australian landing at MLS outfit Orlando City in 2017. He is now Head of Sport Science at Houston Dynamo.
Recalling his life-changing relocation to the US, Calder told KEEPUP: “It was right after I wrapped up my internship at the AFL level, I packed my bags and came over here and almost had to start again.
“I got a visa. I had no leads or job lined up or anything. I packed up a suitcase and bought a one-way ticket to Boston.
“Was just throwing my name out there. Going to conferences and meeting people. I worked at a private athlete facility, working with mainly high school footballers. I had to have two jobs at the time – I was doing that in the morning and in the evenings I was working at a restaurant just to try to make ends meet because I had nothing.
“I actually flew out to a conference here in Texas and met with some strength coaches and ended up getting an internship at Purdue University and that’s when I got a full-time role at the University of Louisville and then went from Louisville to Orlando.”
From sitting on the bench in NPL to working with Kaka
Like many in Australia, Calder grew up loving and playing football.
As a teenager, Calder was scouted to go over to the US and play college football, having stepped out for the likes of Berwick City FC and Peninsula Strikers in Melbourne’s south-east.
He always pictured himself as a player and he continued playing in the NPL in Victoria.
That was until things changed, for a selfish reason. As his outlook changed, Calder went from juggling life as a player and strength coach – at the age of 20 – to committing himself to the physical world of the game.
“After my college years, I went home and that’s when I played and continued to play in the NPL. Played a few years there and it was always my vision to continue playing but it was only that it kind of came to light – one year I trialled for a new club and they cut me at the end of pre-season in Victoria.
“I just went heavy to try to develop physically and become much better from a physical side of things. During that process, it was actually selfishly I went and did the courses – personal training, and strength and conditioning courses to just educate myself on how to be a better player. Then I started to branch out and coach players.
“I was probably only 20 at the time and started to realise after a few years of doing it (juggling both), I realised I was probably better on the coaching element and more so physical preparation side of things opposed to playing. So I went from sitting on the bench in the NPL to working with pro athletes here [in the USA].”
Landing in Orlando with a Brazilian legend
Calder retired from football in 2015 to focus on his career as a sport performance practitioner.
After some time at home following his collegiate experience in the States, Calder ventured back to America and interned at Purdue University before earning a full-time gig with Louisville University.
Calder eventually made the jump to MLS, taking his talents to Orlando as a fitness coach with an emphasis on sport science.
His first year at Exploria Stadium was Kaka’s last in professional football.
Calder worked closely with the World Cup and Champions League winner, as well as former Italy and Juventus midfielder Antonio Nocerino and ex-Manchester United defender Jonathan Spector.
“That was a real shock to be honest,” Calder said of his move to Orlando. “I was at Louisville in the collegiate setting working with players between 18-22. From a coaching standpoint, you have to be quite authoritative with that age group, especially when they’re only playing against the same age group. It was a little different for us growing up playing in the state leagues and NPL when you’re 16-17 playing against grown men, getting exposed to that high level, fast-paced football.
“Then when I left there to go to Orlando City, at the time we had Jon Spector, Kaka, Antonio Nocerino. Some big-name players and from my side, it was a bit of a shock because I had to switch gears. That leadership style doesn’t really apply anymore, I have to be a bit more transformational in nature. It was a good challenge.
“On a personal note, it was sensational. Like any of us Aussies back in 2003 or 2005, you’re watching Kaka in the Champions League at 3am in Melbourne and then you want to be like him. Then for me 10 years later, I’m in the gym telling him what to do or out on the field doing ball technical drills with him. It’s pretty humbling but definitely a dream come true.”
Deep in the heart of Texas
Calder had the chance to remain in Orlando.
There were changes sweeping through the Lions, and it was a similar story for MLS rivals and two-time champions Houston Dynamo.
Calder, however, opted for change and he hasn’t looked back in Houston, where the Dynamo are owned by the likes of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya and Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden.
Houston have invested heavily in their sport science department and on-field roster, with the Dynamo breaking their transfer record to sign Paraguayan forward Sebastian Ferreira before agreeing a blockbuster deal for Mexico international Hector Herrera from Atletico Madrid.
“I went to Orlando as assistant fitness coach under Dave McKay, who was the director of fitness at the time. He actually went down the coaching route,” Calder said. “After his departure, I was still at the club. The club was going through a big shift.
“I was at a pivotal point – do I stay and try to continue what we built or branch out? It was really interesting timing because Houston they were doing the same thing. Making a shift on their performance side – it wasn’t until lately that they’ve made a shift on the organisational side. They were making a shift on the performance side where they wanted to create a sport science department and a bigger emphasis on the physical prep side because of the club’s history. How they’d gone the past couple of years prior to doing that.
“The high performance director here reached out to me. Said they’re creating sport science department. Emphasis is there because we need it to continue what we’re doing. In my fourth season now, so it’s gone well I think.”
The role of sports science and how it’s received
Like data and analytics, sports science and physical preparation has transformed football.
It’s led to the longevity of players, namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But the role of sports science has not completely won over managers and players, there is still an element of resistance to change.
It’s a battle of the old and new school.
When asked if coaches were more receptive to the science these days, Calder replied: “That’s such a great question because I think the more the sport grows, and we’ve seen from the research the speed of the game is growing, which means there is a more of a demand for physical preparation.
“Now it’s becoming common that coaches in Europe and all over the world have their own physical prep guy that they trust. [Aston Villa head coach] Steven Gerrard is a perfect example. He takes Jordan Milson with him everywhere. He was with him with the Liverpool U19s, he went with him to Rangers and then moved over to Aston Villa.
“It’s not uncommon because coaches, probably newer coaches, start to really recognise the emphasis of sport science and physical prep in football. It’s not just the pace of the game but injury reduction and be able to play the style of play that coaches want.
“On the contrary to that, it’s common for American coaches over here that are older to maybe have a bit more battles on the sport science side. What I mean by that, Steven Gerrard is like in his 40s and kind of fresh out of playing but also recognised he’s now gone from Gerrard the experienced player to Gerrard the young coach. Whereas some coaches that are 20 years older in the US will come into the league and say ‘well when I played, I did this’.
“It seems to be more common they haven’t let go of that thought process, which creates essentially a barrier for us as practitioners trying to implement more modern styles of training to fit the current modern game model. That’s when you start to have those kinds of conflicts. Sometimes they’re healthy conflicts and sometimes not. I’ve seen it go both ways and it’s dependent on the club model and the coaching philosophy.”
As for the players?
“There is a wide array of players, especially in our cohort. We get American kids coming out of college that are used to the authoritative leadership and do whatever you tell them,” Calder added. “We also get guys coming from Latin America where they’ve never seen the inside of a gym in their life.
“So kind of everything in between. For us, there’s a massive education element and also kind of the art of persuasion to a degree. Educating them and really illustrating that some of this stuff, even basic strength training, can help increase the longevity of your career.
“We always use the example of Cristiano Ronaldo, he is the actual image of what physical preparation looks like. In his late 30s doing quite well and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is another one. Those examples help us drive the message home. I’d say the majority buy into once you start to educate but also show you genuinely care about their career as well.”
What does the future hold for Calder?
“I’ve thought about that a lot,” he said. “I don’t think I have ability to go down the coaching path and I only say that because always my initial thought when looking at players and moving patterns, it’s always physical first whereas someone like Dave McKay and even to an extent our current high performance director, always first thought is how can that affect they’re tactical and technical aspects.
“For me, I see my role evolving into certainly staying in the performance window and managing more people in the long run.”
“For me, it’s the best job in the world,” he continued. “The whole job is about problem solving but about problem solving in a football environment. Because I played for 20 years and 100% passionate about and went and got formal education to do so in our field. All those things coming into play.
“The word sport science is now such a large umbrella, you kind of had to branch out to those different things that maybe outside of football can help you do your job better… even taking in business models because essentially players, coaches and even upper management are all stakeholders to an organisation. We’re trying to get the best out of our players so how can we do so as a cohesive unit.
“It’s a great job, there’s always something new every day. There’s always a new game to prep for and having that sense of competition, even though I’m not playing, but still having that feeling of competition is sensational.”
