The Sydney Swans have set their sights abroad during the off-season to learn from the best in world sport as part of a study trip to the United Kingdom.

Senior Coach John Longmire, incoming Chief Executive Tom Harley, High Performance Manager Rob Spurrs, Head Physiotherapist Matt Cameron and Head of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy Chris Smith all travelled to Europe as part of the trip.

Longmire joined forces with NRL premiership winning coach Trent Robinson to spend time with some of the best coaches from around the world in their chosen sport.

The duo visited a number of high profile sporting organisations and held meetings with Celtic FC manager Brendan Rodgers and England national team manager Gareth Southgate.

Longmire said the opportunity to expand the club’s knowledge base beyond our home shores was vital to continual improvement.

“We have had a number of meetings with head coaches at clubs and national teams and it is a good time of year to be able to get out of the country to visit other codes,” Longmire said.

“It is about being really open-minded about how other organisations at the elite level work all around the world.

“I am fortunate enough to be travelling with Trent and so between the two of us it is a great opportunity to brainstorm, think and talk to different people.

“We also have the chance to chat between ourselves and share some ideas for both clubs to get better.”

Cameron and Spurrs went to the Sports Performance Summit and Manchester United Sports Medicine conference in London to further expand their knowledge in the high performance field.

The pair also met with a wide range of sporting organisations including Arsenal FC, Saracens Rugby, British Athletics and Loughborough University during the week-long trip.

As the rapid growth of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy continues, the trip provided a perfect chance for Smith to explore elite academies and colleges throughout the United Kingdom.



Smith met with key staff from the English Premier League, Fullham FC, Eton College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art to study how these organisations work.

Also with a new training and administration facility on the horizon for the Club, Harley took the opportunity to visit a number of the best training facilities in the northern hemisphere.

Harley’s trip included visits to training facilities of Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC in order to further understand the different aspects to world class training facilities.

The trip coincided with a visit to Doha, Qatar as part of the clubs partnership with Qatar Airways. The visit saw key Swans visit world class facility at the Aspire Sports Zone and tour the sights and the sounds of the city.