Lindsey Haddock - Head of the Exercise Rehabilitation, NIFL Premiership team & Northern Cricket Union Sports Therapist

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Lindsey Haddock – Head of the Exercise Rehabilitation, NIFL Premiership team & Northern Cricket Union Sports Therapist

BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy

Sports

Belfast native, Lindsey Haddock, graduated from Portobello Institute with her BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy and received an Outstanding Achievement award at her graduation for her hard work and dedication during her studies.

Lindsey works in Sports Therapy and Exercise Rehabilitation at Fit For Life Northern Ireland which is a physiotherapy, sports massage, rehabilitation and healthcare clinic. She has also recently become a medical intern at Glenavon Football Club.

Before deciding to study sports therapy at Portobello Institute, Lindsey worked as a receptionist in a gym and as a massage therapist in a physiotherapy clinic. She felt like she could help more people and decided to follow her passion to fulfil her potential.

“I wanted to do more with myself and to be able to help people more. My aim was to become a physiotherapist. I didn’t get a place in a physiotherapy programme and I saw this programme at Portobello. I really liked that the college offered blended learning which would allow me to balance work and study,” she said.

During her studies, Lindsey gained a high level of confidence in her ability to work alongside physiotherapists, particularly during her work placement.

“I learned so much at Portobello and through my work placement with Shamrock Rovers football academy, I gained some really valuable experience. I now work alongside physiotherapists and can assess and treat clients utilising the same manual therapy and rehabilitation techniques as physiotherapists.

“I am also the Head of the Exercise Rehabilitation aspect of the business and work with a wide range of clients. When I’m not in the clinic, I work with the first team of a NIFL Premiership team as well as with the Northern Cricket Union.

“I continued my studies and am completing an MSc in Exercise Physiology and Rehabilitation through which I can become an ACSM Exercise Physiologist/Clinical Exercise Physiologist, specialising in exercise as medicine, for the treatment of chronic illness or I can work with athletes to enhance their performance and rehabilitation,” she said.

Even travelling from Belfast for weekend classes, Lindsey has great memories of her time at Portobello Institute, where she valued the one-to-one support from tutors over the large lecture halls of universities she had experienced in the past.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Portobello. The blended learning was great and gave me flexibility. I had studied at university before and really love the personal side of Portobello. The lecturers were fantastic and were very supportive throughout.

“I travelled from Belfast for class at the weekends and one of my classmates also travelled down so I have very fond memories of our early morning starts and all the laughs we had along the way. It was also great to have a classmate to learn alongside and to challenge me.

“I really enjoyed the whole experience. I liked that unlike a large university, the lecturers would know you and were really supportive. They were very approachable and more than happy to help you understand the content. I would definitely recommend Portobello. I would even come back myself.

“This course was right for me, it gave me the flexibility I needed whilst allowing me to learn and enhance my skills,” she said.

Lindsey received an Outstanding Achievement award at her graduation for how she excelled in her work and even went above and beyond to help other classmates.

“I’m so proud of what I achieved at Portobello. I learned so much, I got a First Class Honours degree which I never thought I could do, I met some great friends along the way and I got good experience that opened me up to new opportunities. I’ve also won an outstanding achievement award, which I’m delighted about!” she said.

Studying at Portobello Institute with flexibility around her lifestyle and tutors who supported her one-to-one with great networking and work placement opportunities has shown Lindsey that there are other routes to success and career paths outside of studying physiotherapy at university.

“I originally wanted to be a physiotherapist but now I realise that that’s not the only way to do the type of work I want to do. I am now working towards specialising in exercise physiology and rehabilitation for clinical populations.

“The degree has enhanced my skill set and has opened up many new opportunities for me. I believe you get out of things what you put in so if you really want it, go for it, give it your all and you can absolutely achieve whatever you set your heart on,” she said.

Portobello Institute has a dynamic sports department with a range of top qualifications for the next step in your career.

If you are interested in any of our sports courses or have any questions you can book a consultation call with our expert sports advisor Jason Lester, email [email protected] or call 01 892 0029.