Sports Performance Leadership: Luke Passman - Don’t Just Wear the Badge – Build the Culture
Episode 182: In this episode of the Sport Performance Leadership Podcast host Pete McKnight speaks to Luke Passman, a seasoned performance leader with experience across rugby, tennis, baseball, and football at the elite level. Luke is currently the Head of Performance Sciences – Academy at Chelsea FC, where he oversees S&C, sport science, and nutrition.
Luke’s career spans top roles including Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for the New York Mets, where he oversaw player development systems in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, and Head of Sport Science Support at SotoTennis Academy, leading multidisciplinary teams. He’s also a private performance consultant on the WTA Tour, working with players at Grand Slam and WTA 250/500 events.
Topics Discussed:
Career journey – From coaching in Spain to leadership at the Mets and Chelsea FC
Transition to leadership – Moving from S&C delivery to managing multidisciplinary teams
Leadership at the Mets – Navigating decentralised systems and empowering staff
Strategic performance impact – Leading initiatives like performance scouting for the MLB Draft
Learning to lead – Mentorship, reflection, and executive leadership training at Oxford
Navigating change – Managing staff and culture through leadership turnover
Core leadership principles – Authenticity, clarity, autonomy, and honest feedback
Cultural adaptability – Leading across Spain, the U.S., and the UK
Future of performance leadership – Data-driven systems, generational shifts, and staff development
Advice for aspiring leaders – Be self-aware, seek support, work hard, and own your growth
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Where you can find Luke:
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• X
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Sponsors
Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.
Remaker: The Portable Strength Tracking Ecosystem. Remaker provides real-time insights to optimise your performance, making even the smallest improvements in your strength training visible in an engaging and powerful format. Remakers integrate seamlessly with the exercise equipment you already use, and the app provides meaningful metrics for every rep, of every set, of every exercise.
VALD: makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training.
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Our Team
Andy McDonald
Ben Ashworth
Alistair McKenzie
Dylan Carmody
Steve Barrett
Pete McKnight
Ireland