The Big Interview: Jess Fishlock

Lives like Jess Fishlock’s have few constants. Forging a successful career in football all over the world, the midfielder’s nomadic nature has seen her accumulate silverware in Australia, Germany, Netherlands and the United States, between spells in England and Scotland, since 2010. Currently at NWSA side Seattle Reign where the season runs from March until September, the 31-year-old often opts for loan spells abroad in favour of a well deserved rest during the off-season, and if that hectic schedule wasn’t enough, Fishlock continues to captain Wales having become the first player, male or female, to register 100 caps.

During a brief moment when she wasn’t wracking up air miles, Fishlock openly admitted there are a few things that won’t change: her love for Cadbury’s chocolate, Tetley’s tea and coffee – the latter being something she’s currently not short of living in Seattle, the city where Starbucks started. On the pitch, wherever that may be of course, there’s perhaps a less obvious but equally significant sustained aspect to her game – GPS performance technology.

“GPS technology has helped me immensely,” says Fishlock. “The demands are so high now that not having the ability to use GPS, or most importantly, understanding the data can severely harm your playing level. It’s something I use daily to ensure when it comes to game time, I’m at peak condition and fresh.”

Seeing as Catapult Sports, the leader in elite sports analytics and creator of PLAYR, supplies over 1800 professional sides across the world – including the Welsh national sides – with such technology, it’s no surprise players have become reliant on performance data to train, play and improve.

“It allows me to understand when to push myself or when to rest, both are equally as important as each-other. The best thing I’ve done is invest in GPS and then understanding it personally. If you really want to get to the top – if it’s truly worth it and you can’t give up – you have to keep working and keep trusting the process.”

You can get your PLAYR device here.