Paul Kelly
Head of Strength & Conditioning — Rugby, St Stithians College
I'm the Head of S&C for Rugby at St Stithians College and High Performance Manager at the Inside Active High Performance Centre — a role I've held since 2019. I also played and coached in the system — SWD Eagles, Vodacom Cup 2014 — so I've lived both sides of the white line.
With over a decade in elite schoolboy and club high-performance, I bridge the gap between old-school grit and modern sports science. I built Apex Athlete Tracker on the gym floor to solve the problems I lived every day: WhatsApp programming, 40% compliance, and injuries flagged too late. I run Paul Kelly Conditioning as my Rugby Performance Lab for individual players worldwide, and Apex Athlete Tracker as the operating system for teams.
Under this system at Saints, player compliance moved from 40% to 94%, with real-time readiness monitoring, load management, and criteria-locked return-to-play protocols. Trusted by high-performance staff including Namibia Rugby physio Innis Erasmus.
Latest Certification — October 2026
World Rugby — Conditioning for Adults (L1) with Activate
Transcript of Competencies — COMPLETED — 16/16 Achieved
Venue: St Stithians College
Highlight: 2x Excellent — Thomas Test & 4-Week Power Block Design
Endorsed: World Rugby Training & Education
"This is why my blocks are built around safe, measured progressions and proper screening — not guesswork. Thomas Test screening and periodized power blocks were the two areas I scored Excellent in, and they're now baked into every program in the Lab."
Philosophy: Safe. Respectful. Relentless.
Build robust athletes first, rugby players second.
Principles that guide every programme
Practical rugby performance
Training that transfers to the field — strength, speed and conditioning for the demands of the game.
Safe athlete development
Age-appropriate loading and progression that respects where each player is in their development.
Monitoring
Readiness tracking and simple measures to train smart and avoid overtraining.
Long-term player development
A pathway that builds athletes sustainably across seasons, not just for one trial.
Current roles
Paul's active positions in high-performance rugby.
Head S&C Rugby
St Stithians College
2019 – Present
High Performance Manager
Inside Active Group
High Performance Centre
Founder
Apex Athlete Tracker
Athlete management platform
Coaching in action
Real moments from Paul's work with rugby players.
From Vodacom Cup to Saints 1st XV — 10+ years in the trenches
Coaching a team? Check out Apex Athlete Team Tracker — Built by me for schools and clubs.
Train with Paul
Start with the 8-Week Pre-Season Engine or explore personal online coaching.
Safety first: Always consult an appropriate healthcare professional before beginning any new exercise programme. Athletes under 18 should train with parent or guardian awareness and supervision where possible. Stop and seek advice if you experience pain.