Simone Fornari is a highly respected Italian sports performance expert with over two decades of experience working in elite football environments across Europe and the Middle East. Born on 20 July 1976 in Novi Ligure, Italy, after many years of field experience, he completed a PhD focused on athlete performance and the science of coaching, integrating practical expertise with a solid scientific foundation. His academic foundation is complemented by advanced training in leadership, intercultural communication, and applied sports performance, including certifications from FOCUS Sports Education and STATSports in GPS analysis for example.
Throughout his career, Dr. Fornari has held strength and conditioning roles with a wide range of professional football clubs. His journey includes positions at Genoa U17, Paniliakos in Greece, CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, Universitatea Cluj and CS Universitatea Craiova in Romania, and Al-Kharaitiyat SC in Qatar. In 2022, he also worked with Politehnica Timișoara before moving to Saudi Arabia, where he collaborated with Al-Faisaly. From January 2024, he held a dual role as Strength & Conditioning Coach for the U19 team and Physical Performance Lead Coach at Al-Qadsiah Academy, becoming Head of Performance in July 2024. These experiences have given him a broad international perspective and deep familiarity with different footballing cultures, youth development systems, and high-performance environments. His diverse background in both youth and senior teams allows him to be adaptable and prepared to work at various levels of professional football.
Known for his evidence-based, athlete-centred methodology, Dr Fornari applies principles of ecological dynamics to create adaptable and resilient athletes. He places strong emphasis on data-driven training strategies, using tools like GPS analytics to optimise physical performance and minimise injury risks, while always keeping the athlete’s individuality at the center-recognizing them as a complex human being rather than a mere machine. He is an advocate for holistic development and promotes the concept of “invisible preparation,” which includes managing off-field behaviours and fostering psychological readiness. His coaching philosophy also incorporates complexity theory through frameworks such as the Cynefin model, enabling him to navigate uncertain and dynamic sporting contexts.
In parallel with his field work, Dr Fornari has made significant academic contributions. His doctoral research involved the development of applied tools like the Satisfaction Scale for Athlete in different contests and the High-Level Football Coach Profile, which aim to connect theoretical knowledge with real-world coaching practice. He often collaborates with players and coaches for survey-based projects and regularly publishes reflections and insights on LinkedIn, covering themes such as skill acquisition, self-organization, chaos in learning environments, and systems thinking in coaching.
His professional journey is marked by a deep commitment to continuous learning, innovation, and performance excellence. Whether through academic research or practical application on the training ground, Dr Simone Fornari continues to shape the future of football performance by blending scientific rigor with a human-centred coaching approach.
Our Exclusive Interview with Dr. Simone Fornari
Who is Simone Fornari outside of football? What experiences or values shaped your path into high-performance coaching?
Outside of football, I consider myself a facilitator of authentic leadership in complex contexts. My experience is rooted in understanding social, organizational, and interpersonal systems, developed through international contexts where I have collaborated with diverse teams across different cultures. These experiences have taught me the importance of deep listening, adaptability, and valuing each unique context. Values such as mutual respect, empathy, and integrity underpin my approach: I believe progress occurs by creating open environments where every voice is heard, and every variable is part of a dynamic system. I am convinced that true authentic leadership arises from self-awareness, active listening, and the ability to integrate rationality with emotional intelligence, presence, and responsibility. I believe that a genuine leader is not someone who has all the answers but someone who asks the right questions, fostering curiosity and deepening understanding. Additionally, I am passionate about Philosophy and Communication, currently studying these fields out of personal interest. Although not directly part of my professional work, these studies profoundly influence who I am and how I approach challenges, fostering critical reflection, active listening, and empathetic communication. This passion enriches my everyday life, encouraging me to question, find meaning, and cultivate an open, conscious mindset.
Across your international career, how have cultural differences influenced your approach to athlete development and team management?
Working within diverse cultural contexts has taught me that each culture perceives the roles of the individual, the group, and leadership differently. This awareness has led me to develop a highly adaptable way of working, valuing diversity and promoting inclusion. For example, in some cultures, communication tends to be more direct, whereas in others, a more indirect and hierarchical approach is preferred. Being able to read and respect these differences allows me to build collaborative environments where people feel valued, secure, and motivated to contribute. I have understood that trust and active listening are essential for creating resilient teams capable of sustainably facing challenges, especially in complex and constantly evolving environments. Recognizing cultural differences becomes a vital tool for building meaningful relationships, fostering inclusion, co-creation, and long-term sustainability.
You have worked with clubs like CS Universitatea Craiova, Al-Faisaly, and Genoa. Which players or teams left a lasting impression on you and why?
Among the teams and players I’ve had the pleasure to work with, none stand out as more important than others. Every experience, athlete, and coach has been a piece of my professional growth. I’ve learned that there are no “more important” or “less important” individuals; each interaction contributes to shaping my approach. From working with high-level athletes to collaborating with emerging talents, I’ve realized that success is built on authentic relationships, active listening, and adaptability within the system. Emergent performance results from the interaction of multiple variables, and my role as a coach is to facilitate this interconnectedness, promoting autonomy and fostering sustainable, growth-oriented environments. True leadership manifests through qualities such as transparency, awareness, and ethical vision, not just managing people but building trust and facilitating shared growth processes.
How do you integrate data and performance analytics, such as GPS or constraint-led approaches, into daily training environments?
Technologies like GPS, sensors, and data analysis tools are fundamental for understanding the dynamics of athlete-environment interaction. I use these tools to gather objective data on movements, intensities, and behavioral patterns, which help identify strengths, areas for improvement, and critical issues. However, my approach always prioritizes the human element: data support decision-making but does not replace it. I contextualize this information within a broader framework that respects individual variability and promotes environments encouraging situational awareness, self-organization, and mental resilience. Technology thus becomes a facilitator of continuous learning and flexible adaptation, aiding in creating smarter, more sustainable growth environments while maintaining the centrality of human relationships.
In your PhD research and academic contributions, what key insights have you found most relevant for bridging theory and coaching practice?
My research and experience have taught me that effective coaching is based on facilitating interactions among many variables, with the goal of promoting autonomy and adaptation. My method involves creating training environments that foster self-organization, emergent learning, and resilience through systemic and practical approaches. I utilize tools such as continuous feedback, interaction analysis, and self-reflection techniques to help athletes and coaches interpret environmental signals and respond flexibly and creatively. My philosophy is grounded in the principle that optimal performance results from a dynamic balance among variables, and the coach’s role is to facilitate this interconnectedness – enhancing self-awareness and the capacity to adapt sustainably. By integrating the “three brains”, the rational neocortex, the emotional limbic system, and the instinctive reptilian brain, it is possible to develop a centered, credible leadership rooted in self-awareness and understanding of others..
Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision as a coach and sports performance professional?
I intend to continue innovating, including leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to better understand interaction dynamics and support more informed decision-making. Yet, the core of my work remains human-centered: relationships, empathy, and perception of human system variations are central to every intervention. My ambition is to promote an ethical coaching model that respects human complexity and diversity and can respond to the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. I aim to help athletes and teams develop resilient, adaptable, and sustainable performance systems over time, creating conditions that facilitate voluntary and sustainable change. The key lies in aligning rationality, emotionality, and presence: leaders who integrate these aspects, activating neural functions discussed by neuroscience, build credible, solid systems capable of facing the challenges of an ever-changing world, with social responsibility, ethics, and sustainability at the core.