LMA Annual Report 2025

FOR OUR MEMBERS. FOR THE GAME.

THE LMA IS LIKE MY BEST FRIEND. THEY HAVE BEEN THERE FOR ME TO LOOK AFTER MY HEALTH, MY WELLBEING AND STAYING EDUCATED WITH THE MODERN TRENDS IN THE GAME.

Vicky Jepson LMA member

FROM THE LMA CHAIR.

Martin O’Neill OBE

Since assuming the role of Chair of the LMA twelve months ago and, having had the opportunity to understand in more detail the direction and daily delivery of the association, I am incredibly impressed by the depth and breadth of work the LMA team, and its consultants, deliver on behalf of our members and the game.

Football management is a difficult job. Our members are navigating an ever-shifting, increasingly global, highly competitive employment landscape. The scrutiny on our members is never-ending, and the role is, at times, all-consuming.

However, whilst they are direct competitors, both on the pitch and for employment, the LMA unites our members, giving them a sense of unity and a collective voice. The LMA is their association, there to support them throughout their careers, adapting and expanding our specialist service offering to meet their individual and increasingly varied needs.

It has been a privilege to chair the LMA for the last 12 months. The LMA Team should be proud of the brilliant work illustrated in this report and I look forward to 202526 with enthusiasm.

IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO CHAIR THE LMA FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THE LMA TEAM SHOULD BE PROUD OF THE BRILLIANT WORK ILLUSTRATED IN THIS REPORT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO 2025-26 WITH ENTHUSIASM.

AS VICKY SAID... THE LMA IS LIKE MY BEST FRIEND, AND WHEN MY FRIEND CALLS, I ANSWER.

Jürgen Klopp LMA Member

FROM THE LMA CEO.

Richard Bevan OBE

Our new-look LMA Annual Report represents an incredible body of work delivered over the last twelve months by the LMA Team, and our extended team of expert consultants, serving both our members and the game. I sincerely thank them for their dedication and hard work. As this report demonstrates, we are very clear in our areas of focus and we are committed, every day, to delivering best-in-class programmes and support to every one of our members, based on their specific needs, delivered with care, empathy and expertise. Strong sports associations must always remain relevant to their members, adapting and evolving to the changes in their sport and the role their members play in it.

Football is ever-evolving, the game is more global, ownership more international, role function more complex, employment more volatile, data and sport science increasingly influential on performance, and with significantly more of our active

members now having the title ‘Head Coach’ rather than ‘Manager’ the trends in the development of the game are clear for all to see.

Central to our approach in growing the association and delivering to our targets is the development of strong, collaborative and respectful relationships with the game’s stakeholders, both domestically and internationally. We are the collective voice of the entire professional coaching workforce, in men’s and women’s football, first team and academies, and we have welcomed the opportunity to influence the game positively at the top level over the last twelve months. However, whilst our relationship with the Premier League is internationally recognised as best practice, we know there is more that can be achieved with stronger relationships with The FA, EFL and WSL Football and we look forward to moving those relationships forward in the coming months.

THE LMA FOR ANY MANAGER IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL COMPANION THAT IS ALWAYS THERE IN ANY MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER.

Roberto Martínez LMA Committee Member

Furthermore, without our strong and innovative commercial and service provision relationships the LMA simply would not function effectively. Our commercial relationships account for the majority of our annual revenue, and 2024-25 was another very strong year commercially. We were delighted to welcome a number of new global brands to the LMA family and we continue to deliver to the corporate world with a compelling commercial offering, centred on the very generous time and access given to us by our members.

Looking forward, we remain restless in the pursuit of our ambitions. We will continue to invest in our team at St. George’s Park, deepening our expertise whilst always mindful of our purpose-led approach. We will continue to expand our delivery of world-class member services and personal development support, seeking out new ideas and concepts. We will expand our international horizons, reflecting the developments in the game and ensure the LMA and LCA are fit for purpose in a global game. Finally, we will continue to strengthen our domestic and international charity and community relationships. We can and must use our position in world football to positively impact lives around us.

Best wishes.

Richard Bevan OBE LMA Chief Executive

103

854

220

275

241 Member Awards

61 Follow-Up Specialist Health Tests

44

2,766

327

OUR MEMBERS: BUILDING AFFINITY.

The LMA has over 720 members, nearly twice the number of the LMA in 2015. However, whilst our membership expands year on year, our primary focus on delivering to every member, based on personal need, remains at the centre of everything we do.

In the last twelve months, as this report covers in detail, we have had a huge impact on the professional and personal lives of our members, in some cases literally saving lives. Our person-first approach is guided by a commitment to building strong and personal affinity

with every member and supported by an extensive communication programme.

We are a caring, compassionate and empathetic association grounded in a deep understanding of the professional lives of our members, the challenges they face and the support they need. Every member of the LMA knows they have a world-class support system in place 24/7, delivered professionally and confidentially by a brilliant team.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Membership Categories : An expanded focus on the different categories of our members and their varied life and career needs including Premier League members, EFL members, women’s game members, first-time members, between-roles members, overseas members, retired, and senior members

J Member Tracking System: The implementation of a new CRM member tracking system to ensure a 100% coverage of our membership

J New Member Meetings: 29 in-depth 1-to-1 meetings with new LMA members

J Members’ Lunch: 64 members at the Meet the LMA Chair event in September 2024

J Upgraded Members’ Communications: Investment in new, revised email communication programme

J Member Daily Enquiries: Day-to-day management of over 780 individual member enquiries

J Member Visits: 51 individual visits

J Member Services Directory: Publication of a new LMA member services directory

J New Members’ Films: The completion of two new LMA member films

J LMA Online Platform: Increased usage of the LMA Online Platform as a ‘home’ for memberfocused resources and content

780

total number of member enquiries 10% from 2023-24 season enquiries

LOOKING FORWARD

729

total number of current members 06% from 2023-24 season members

J Performance Lifestyle Officers: Investment in a team of regional LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers, mirroring the best practice model of other professional sports, delivering face-to-face support to our members

J Enhanced Communication Programme: The LMA will invest in a significantly expanded range of member communication tools

J LMA Website: The re-launch of the LMA website, delivering a better user / member experience

J LMA Social Media: Increased investment in the use of member-specific social media tools to deliver key communication and messaging

J LMA / LCA Data System: scoping of increased investment in membership data systems and tracking

THE LMA ARE AN ENORMOUS SUPPORT, VERY CONFIDENTIAL AND YOU CAN ALWAYS TRUST THEM. SINCE I’VE STARTED MY CAREER IN MANAGEMENT I’VE ALWAYS FELT INCREDIBLY SUPPORTED BY AN ORGANISATION THAT KNOWS THE GAME.

Frank Lampard OBE LMA Member

MANAGEMENT IS...

THE LMA FILM 2025

THE PREMIER LEAGUE.

The LMA’s members in the Premier League are many of the most gifted, visible and scrutinised football managers in the global game. The demands of Premier League managers are extensive, most notably the huge volume of media and commercial work they fulfil alongside their responsibility to develop their players and teams.

Global visibility makes our Premier League members ambassadors for their clubs, the league and the game itself and in 2024-25 we continued to work hard to ensure a strong and collaborative relationship with the Premier League and its executive team.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Pre-/Mid-Season Premier League Manager Meetings: The LMA assists and supports a programme of Premier League engagement with the league’s managers at both pre and mid-season meetings. The meetings cover key issues in the game and help to build relationships and understanding between the Premier League and the managers

J Premier League Executive Engagement: The LMA engages with relevant representatives of the Premier League on an ongoing basis

J Premier League Football Operations: The Premier League and the LMA conduct weekly meetings reviewing and discussing football specific issues

J Premier League Manager Media and Communications Support: Through the season, the LMA delivered a number of media and communications interventions for individual managers, providing support to address difficult issues, manage media relationships and ensure consistency of messaging

J Premier League Manager Liaison and 1-to-1 meetings: The LMA invests in a dedicated resource who met with all Premier League managers face-to-face during the season and who responded to all Premier League manager enquiries throughout the season, providing confidential guidance and mentoring support

J Premier League Programme Support: The LMA engaged the Premier League managers to support a number of Premier League campaigns during the season (including Play Safe, No Room for Racism, Royal British Legion) and provided Premier League managers to support Premier League coaching and commercial events

J Premier League Manager Professional Development Support: The LMA facilitated a number of bespoke professional development experiences for Premier League managers

J Premier League New LMA Members: 6 new LMA members in the Premier League had 1-to-1 LMA inductions

J Premier League Managers CPD Events: 15 Premier League managers attended various LMA CPD events

J Premier League Managers Leaders Programme: 2 current Premier League managers are being supported by the LMA Leaders Programme

IF YOU ARE A FOOTBALL MANAGER YOU SHOULD BE IN THE LMA.

Current Premier League managers are being supported by the LMA Leaders programme.

LOOKING FORWARD

J Premier League Manager Leadership Forum: The LMA aims to coordinate a Premier League Manager Leadership Forum, inviting Premier League managers to discuss and share leadership insights and experiences

J Premier League Managers Mid-Season Survey: The LMA will coordinate a detailed qualitative survey of game issues with input from all Premier League managers

J Game Technical Area Review: All Premier League managers will be consulted in the 2025-26 Game Technical Area review

Nuno Espirito Santo LMA Member

AS A MANAGER, YOU GO THROUGH HIGHS AND LOWS, AND IT’S ALWAYS NICE THAT YOU HAVE AN ASSOCIATION THAT IS THERE FOR YOU WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM 24 HOURS A DAY. OUR JOB IS SO VOLATILE, IT CAN CHANGE SO FAST, SO IT’S NICE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE LMA AND KNOW THEY ARE ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU TO BACK YOU UP WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM.

Arne Slot LMA Member

THE WSL & WSL2 .

The women’s game in England continues to grow at pace, a recognition of the quality of the football on the pitch and the hard work and dedication of players, coaches, managers and administrators off it.

As the game grows, so does the complexity of managing in the women’s game, with associated increases in scrutiny and pressure. We recognise the need for a strong and supportive LMA alongside the managers - guiding the game’s development and providing personalised, individual support to our members as they continue to operate in an evolving environment.

As with all LMA members, our focus is on building strong, personal relationships with every member, and we welcomed a significant number of new members, in both the WSL and WSL2 during 2024-25, all of whom had extensive LMA inductions and many of whom took up support services and LMA mentors immediately.

We also continue to work hard on building a strong and professional relationship with the team at WSL Football, formally WPLL, and we were pleased to collaborate on a number of initiatives during the season.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J New Members: 12 new women’s game members inducted into the LMA

J Quarterly WSL Meetings: The LMA meets with relevant representatives of the WSL on a quarterly basis discussing all relevant manager and coach-specific issues. Additionally the LMA provides insights and views on WSL reports e.g. the women’s game stadium report

J Women’s PGMO: The development of an ongoing relationship with the women’s game match officials to focus on the relationship between managers and officials

J Pre-Season Meetings: First time collaboration on the women’s game pre-season meetings

J Women’s Game Manager Meetings: The delivery of 2 x league-wide online manager meetings covering relevant and live game issues

J Health Assessments: 21 women’s game members undertook the fully funded LMA Health Assessment with HCA Healthcare UK

J Psychological And Performance Development Support: 5 women’s game members accessed LMA psychological support / performance development services during the season

J Women’s Game Media Development Programme: In partnership with WSL we launched the new women’s game media development programme, open to all managers in the WSL and WSL2, delivering two Masterclass sessions and a programme of 1-to-1 coaching for 16 managers

J Women’s Game LMA Diploma Graduates: 8 women’s game managers and coaches completed the 202425 LMA Diploma in Football Management with University of Liverpool

J Women’s Game Leaders Programme: 2 women’s game managers enrolled on the LMA Leaders Programme

J Women’s Game Mentors: 17 members from the women’s game worked with an LMA mentor during the season

J Women’s Game Career Development Support: 8 women’s game members accessed 1-to-1 career development support

Women’s game managers and coaches completed the 2024-25 LMA Diploma in Football Management with the University of Liverpool.

THE LMA REALLY CARES ABOUT YOU. THEY WANT THEIR MEMBERS TO HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED AND ARE THERE TO SUPPORT YOU IN EVERY PART OF THE JOURNEY.

Karen Hills LMA Member

LOOKING FORWARD

J WSL Football-LMA Agreement: Create a formalised agreement with WSL Football to support the managerial and coaching workforce in the women’s game

J Women’s Athlete Health: The LMA will use its position in the game to become a leading voice on specific health and wellbeing issues that are unique to professional female athletes and deliver an expanded education programme on female athlete wellbeing and performance

J Women’s Game LMA Commercial Programme: We aim to expand our commercial offering to include women’s game specific rights with a focus on community, coach development and grassroots

J Women’s Game Performance Lifestyle Officer: We aim to invest in a dedicated Performance Lifestyle support delivering 1-to-1 support to all our members in the women’s game

J Game Technical Area Review: All WSL and WSL2 managers will be consulted in the 2025-26 Game Technical Area review

Members completed the fully funded LMA Health Assessment with HCA Healthcare UK.

MY FIRST FEW WEEKS AFTER JOINING CHELSEA, THE LMA WERE SUCH A FUNDAMENTAL SUPPORT TO ME BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY.

Sonia Bompastor

LMA Member

The three leagues of the EFL are where the majority of the LMA’s in-work membership finds employment and, from the top of the Championship to the bottom of League 2, the EFL is undoubtedly the most competitive league structure in world football.

Whilst the competitive nature of the three leagues ensures that every game matters, and the football is compelling - with the season often decided on the final day - the pressure to gain promotion or avoid relegation makes the EFL an incredibly volatile and unstable employment landscape for managers. Across the leagues the challenges and pressures on the managers are many and varied and providing tailored, relevant and high

quality 1-to-1 support to our members in the EFL takes a significant amount of time, expertise and resources.

Whilst we are very proud of the support we provided to all managers in the EFL over the last twelve months, we know there is so much more we could achieve with additional resources and support. We look forward to developing our working relationship with the EFL itself with an aim to deliver on a number of aspirational areas that would significantly improve the working environment for managers and coaches and the support provided to them as they attempt to build a career in an incredibly challenging environment.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J EFL Manager 1-to-1 Visits: 25 extended face-to-face club / manager visits

J EFL New Managers: 23 EFL managers had 1-to-1 LMA new member inductions

J EFL Managers Health Tests: 41 EFL managers undertook the fully funded LMA Health Assessment with HCA Healthcare UK

J EFL Managers Psychology Support: 14 EFL managers accessed the LMA’s psychology support services

J EFL LMA Mentors: 21 EFL managers were supported by LMA mentors

J EFL CPD Engagements: 58 Current EFL managers engaged with LMA CPD events during the season

J EFL Managers Leaders Programme: 6 Current EFL managers are being supported by the LMA Leaders Programme

J EFL Technical Issues: The LMA continues to be a first point of contact for all EFL managers regarding technical and disciplinary issues in the game. Additionally, the LMA now coordinates a weekly technical issue review meeting to highlight key incidents and trends in the game. This forum has allowed for the deepening on dialogue with the EFL and other stakeholders from a position of knowledge and live data

J EFL Manager - PGMO Relationship: The LMA continues to work to develop stronger relationships between the EFL managers and the PGMO including support for the EDRP pilot offering club visit opportunities as part of the development of match officials

J EFL Manager Technical Reports: 3 x EFL manager surveys and reports were conducted during the season, collating LMA member insights on:

< Media demands and experiences

< Pitch incursions

< Technical area

J EFL Quarterly Meetings: The LMA and selected EFL managers have attended the EFL quarterly meetings to share insights and opinions

J EFL Technical Visits: The LMA assisted in the delivery of 52 EFL club technical visits with the club and coaching staff engaging with the PGMO, building relationships and understanding, focused on in-game decision making and participant behaviour

J EFL Manager Contract Terminations: 35 managers received 1-to-1 support including career coaching, public statements, personal reflection, and legal assistance following contract terminations

58

52

41

EFL

21

LOOKING FORWARD

J Game Technical Area Review: All EFL managers will be consulted in the 2025-26 Game Technical Area review

J EFL Relationship: Continue to progress the development of a more formal relationship with the EFL, mirroring the best practice model of the Premier League and directing funding to expanded core services and administration for the expanded LMA membership

J Employment Regulations: Continue to work with the EFL on enhancing the employment regulations and contractual frameworks for EFL managers

managers received LMA health tests delivered by HCA Healthcare UK this season.

EFL club technical visits delivered, with coaching staff engaging directly with PGMO.

EFL managers were supported by our LMA mentors.

Current EFL managers took part in LMA CPD events throughout the season.

IT IS GREAT THAT THE EFL MANAGERS CAN CONTRIBUTE AND HAVE A VOICE ON TECHNICAL ISSUES, ESPECIALLY THOSE FOCUSED ON THE TECHNICAL AREA. THE GAME NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE, AND I AM HAPPY THAT THE LMA CONTINUES TO DRIVE THIS FORWARD ON OUR BEHALF.

Gary Caldwell LMA Member

LMA MEMBERS OVERSEAS.

As the domestic game in England continues to be an aspirational destination for managers and coaches from around the world, so competition for roles continues to intensify. In response to the congested and highly competitive domestic market, many of our members are now seeking employment and personal development opportunities overseas.

We fully support domestic managers and coaches who want to challenge themselves overseas, gaining valuable experience in different football environments and embracing different languages, people and cultures. However, we also recognise that working abroad is not easy and presents a significant range of personal, logistical and emotional challenges to our members and their families. To that end, the 2024-25 season saw the LMA undertake a step-change in our support of members overseas. We want our members to feel that whilst they might be abroad they remain fully connected to the game in England and their association.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Enhanced Overseas Member Tracking: We have implemented an ongoing tracking and monitoring system to ensure our overseas members don’t disappear from sight of the LMA

J Psychological Support Services: Through the use of the LMA online Psychology and Performance clinics, we have been able to provide 1-to-1 support to 12 members overseas

J Health Assessments: Our health assessment programme remains open to all members overseas and we were pleased that 5 members returned home during the year for their annual check up

J International Relationships: A significant expansion of the LMA’s international reach and relationships worldwide, cooperatively engaging the majority of the international and global federations

J International Member Visibility And Recognition: We have increased the coverage provided to our members overseas using our various communications tools (webinars, The Manager Magazine, LMA social channels) in order to support their visibility and profile back home

J LMA Leaders Programme: 2 Overseas members are currently supported by the LMA Leaders Programme

J LMA CPD Events: 17 overseas members attended face-to-face LMA CPD events back in the UK

LOOKING FORWARD

J International Health Partners: We aim to build a network of international health partnerships to provide LMA health tests to members in key territories

J LMA International Membership: We intend to expand our membership criteria to embrace domestic coaches and managers working abroad who currently do not qualify for LMA membership

J LMA International: We are currently scoping the feasibility of an LMA international presence in key markets

J Relocation Services: We will launch a new LMA member relocation support service in the 2025-26 season providing tailored support for any relocating LMA member and their family

THE WIDER LMA MEMBERSHIP.

Becoming an LMA member is to join the association for life and we take an equal responsibility to all members. In addition to those LMA members actively managing in the Premier League, WSL, EFL and overseas, a significant number of members are in other roles in football, taking some time to decompress between roles, working in other industries or enjoying retirement from the game.

Nevertheless, this large group of our membership actively engages with their association and 2024-25 saw us continue to build and expand our service offering to meet their needs.

J Members between roles: we have provided ongoing personal and career development support to 149 LMA members currently between roles and seeking reemployment in the game

J National League Managers: the LMA has provided 1-to-1 support, including face-to-face support meetings with 21 National League managers

LOOKING FORWARD

J Over 65’s: we continue to run our Over-65s members’ outreach programme making regular phone or faceto-face contact with all our members in this category including inviting them to attend LMA CPD and commercial events, and the LMA Annual Awards

J Transitioning members: we continue to provide a programme of support to members looking to transition out of the game or into wider football administrative roles

J LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership: 14 members were enrolled on the 2024-25 PG Award in Strategic Leadership and Governance, delivered in partnership with the University of Liverpool, designed with a specific focus on equipping experienced LMA members with the skills to move into other strategic leadership and board-level roles in football

J Performance Lifestyle Officers: Investment in a team of regional LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers with a specific focus on serving the wider LMA membership and addressing issues of career change, transition, ongoing development and social connection

J Enhanced Communication Programme: A targeted communications programme focused on LMA members outside of those actively engaged in management

J LMA / LCA Data Systems: Increased investment in data and tracking to allow all LMA / LCA members to be monitored and supported

I THINK THE LMA IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN COLLECTIVISM.

Roy Hodgson CBE LMA Member

THE LMA: A COLLECTIVE VOICE.

The membership of the LMA represents a combined body of football experience that extends well over 120,000 matches. Many of our members have dedicated their entire lives to professional football, working in clubs at all levels, both domestically and internationally. The LMA is committed to sharing this hard-earned knowledge with the game, its stakeholders, and key decision-makers.

On behalf of our members, we want to see the game progress on the pitch, embrace diversity, be strong commercially, have a positive influence on fans and communities, and deliver stable and viable coaching and management careers. 2024-25 was our most active year to date, engaging positively and constructively with the rest of the game. Whilst there remain areas where we feel the managers’ voice should be more formally engaged, the game is increasingly appreciating the contribution we can make.

Game-wide Boards / Advisory Groups

The LMA represents the collective voice of its members on a number of important boards and advisory groups including:

J The FA Council

J Governing Body Endorsement

J Safeguarding

J The Mentally Healthy Football Forum

J The Professional Coach Partnership Group (formerly ICS)

J The Participant Behaviour Working Group

J The Professional Players Federation

J The Premier League Head Injury Advisory Group

J Football Stakeholder Group

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Regulatory Changes: The LMA meets with all relevant stakeholders on all regulatory matters or amendments that directly or indirectly affect managers across or in specific parts of the game

J LMA Membership-Wide Survey: The LMA conducted a membership-wide ‘State of the Game’ Survey covering a spectrum of personal, career, and game issues relevant to LMA members

J Media Responses: Responded to over 30 separate media enquiries providing comments on ad hoc issues in the game

J Government Engagement: The LMA continued to engage with relevant Government departments, notably DCMS, on issues relevant to the association

THE MANAGERS, THE COACHES, NEED TO HAVE A VOICE OF WHERE THE GAME IS GOING, HOW IT EVOLVES. WE ARE A MASSIVE STAKEHOLDER IN THE GAME.

Dean Smith LMA Committee Member

LOOKING FORWARD

J PCP Mental Health & Wellbeing Research: We will play a lead role in the PCP mental health and wellbeing research project and identify a set of targets for the game to collectively address the gaps in education and support provision to the coaching and management workforce

J PCP CPD Research: We will play a lead role in the PCP CPD research project, aiming to deliver a coherent map of the game’s CPD provision and build a delivery structure that is fit for purpose for a progressive and forward-thinking workforce

J Game Technical Area Review: All LMA members will be consulted in the 2025-26 Game Technical Area review

THE LMA: TECHNICAL INSIGHTS.

Central to our collective voice responsibility on behalf of our members is our work representing their views and insights regarding football technical issues and issues that directly impact their employment. We aim to deliver a contribution based on quality research focused on positive outcomes:

KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO IS A SOUNDING BOARD, WHO IS NON-JUDGMENTAL, WHO HAS THE EXPERTISE TO SUPPORT AND HELP YOU WHEN YOU NEED IT OR CAN POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL.

Rehanne Skinner LMA Member

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Technical Mentoring: The LMA provided support to over 50 in-work members with guidance and support on technical issues in the game

J PGMO Relationship: The LMA meets the PGMO Chief Refereeing Officer on a monthly basis

J Women’s Game PGMO Relationship: The LMA regularly meets with the women’s game PGMO

J PGMO Key Match Incidents Panel: The LMA has facilitated the attendance of selected members at the PGMO KMI panels ensuring a manager’s perspective on specific issues

J EFL Manager Technical Reports: 3 x EFL manager surveys and reports were conducted during the season, collating LMA member insights on:

< EFL Media demands and experiences

< Pitch incursions

< Technical area

J LMA Style Of Play Report: The LMA conducted a research piece analysing the style of play of all 92 clubs in the men’s game to inform the design and delivery of LMA / LCA coaching courses and to track trends in the game

J Standard Contracts: The LMA continues to advocate for the adoption of a standard contract for managers and coaches across the game, increasing clarity and consistency in manager and coach employment, avoiding misunderstanding, ambiguity and legal disputes on the termination of a contract

J LMA Employment Statistics: Tracked and published the manager turnover and tenure statistics at both mid and end of season

J LMA EDI Game Report: We completed and distributed our EDI Game Report, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, identifying a comprehensive set of ambitions for the game

LOOKING FORWARD

J Game Technical Area Review: Following consultation with PL, WSL and EFL managers the LMA will be delivering a gamewide research project engaging all stakeholders (PL, EFL, WSL, WSL2, PGMO and FA) focused on the Game Technical Area to be conducted in the 2025-26 season

J Additional Employment Research: We will be commissioning a new research project to provide a deeper understanding of the drivers, challenges and constraints on the professional football coaching and management employment landscape, including both qualitative and quantitative data

LEAGUE COACHES ASSOCIATION.

Since the newly constituted League Coaches Association (LCA) came into existence in January 2023, with the significant and valued support of the Premier League, it has continuously proved its value to the game and to those that choose to coach in professional football.

We believe that the professional coaching workforce is one of the game’s most valuable assets and that every one of the talented individuals that make up that workforce should have access to a strong, vibrant and progressive representative association. In turn, that association must focus on its core functions of employment support, wellbeing services, personal and career development support and collective voice representation, delivered with high quality, consistently, universally and, where required, confidentially to its members.

In the first 18 months of the LCA, we have delivered beyond expectations. We have significantly grown the membership, established the LCA as a new and important voice in the game, delivered an extensive learning and

development offering, provided high quality employment support to a huge percentage of our membership and had a direct and positive impact on the health and wellbeing of a number of our members. We want to significantly increase investment in the health and wellbeing provision to the workforce and would like to see a team of Performance Lifestyle Officers, mirroring similar structures in other elite sports, providing confidential support to the whole workforce.

Additionally, we are aiming for 100% membership across the workforce and we are encouraged by the positive approach many clubs are taking to engaging their staff with the LCA. We are ambitious about what we can achieve and look forward to developing deeper relationships with the game’s other stakeholders based on a recognition of the value to the game of a wellfunded and highly competent LCA.

THE SERVICE THE LCA PROVIDES IS EXCELLENT, AND IT’S GREAT KNOWING THERE IS SUPPORT AVAILABLE SHOULD WE, AS COACHES, EVER NEED IT.

Seb Barton LCA Member

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J LCA Membership: 854 current members, 100% increase from January 2023

J LCA Membership Club Visits: Delivered 12 in-club LCA presentations

J LMA Club Registration Scheme: Established a new club-coordinated membership scheme with the first 5 clubs set to enroll their staff for the 25-26 season

J Employment Opportunities: Launch of the new LCA employment opportunities service, including the weekly marketing of 434 domestic vacancies and 46 overseas vacancies

J Health Insurance And Health Assessment: 26 members engaged with the LMA Vitality Health Insurance scheme (discount rate) or took up LMA Health Assessments delivered by HCA Healthcare UK

J LMA / LCA Psychology Sessions: The launch of the LCA confidential online psychology sessions providing world-class support to over 30 members during 2024-25

J LCA Annual Technical Performance Masterclass: Delivered the highest attended LCA CPD event at SGP with over 200 coaches engaged in a full-day programme of on-pitch technical sessions and discussions

J LCA Coach Short Course Launched: 35 LCA members accessed the new LCA Coach online short course, delivered in partnership with St Mary’s University, focused on skill acquisition and practice design across 6 modules over 12 weeks

J LCA Care Short Course Launched: 20 LCA members accessed the new LCA care short course, delivered in partnership with the Premier League, focused on safe-guarding and ethical player development

J LCA Multi-Disciplinary Teams Masterclass: Launch of the new MDT masterclass focused on uniting the coaching and sport science workforces

J LCA CPD Programme: Delivered 121 hours of CPD activity including 5 masterclasses, 12 Technical Webinars, 15 Leadership Insight Webinars

J LCA CPD Member Engagements: 1,521 separate LCA CPD member engagements

J LCA Mental Health And Wellbeing CPD: 134 members attended wellbeing, mental health and performance focused sessions

J LMA Diploma: 14 LCA members will graduate from the 2024-25 LMA Diploma in Football Management delivered in partnership with University of Liverpool

J Internal Resource: The recruitment of a new LMA/LCA Coach Development Manager to further the depth of knowledge of coaching in the LMA/LCA team and to deepen the affinity with the coaching workforce, especially the academies

854

Active members, representing 100% growth in 18 months

35

LCA members completed the new LCA Coach online short course, in partnership with St Mary’s University.

20

LCA members completed the new LCA Care short course, delivered with the Premier League.

134

Members attended sessions focused on wellbeing, mental health, and performance.

LCA Member Employment Support

The LCA delivered a record amount of employment support during the 2024-25 season, both representing the employment instability with professional football coaching and acting as a significant driver of membership as coaches recognise the need for high quality, confidential employment support

J 225 LCA members accessed LCA legal and employment services

J 26% of the membership accessed LCA legal and employment services

J Settlement agreements

J Contract reviews

J Redundancy proceedings

J Termination guidance

J Employment representation

J Wider employment advice

LOOKING FORWARD

J Membership Growth: A consistent approach to growing the membership of the LCA, ensuring that more of the workforce is able to access important services

J Performance Lifestyle Officers: A game-funded team of regional LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers delivering confidential, 1-to-1 wellbeing, career and personal development guidance and support to the workforce

J Psychology Sessions: Expand our provision of the LMA / LCA Psychology Sessions opening up more opportunities for members supported by increased marketing of the programme

J Expanded Regional Technical CPD Events: A new programme of regionally located, technically focused live CPD events

J Psychology Short Course: A new LMA / LCA online short course focused on sport and performance psychology

J Monthly Membership Payment Process: The LCA will introduce a new monthly payment option for all LCA members via a recurring payment scheme

INVESTING IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO GROW. DOING THAT WITH THE LCA HAS REALLY HELPED ME GROW AND BE A BETTER PERSON.

Rhys Denton LCA Member

PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELLBEING.

The last twelve months have been another important year for LMA Wellness, significantly supported by The Premier League. 14 LMA members are still with us, when they might not have been, had it not been for the direct support of LMA Wellness and our brilliant health service provision. Our membership presents a myriad of health and wellbeing concerns, many directly linked to the unique challenges and requirements of a career in elite level coaching. We continue to advocate to our members to see their health and wellbeing as central to their ability to not only live a long and fulfilling life but also fundamental to their in-work performance.

Coaches and managers are performers in their own right, and physical and mental fitness is central to performance optimisation. In the last twelve months, we have deepened our close relationship with globally recognised health providers, HCA Healthcare UK and Vitality Health Insurance, two brands that represent the benchmark for quality service that we strive to deliver. We have increased our pool of GPs, increased access to clinic locations and our expanded member HCA Health Assessment is unquestionably world-class. Furthermore, a significant expansion of our services, driven by a wider philosophy on health and performance optimisation has seen us launch a new performance lifestyle offering, encouraging positive lifestyle management.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J LMA HCA Health Assessments: 220 members or dependents have undergone the full HCA Health Assessment

J New Tests Added To The LMA HCA Health Assessment: We have added two new state-ofthe-art tests to our existing assessment: The plus wave velocity test for improved heart disease screening, and The Quantitative Faecal Immunochemical Test, a non-invasive screen for bowel cancer

J Follow-up Specialist Tests: 61 additional tests funded by the LMA following the initial HCA Health Assessment

J LMA Diploma and LMA Leaders: All participants on both programmes are offered a free LMA HCA Health Assessment regardless of LMA membership

J Regional Clinics: Increased the number of regional clinics from 3 to 5 to allow better access for members nationwide

J LMA GP Network: Expanded our network of regional GPs from 6 to 15

J LMA Vitality Healthcare Scheme: 359 LMA members and family members enrolled on the LMA’s Vitality Healthcare Scheme

J LMA Staff Training: All LMA office staff were provided with CPR training

J Health Education: 4 physical health-specific webinars delivered Cervical Cancer – Eve Appeal; Performance Nutrition – Clare Farrell; Heart Health – The British Heart Foundation; Concussion – The Premier League

J Research Programme: Knee Osteoarthritis: The LMA has funded a number of members to be part of the Arthrosamid study exploring surgery-free pain relief

J LMA Member Brain Injury Support: The LMA continues to support a number of its members suffering from the consequences of playing-career developed brain injury, as well as supporting the football stakeholders collective efforts to address the issue.

THE LMA SAVED MY LIFE.

Tony Mowbray LMA Member

Members or dependents have undergone the full HCA Health Assessment.

Additional tests were funded by the LMA following the initial HCA Health Assessment.

LOOKING FORWARD

New state-of-the-art tests added to our existing assessment.

J Game-Wide Health Trust: The LMA will complete its game-wide review of the health insurance provision provided by the game’s various stakeholders with the ambition of designing and delivering a new central Health Trust, benefiting from an economy of scale and providing consistent world-class support to all the central game employees

J Lifestyle Management: Expand our programme of positive health and lifestyle management, offering tailored 1-to-1 coaching and programmes to an increased volume of our membership, promoting preventative health services

J LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers: Invest in a team of regional LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers dedicated to providing confidential, holistic wellbeing and career development support to the whole professional game management and coaching workforce

J LMA Wellbeing Resources: Enhance our offering of wellbeing content and resources, delivered through the LMA Online Platform, encouraging both increased knowledge and awareness of key issues as well as enhanced wellbeing-focused, self-directed behaviours 02

LMA members and family members enrolled on the LMA’s Vitality Healthcare Scheme.

FROM START TO FINISH I CANNOT THANK THE LMA AND VITALITY ENOUGH. THEY HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO HELP ME AND MY FAMILY THROUGH THIS PROCESS. I HAVE BEEN SO HAPPY TO HAVE THEM BOTH BY MY SIDE THROUGHOUT MY CANCER TREATMENT JOURNEY.

George Burley LMA Member

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING.

The LMA believes in the fundamental link between brain and body, and that positive wellbeing is a combination of both physical and mental health. 2024-25 was a foundational year for the LMA’s mental health offering as we expanded our focus to include performance psychology.

The adoption of the recognised Mental Health Continuum deepens our commitment to not only support our members when times are difficult and they are experiencing mental health challenges, but to provide

a range of support and coaching focused on mental skills, performance optimisation and flourishing. We believe in the potential of every one of our members. We want to help them build the resilience and skills that not only help to insulate them against the challenges of an elite sport coaching career but shift their perspective beyond merely surviving to thriving. The recent launch of our new LMA Perform online short course is a specific commitment to this wider view, and we look forward to developing further services in line with this approach.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Mental Health Provision: 132 LMA members and dependents accessed LMA mental health support both online and face-to-face

J Mental Health And Performance Psychology Team: Expanded our team of expert consultants to 5 HCPC registered psychiatrists / psychologists

J LMA Psychology Sessions: Launched the new LMA Online Psychology clinic, allowing for a more strategic approach to session management, increasing our capacity, offering blocks of 5 sessions per individual

J LMA Psychology Clinic Sessions: Delivered 133 separate sessions to members and dependents

J LMA Psychology Emergency Care: Provided world-class support to one LMA member in emergency care

J LMA Perform: Launch of the new Mental Health and Performance Psychology online short course, delivered to 24 members over 12 weeks

J LMA Mental Health Education: 5 webinars delivered on mental health and performance optimisation

132

LMA members and dependants accessed mental health support both online and faceto-face.

05

133

Webinars delivered on mental health and performance optimisation. NEW

Separate psychology clinic sessions delivered to members and dependants.

Online Psychology Clinic: strategic session management with 5-session blocks per individual, increasing overall capacity.

ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Concerned about the mental wellbeing of a fellow manager, an LMA member contacted the LMA team to ask for support. Confidentially and with care, the LMA contacted the member in distress who was placed under the guidance of an LMA consultant psychiatrist. Following a series of sessions, the difficult times have been managed.

LOOKING FORWARD

J LMA / LCA Psychology Sessions: Expand our provision of the LMA / LCA Psychology sessions opening up more opportunities for members supported by increased marketing of the programme

J Positive Psychology And Personal Growth Resources: We will be designing and delivering a full range of self-directed positive psychology and personal growth resources

J Performance Psychology Expert Consultants: We aim to expand our team by adding two HCPC registered Sport and Performance psychologists to deliver our performance optimisation member support

J LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers: Invest in a team of regional LMA / LCA Performance Lifestyle Officers dedicated to providing confidential, holistic wellbeing and career development support to the whole professional game management and coaching workforce

J LMA / LCA Psych Short Course: A new LMA / LCA online short course focused on sport and performance psychology

J LMA Psychology and Personality Profiling: Relaunch a programme of 1-to-1 personal psychology and personality profiling and coaching

THE COURSE WAS OUTSTANDING. IT HELPED ME TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND ENHANCE MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE SUBJECT. HAVING HAD MY OWN PERSONAL ISSUES WITH WELLBEING IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, THE HELP AND SUPPORT I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE LMA IN THIS AREA HAS BEEN FIRST CLASS, AND THE COURSE WAS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF WHY I NEEDED TO DO IT.

LMA Member

LEGAL & EMPLOYMENT.

As a direct consequence of the continued volatility in the domestic employment market for managers and coaches, coupled with the lack of either standard employment contracts for managers or the adoption of best employment practices by many employers in football, the 2024-25 was disappointingly another record year for the number of members requiring legal and employment support from the LMA Legal Team.

Not only was the volume of cases consistently high, the variety and complexity of cases served to highlight the importance of the specialist and industry-specific knowledge within the LMA. Whilst our legal services are

established to serve the needs of our members, the past twelve months serves to illustrate the value our employment support provides to the game, ensuring that the difficult and challenging situations that contract terminations and disciplinary issues present are dealt with professionally and respectfully.

While employment instability may be a ‘fact of life’ of managing and coaching in professional football, we remain a strong advocate for a significant improvement in contractual structures and employment practices in football. The game has a responsibility to improve in this area and fall in line with other globally recognised industries.

THE LMA LEGAL TEAM HAS BEEN SO HELPFUL FOR ME IN MY CAREER TO DATE. TO HAVE SOMEONE THERE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS GET DONE QUICKLY, SWIFTLY, FAIRLY IS SO SO IMPORTANT.

Rob Edwards LMA Member

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Case Volume: 390 legal and employment cases

J Case Variety: 237 non-contentious cases

J Premier League Support: 27 Premier League managers and coaches were provided with employment support

J EFL Support: 92 EFL managers and coaches were provided with employment support

J WSL & WSL2 Support: 23 WSL / WSL2 managers and coaches were provided with employment support

J Overseas Support: 27 overseas managers and coaches were provided with employment support

J Employment And Legal Education: 5 separate employment and legal webinars or masterclasses were delivered Understanding EDI webinar, Perspectives on EDI webinar, understanding contracts webinar, media & the law masterclass, participant behavior masterclass.

23%

Of cases were dealt with across December and January.

390 Successfully handled legal and employment cases, delivering expert guidance and proven results.

25%

Of cases occurred in May and June 2025 – increased number of cases across a transfer window/ end of season.

92

Managers and coaches across the EFL, accessed dedicated support and strategic guidance.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT & COACHING.

Building a long and meaningful career in football management is hard. For a manager to reach a career of 500 games, means, on average, being sacked 8 times. Those managers that take ownership of their career direction, work on the specific skills of navigating the employment market and who seek out support provide themselves the best opportunity to succeed.

In the last twelve months, the LMA has expanded its ambitions for career development and career coaching support for its members. We have adopted a new vocationally-grounded LMA Career Development Model to guide our provision and we are underway with expanding our team of career development coaches and supporting career development resources and tools.

Members utilised LMA Career Services this year, reflecting strong engagement with our professional development resources.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J 1-to-1 Career Coaching Programmes: 29 members received a tailored 1-to-1 career coaching programme or support with specific employability skills delivered in partnership with career consultants, Hopkins Longworth and Football Careers

J Career Development Masterclass: 38 LMA and LCA members attended the first Career Development Masterclass at St George’s Park

J Media Skills Masterclass: 22 members attended the Media Skills Masterclass at Silverstone in partnership with Sky Sports

J Media Skills Coaching: 8 members were provided with a structured 1-to-1 media skill development programme delivered by the LMA’s team of media consultants

J Languages: 10 members were provided with a structured 1-to-1 language development programme delivered by the LMA’s language consultant

LOOKING FORWARD

THE LMA HAS HELPED ME IN EVERY STEP OF MY JOURNEY SO FAR..

Amy Merricks LMA Member

J Career Development Resources: We are underway with building an extensive online archive of selfdirected career development resources accessible to the whole LMA and LCA membership

J Career Coaches: We aim to invest in our team of expert career consultants delivering 1-to-1 career coaching and planning with our members

There is an overwhelming body of evidence in both sport and wider industry that leaders that are supported by trusted mentors, providing honest and empathetic guidance and support are more resilient in the face of challenges and more effective in delivering results.

The LMA believes that, whilst football management can be isolating it is not a job to be done on your own with the LMA mentor Programme playing a fundamental role in the day-to-day, vocationally relevant support we provide to our members. All members have access to the team of trained LMA mentors, with a specific focus on providing high quality mentor support to the first-time managers.

Managers are actively working with an LMA mentor, demonstrating our continued commitment to leadership development and support.

I’M VERY GRATEFUL TO THE LMA FOR PROVIDING ME WITH A MENTOR. I HAVE WORKED WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND COACHES, AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT MY LMA MENTOR IS THE BEST I HAVE WORKED WITH. HE HAS A NATURAL EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING AND HIS SUPPORT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY VALUABLE TO ME.

Gary Rowett LMA Member

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Current Manager Support: 42 current managers across the men’s and women’s professional game are supported by LMA mentors with relevant football managerial experience

J LMA Mentor Training Programme: The LMA mentor training programme has been redesigned and will be delivered in autumn 2025

J Elite Sport Mentors: The LMA expanded its pool of mentors to include 2 new individuals from other elite sports

DON’T DO IT ON YOUR OWN.

Sir Alex Ferguson CBE LMA Vice President

LOOKING FORWARD

J New LMA Mentor Short Course: The launch of the LMA’s new mentoring development 3-month online short course providing the foundational skills for new mentors to be deployed in the game

J Expanded Mentor Pool: The LMA aims to significantly increase its pool of trained mentors in the 2025-26 season from both football and other elite sports

J Mentoring Awareness: The LMA aims to deliver a mentor marketing campaign in 2025-26 to raise awareness of the benefits and availability of mentoring

LMA LEADERS PROGRAMME.

The LMA Leaders programme, supported by the Premier League and first piloted in 2021, was relaunched for the 2024-25 season.

Established to provide a 12-to-18-month programme of tailored 1-to-1 career, personal and leadership development support to high potential LMA members,

the revised programme inducted 13 new participants at an immersive, interactive leadership day at St George’s Park. All participants are now mid-way through their programmes, guided by their carefully selected programme coaches, and are benefiting from a programme of individualised coaching and interventions based on a structured and detailed needs analysis.

THE LMA LEADERS PROGRAMME OFFERS A POWERFUL COMBINATION OF COACHING SESSIONS, ONLINE LEARNING AND FACILITATED DISCUSSIONS WITH ELITE SPORTS COACHES. IT HAS GIVEN ME A STRUCTURED FRAMEWORK TO BETTER UNDERSTAND MYSELF, MY STRENGTHS, VALUES, AND LEADERSHIP STYLE, LEAVING ME MORE PREPARED AND CONFIDENT FOR FUTURE ROLES.

Jon Brady LMA Member

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Programme Redesign And Relaunch: A comprehensive overhaul of the Leaders Programme including centralising its management within the wider LMA Member Services Team

J Selection Process: A revised selection process grounded in a more rigorous set of application criteria

J Programme Coaches: The recruitment of a new team of 5 LMA programme coaches, all coachmentors trained, and all with relevant football and/or leadership coaching experience

J Coaching Hours: 126 hours of 1-to-1 Leaders coaching hours completed to date

J Programme Structure And Handbook: A complete overhaul of the programme structure with a new 80-page programme handbook to guide the participant-coach journey

J Online Coaching Cells: Mid-way through the delivery of a programme of 8 online coaching cells delivered in partnership with Aleda, leadership development

J LMA HCA Health Assessments: All participants are offered a full LMA HCA Health assessment

J Hogan Personality Inventory: All participants are offered a full Hogan Personality Inventory and 90-minute consultation

J Tailored Skills Coaching: Participants have already accessed 1-to-1 sessions and coaching on specific needs-based subjects including media skills, communication, lifestyle management, presentation preparation, career development and leadership tools

J Intervention Hours: 111 hours of interventions, tests and skill development outside of the Leaders coaching hours

J New Roles: 3 LMA Leaders participants have been supported into new roles during the programme

Hours of 1-to-1 leadership coaching completed to date.

08

Online coaching cells delivered in partnership with Aleda, focused on leadership development.

111

Hours of interventions, assessments, and skill development beyond leadership coaching.

03

LOOKING FORWARD

J 2025-26 Intake: A new intake of 12 LMA members in autumn 2025

J Adapted Programme: The LMA Leaders Programme will be adapted to allow for many of its resources to be used by LMA and LCA members in a self-directed way

J Performance Experiences: An additional programme of elite sport and overseas football performance experiences will be added to the programme

LMA Leaders participants secured new roles during the programme.

COACHING CREATES THE SPACE TO PERSONALISE THE EXPERIENCE, TO FOCUS ON REAL-TIME CHALLENGES AND ALIGN EACH LEADER’S DEVELOPMENT WITH THEIR FUTURE GOALS. THE ADDITIONAL BUDGET FOR EXTERNAL DEVELOPMENT SHOWS A DEEP COMMITMENT FROM THE LMA TO INVEST IN EACH MANAGER’S GROWTH. IT’S A POWERFUL SIGNAL THAT THIS PROGRAMME ISN’T JUST ABOUT BUILDING CAPABLE MANAGERS— IT’S ABOUT DEVELOPING CONFIDENT, HIGH-IMPACT LEADERS

Holly Sedlacek Leaders Programme Coach

THE LMA DIPLOMA.

The 2024-25 LMA Diploma in Football Management intake was the 21st in the history of our programme, and we remain indebted to Professor Sue Bridgewater, who has overseen the delivery of all twenty of our programmes since 2002 guiding the learning and development of 346 graduates.

The Diploma remains true to its core value of delivering highly vocational, relevant lectures and assignments to high-potential individuals in the early stages of their football management careers. With well over one hundred applicants year-on-year, the Diploma is now a highly sought-

after qualification, universally recognised by the game and in many cases, seen as a must-have by employers in football. Every year, we continue to make adaptations to the programme to ensure its relevance, and we continue to work with the University of Liverpool, our trusted partner, on building the game’s best-in-class programme.

We are also grateful to the PFA for their ongoing support of and contribution to the LMA Diploma, ensuring the programme is recommended to current and retired players who aspire to become managers and coaches.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J 2024-25 Intake: 23 participants from across the game

J Live Delivery Days: 15 in-person learning days, hosted at St. George’s Park plus two residential weeks

J Breadth Of Delivery: A curriculum guided by the LMA’s comprehensive, 360 learning model, including: Building a career in management, health and lifestyle management, self-awareness and optimal performance, media skills, communication, leadership, high performing teams, EDI, football finances, football media, football law and participant behaviour

J Study Visits: 4 enhanced ‘in-club’ study visits: Brentford FC, Nottingham Forest, Fulham FC and Wigan Warriors

J Senior Members: 8 delivery engagements with Senior LMA Members during the course

J Wellbeing Focus: All participants offered a full LMA Health Assessment with HCA Healthcare UK

J Psychometric Profiling: All participants offered a full Hogan Personality Inventory assessment

THE

DIPLOMA IS THE BEST COURSE IN FOOTBALL. ITS UNIQUE STYLE DELIVERS A DEEPER LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND I USE SO MUCH THAT I LEARNT IN EVERY DAY OF FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT. IT’S A MUST HAVE FOR EVERY MANAGER.

Gareth Ainsworth LMA Member

LOOKING FORWARD

Total number of Diploma Graduates from 2023-24.

J Personal Coaches: We aim to invest in a team of 1-to-1 coaches, providing personal development, career and wellbeing advice to all participants throughout the 12 months of their programme

J Content Enhancement: A comprehensive review of the LMA Diploma with the aim of adding additional leadership content throughout the programme

J Alumni Community: Investment in the Diploma Alumni with the aim of launching a programme of Diploma Alumni events in 2026

J Online Adaptation: Scoping the design and delivery of a condensed online version to be accessed by coaches and managers from abroad 07%

THE LMA DIPLOMA IN FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT IS AN EXCELLENT COURSE. IT COVERS AN ARRAY OF VOCATIONALLY RELEVANT TOPICS DELIVERED BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS WITH CREDIBILITY IN THEIR FIELD. THE INTERACTION WITH STAFF AND PEERS WAS BRILLIANT AND MY OVERALL WELLBEING AND CAREER DRIVE HAS IMPROVED WHILST DOING THE COURSE.

Becky Langley LMA Member

THE LMA POSTGRADUATE AWARD.

The LMA PostgraduateAward in Strategic Leadership, delivered in partnership with University of Liverpool, completed its third year in 2024-25.

Designed specifically for LMA members, leaders from other sports and senior representatives from LMA commercial partners, the PG Award provides a deeper

exploration of leadership, strategy and governance theory and application tailored to those that want to develop their careers into more senior leadership roles in sport and the wider world. The programme aims to unite individuals from different career backgrounds and perspectives blending face-to-face sessions with asynchronous delivery using a range of technology tools.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J 2 Core Modules: 2 core modules each delivered over an academic semester: Leadership and Strategy & Governance

J Face-To-Face Sessions: 6 live group sessions delivered at St George’s Park

J Online Sessions: 20 online sessions delivered using Zoom and the LMA Online Platform

J Participants: 22 participants from professional football, professional cricket, professional rugby and professional golf

J Assignment Range: 5 varied assignments: Leadership real world simulation; Crisis management simulation; Leadership self-reflective journal; Strategy and Governance case study analysis; Group Governance presentation

20

In-person and online sessions via Zoom and made available on the LMA Online Platform.

02

Core modules delivered over an academic semester: Leadership and Strategy & Governance.

22

THE PG AWARD HAS GIVEN ME CONFIDENCE, CLARITY AND A MUCH GREATER AWARENESS AND CONSCIOUSNESS AROUND MY LEADERSHIP STYLE, MY STRATEGIC THINKING AND MY ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BOARDROOM.

Lisa

Fallon LMA Member

Professionals from football, cricket, rugby, and golf involved.

LOOKING FORWARD

J Speaker Series: We aim to add a PG Award monthly speaker series to the programme bringing elite level leaders to speak to the cohort, sharing insights and experiences

J Residential 3-Day: The addition of a 3-day leadership and strategy residential with facilitated group learning activities

J Participant Mentors: The provision of a 1-to-1 leadership mentor for each participant for the duration of the programme

J Additional Modules: The design and delivery of further self-directed modules to allow participants to further their academic qualification to PG Cert. or PG Dip, level

THE PG AWARD HAS BEEN A BRILLIANT WAY TO SHARE LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS AND BEST PRACTICE WITH PEERS NOT ONLY FROM FOOTBALL BUT FROM OTHER ELITE SPORT.

Les Ferdinand MBE LCA Member

ONLINE SHORT COURSES.

Following an extensive review of the educational and personal development offering delivered by the professional game, and a period of consultation with both LMA and LCA members, 2024-25 saw the launch of the LMA / LCA short course programme.

Designed to fill the sizeable gap in learning provision between structured qualifications (Pro Licence, A Licence, LMA Diploma) and one-day CPD events (conferences and masterclasses) the LMA / LCA short

courses provide 20-40 participants with a 12-week programme of learning, delivered fortnightly online, focused on a carefully selected tight range of subjects. The aim is to provide a structured and deep learning experience, furthering participants’ knowledge on vocationally relevant subjects. Feedback from our first three courses has been overwhelmingly positive and we believe that we have identified a compelling and accessible learning solution for the game.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J LMA / LCA Coach: The first LMA / LCA short course, focused on the science of skill acquisition, practice design and representative learning

J LMA Perform: The second LMA / LCA short course, focused on personal performance and wellbeing, guided by the mental health continuum and focused on stress, coping, burnout, resilience, emotional regulation and performance optimisation

J LCA Care: In partnership with the Premier League, the game’s first programme designed to focus on compassionate club environments, safeguarding and player care

J Participants: 72 participants from across the professional game were able to access the programmes remotely

J CPD Hours: 684 hours of accredited CPD delivered

J Learning Workbooks: Delivered a vocationally relevant, task-based workbook with every module

J Watch-Back Facility: All modules are recorded and housed on the LMA Online Platform, allowing participants to review and re-watch content

IT HAS HONESTLY BEEN ONE OF THE BEST COURSES THAT I HAVE DONE. I FOUND IT VERY INSIGHTFUL AND THE COURSE HAS HELPED ME DEVELOP MY COACHING BACK AT MY CLUB.

LOOKING FORWARD

J Second Cohorts: The delivery of the second cohorts on LMA / LCA Coach, LMA Perform and LCA Care

J LMA Lead: The design and delivery of a new 12-week short course focused on Leadership

J LMA / LCA Sport Psychology: The design and delivery of a new 12-week short course focused on the principles of sport psychology

J LCA Analyse: The design and delivery of a new 12-week short course focused on the use of data and analytics in professional sport

Amrit Singh Bains LCA Member

CPD hours delivered across programmes.

I HAVE DONE LOTS OF COURSES PREVIOUSLY BUT LMA PERFORM HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST HELP. ITS TRULY AMAZING WHAT I HAVE LEARNT AND I WILL CONTINUE TO REFLECT BACK ON ITS CONTENT THROUGHOUT MY MANAGERIAL CAREER.

Micky Mellon LMA Member

CPD: MASTERCLASSES, WEBINARS & PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCES.

2024-25 was a record year for the delivery of the LMA Institute’s CPD programme, with thirty-nine live sessions delivered from August to May. Through the LMA’s close relationship with the LCA we aim to deliver live sessions that are accessible to as many of the coaching and managerial workforce as we can.

We are guided by the LMA’s Personal Development Model, ensuring a wide spread of vocationally relevant content, recognising the complexity of working in football and ensuring that there is something for everyone during the year, and crucially supporting the workforce in obtaining its licencing CPD requirements. We are indebted to our brilliant speakers and facilitators who deliver with incredible skill and depth of knowledge. However, beyond the content and the subject matters, our CPD programme

provides an incredibly important sense of community with our membership. Social connectedness is at the heart of our learning principles and bringing our members together to share their experiences, expand their networks and support each other is fundamental to the growth of the Institute and our impact on the game.

The last twelve months also saw us collaborate on more CPD delivery than ever with notable developments with both the FA and the European Club Association (ECA). There are clear and obvious benefits of us working on behalf of the coaching workforce in a more collaborative way on CPD with the game’s other stakeholders and we look forward to building a more strategic approach into 2025-26.

Masterclasses:

J Leadership and Selection with the SASHereford Barracks

J LMA / Sky Sports Media WorkshopSilverstone

J Understanding Elite Team Development –Etihad Stadium

J Skill Acquisition Masterclass – SGP

J LMA Career Development Masterclass – SGP

J How to Operate Effectively in MultiDiscipline Teams - SGP

J Women’s Game media 1 - Manchester

J Women’s Game media 2 - London

J Annual Technical Performance Masterclass – SGP

Performance Visits:

J Understanding Leadership – British Army Centre of Army Leadership, Sandhurst

J GB Boxing

J Leeds United FC

J Wigan Warriors

J Manor House Stables

J ECA club visit: Feyenoord

J ECA club visit: Brighton & Hove Albion

J ECA club visit: RB Leipzig

J ECA club visit: Atletico Madrid

Collaborations:

J The FA Pro Licence Alumni Event

J The FA Mentee Development Scheme

J The Premier League Coaching Conference

J The PCP Coaching App

Webinars:

J Understanding Leadership PhilosophiesBrian Ashton MBE

J Cognitive Learning – Dr Flaminia Ronca

J The Olympics: Behind the Curtains –Jack Green

J How to Influence - Steve Martin

J Understanding Equality, Diversity & Inclusion – Panel Discussion

J Heart Health – British Heart Foundation

J Senior Member Q&A – David Moyes OBE

J Building a Career with Purpose – Carol Muldoon & Sarah Hopkins

J Building a Media Strategy – Tim Percival

J Cervical Screening – Eve Appeal

J Effective Coping Strategies –Dr Pete Olusoga

J Lessons from the Olympics - Jon Norfolk MBE

J Resilience: How to Overcome, Adapt and Excel – Anna Hemmings MBE

J Bowel Cancer Awareness Talk – Bowel Cancer UK

J Shaping Team Culture: Leading with Intention – Holly Sedlacek

J Indian Careers Landscape – Simon Grayson & Des Buckingham

J Talent ID, FIFA – Richard Allen

J Introduction to UEFA Academy Programmes - Stéphane Ehrhart

J Elite Team Performance – Simon Rolfes & Geir Jordet

J Brain Health Workshop – Premier League

J The Coach Analysts: Bridging the Gap –Skill Corner

J Building a Coaching Methodology –Pedro Marques

J FIFA Global Career Programmes –Dean Selvey

J Individual Player Development – Dan Micciche

J Player Nutrition Strategies – Clare Farrell

J An Introduction to the Australian Soccer Landscape – Mark Jackson & Danny Schofield

J Retain & Release: Why People Matter –Dan Harris, EFL

THE LMA MASTERCLASSES ARE THE BEST WAY TO COME TOGETHER WITH FELLOW MANAGERS AND STAY UP TO DATE WITH RELEVANT CPD CONTENT.

Nigel Adkins LMA Member

2,766 Member touchpoints, strengthening connection and support.

89

Individual hours of CPD completed, supporting continuous growth.

LOOKING FORWARD

09

27

J Game Stakeholder CPD Collaboration: Map out a strategic approach to CPD delivery across the game that recognises the volume of CPD hours required as part of the UEFA licensing requirements

J Game Technical Conference: Scope the design and delivery of a multi-stakeholder Football Technical CPD conference

J Experts Database: Take ownership of a central database of experts and facilitators used across the game

J CPD Tracking: Work with other game partners to design and deliver a fit-for-purpose CPD tracking and logging solution with the coaches at the heart of the system

J Club Technical Visits: Expand our programme of in-club technical visits

J Regional CPD Events: Deliver an expanded programme of regional technical CPD events increasing accessibility for the workforce

J Vocational Masterclasses: Expand the number of vocational skills masterclasses (media, career development, wellbeing)

J Elite Level CPD: Explore the specific design and delivery of a high quality CPD programme designed for those at the top of the game, building on the success of the FA-LMA Pro Licence Alumni event and consider mirroring the German elite game conference

Interactive masterclasses designed for elite professional development.

Webinars delivered to support professional development.

THE LMA WEBINARS ARE A GREAT WAY TO LEARN FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT EXPERTS AND I CAN BUILD THEM INTO MY SCHEDULE AT THE TRAINING GROUND.

Le Bris

Member

Régis

LMA

THE MANAGER MAGAZINE ONLINE PLATFORM

We published the 60th Edition of the LMA Manager Magazine in the spring of 2025, a milestone moment for the LMA in its constant desire to produce accessible, compelling and relevant leadership and personal performance content for our members, the game and

Now, supported by the LMA Online Platform and our growing social media presence, we provide an unrivalled programme of content distribution across the year. In 2024 we produced our newest LMA / LCA Guide: Skill Acquisition, delivered in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, whilst our weekly Insight emails reach over 10,000 LMA and LCA members and decision makers in football. We continue to explore new ways of using technology to deliver compelling insights and resources to our members and the wider game.

2,381

Current registered users on the LMA Online Platform.

612

Resources hosted on the LMA Online Platform - insights, articles, and videos.

76

Editions of LMA Insights have been sent to members in the last 12 months.

234

Leadership articles published since the launch of The Manager.

198

Health and wellbeing articles since the launch of The Manager.

10.8

Million social media impressions across all our platforms.

172

In-depth articles delivered through 10 LMA guides.

LOOKING FORWARD

J LMA / LCA Performance Podcast: Scoping the feasibility of a football-focused elite performance podcast engaging the LMA members

J LMA TV: We aim to launch LMA TV in 2026 with a programme of leadership, performance and career insights content delivered by our members

LMA COMMERCIAL PARTNERS.

The majority of the LMA’s overall funding is derived from our self-generated commercial programme, with 2024-25 representing another strong year. Without our commercial programme, our ability to deliver the extensive range of services outlined in this report would be seriously limited, and we are immensely grateful for the ongoing engagement of so many of our members, friends across sport and our team of expert consultants, allowing us to deliver compelling and innovative commercial products.

Our commercial programme is grounded in our ability not only to access many of the most recognisable faces in world sport but to draw on their principles of teams, leadership and performance. We offer a real point of difference to our commercial partners, helping

support their brands, their customers and clients and their internal organisational development. In the last twelve months, we were delighted to welcome a number of truly global brands into the LMA family, including DHL, Guinness, Jameson, Toshiba and Indeed. Our team delivered a huge volume of commercial activity across the year, from community coaching to C-suite level executive development, with standout highlights including our St, George’s Park leadership residential, Anglian’s Annual Summer Conference, our 20th year of Elite Soccer and of course our flagship LMA Annual Conference and LMA Annual Awards dinner.

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Ambassador Appearances: 327 LMA member and LMA ambassador appearances

J Bespoke Partner Learning Events: 31 bespoke LMA commercial partner learning and personal development events

J LMA Annual Conference: 275 delegates at the British Museum

J LMA Annual Awards: 860 attendees at the Annual Awards featuring the LMA Hall of Fame

J Football Tournaments: 2 commercial partner football tournaments at St George’s Park

J Client Entertainment Events: 11 bespoke client engagement events; private dinners and golf days

THE LMA CONFERENCE IS SUCH A GREAT EVENT. THE LOCATION, FORMAT AND QUALITY OF SPEAKERS IS TOP CLASS AND GIVES EVERYONE IN THE ROOM AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER THEIR OWN HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR ONE DAY.

Rob McKendrick Toyota, Customer Services Director

LOOKING FORWARD

J The LMA Stadium Leadership Experience: The launch of a new leadership and performance experience

J LMA Executive Coaching: The launch of a new 1-to-1 LMA Executive Coaching offering

J LMA Short Courses: The commercial launch of the new LMA online short courses: Perform and Lead

LMA member and LMA ambassador appearances over 2024-25 season.

THE LMA ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024 .

THE LMA ANNUAL AWARDS 2025.

LMA INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

The 2024-25 season marked a transformative period for the LMA’s International Development programme, delivering exceptional growth across our international objectives of building relationships across global football, supporting access for our members to shortand long-term career opportunities across domestic and international markets, and developing CPD opportunities and learning resources for our members and international stakeholders.

We recognise a game that is increasingly international, and our strategic vision, to broaden the scope of opportunities and support for domestic managers and coaches in an international setting, has yielded a year of promising engagement and delivery.

IT’S A BIG CHALLENGE MOVING OVERSEAS… AND THE LMA HAVE BEEN VERY ACCESSIBLE FOR ME TO GET ADVICE AND HELP THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS.

Danny Schofield LMA Member

FOOTBALL FÚTBOL LE FOOT FUSSBALL CALCIO FUTEBOL SOCCER VOETBAL FOTBOLL, FUTBOL FUTBOLL FUTBALL FOOTBALL

2024-25 HIGHLIGHTS

J Overseas Members: More than 100 LMA and LCA members are employed / living outside the UK.

J Expanding Our Network: Over the past season, the LMA has systematically built a global network of 120 live contacts across 21 countries and 45 organisations

J International Employment Opportunities: 68 international roles have been marketed to LMA and LCA members

J International Stakeholder Delivery: 8 leadership and wellbeing sessions have been delivered to major international stakeholders including FIFA, the German FA, Dutch FA, FAI, and more

J New International Commercial Partnerships: Coach Inside and Premier Relocation joining the LMA partner network with a view to supporting international career progression and relocation requirements respectively

J International Webinars: 3 specialised employment landscape webinars were delivered on the international football ecosystem with a total attendance of 554 participants (markets covered: US, India, Australia)

J FIFA / UEFA Webinars: 2 webinars delivered to further understanding of FIFA’s and UEFA’s international offerings

J FIFA Talent Development Scheme: The ongoing circulation of available TDS roles and educational programmes for LMA/LCA members on FIFA global development initiatives

J European Clubs Association Club Visits: 40+ invitations were extended to LMA and LCA members with the European Club Association club visit programmes, providing learning and networking opportunities for our members across Europe

J ECA Club Connect: The LMA supported the ECA Club Connect event with LMA Ambassador Julen Lopetegui

J World Leagues Association: 2 webinars delivered to the World Leagues Association member leagues, introducing the LMA and LCA to professional leagues around the world

JALKAPALLO FUSSBALL PODÓSFAIRO FOUTBÒL PHUTABOL FUTBALL FÓTBOLTI

Live contacts spanning over 21 countries and 45 organisations.

100+

LMA and LCA members are living and working outside the UK.

SEPAK BOLA CALCIO CHUGGU PEDILUDIUM FUTBOLS FOTBALL

Overseas roles have been promoted through the LMA and LCA network.

LOOKING FORWARD

J International Coaches Association: the LMA is scoping the potential for an international coaches association providing a global voice for coaches

LMA COMMUNITY & CHARITY.

The LMA recognises that it has a responsibility and a unique opportunity to use its position in football to positively influence local communities, relevant charity initiatives and, ultimately, people’s lives. We work with a number of carefully selected charity and community

partners, allowing us, and our members to deliver real and tangible impact. We are proud of the contributions we have made in the last twelve months and look forward to deepening our relationships with our trusted partners.

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WORK WITH THE LMA TO HELP EDUCATE, INSPIRE AND SUPPORT THE TEAM WITH THEIR WOMEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE. THE PARTNERSHIP IS YOUR COMMITMENT TO CHAMPIONING WOMEN’S HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE. FROM BEING FLEXIBLE AND UNDERSTANDING, BREAKING THE TABOOS THAT STILL EXIST AROUND GYNAE HEALTH TO CREATING A CORPORATE CULTURE WHERE WOMEN ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND LIFE-SAVING SCREENINGS.

Jemma Leighton

The Eve Appeal

Alzheimer’s Society

The LMA and Alzheimer’s Society work closely together to ensure that any current or former manager who is worried about dementia, receives a diagnosis, or has a family member impacted by the condition can be quickly and easily referred into Alzheimer’s Society’s expert dementia support. Accessed via a confidential helpline Alzheimer’s Society’s trained Dementia Advisers provide advice and much needed emotional support, so our members don’t have to face dementia alone. Furthermore, Alzheimer’s Society hosted two educational awareness webinars for our LMA and LCA members to help them identify the signs and symptoms and also discuss research for drug trials.

Additionally, through organising events and other fundraising, the LMA has raised £50,000 for the campaign since 2020 and we also continue to support Sport United Against Dementia (SUAD), alongside other leaders from sport and broadcasting. SUAD is harnessing the power of sport to make a positive difference to the 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK today, raising awareness and vital funds.

In autumn 2024, our members supported the Alzheimer’s campaign supporter’s video and it became Alzheimer’s Society’s most viewed social media video with an initial reach of 580,000 views. Additionally, our members across the professional leagues (men’s and women’s) also joined together to wear Alzheimer’s pin badges and shared social media assets on a designated weekend.

The Eve Appeal is the leading UK gynaecological cancer research charity raising awareness and funding research into the five gynae cancers: womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval, and vaginal. They are established to prevent gynaecological cancers and save lives by funding groundbreaking research focused on developing effective methods of risk prediction, earlier detection, and developing screening for all five gynae cancers. Their vision is to work towards a future where gynaecological cancers are diseases of the past.

The LMA is one of the founding partners of The Eve Appeal’s employee wellbeing programme, the Every Woman Promise, demonstrating its commitment to women’s health in the workplace and in 2024-25, our members across the professional leagues joined together to wear The Eve Appeal badges on a designated weekend. Additionally, The Eve Appeal hosted an educational webinar for members to be educated and help remove stigmas around women’s health topics.

The Eve Appeal

Prostate Cancer UK partners with the LMA to raise the profile of the most common cancer in men. Every year for ten years, managers from all the leagues have worn their “Man of Men” badge on the touchline and in the media. A number of LMA members and staff have walked, run, and cycled to raise critical funding for gamechanging research to save and improve the lives of men living with prostate cancer and for the Specialist Nurses Service to support anyone affected by prostate cancer.

In the past twelve months, a number of LMA members have shared their own prostate cancer story and

supported Prostate Cancer UK’s campaigns to increase the knowledge of prostate cancer amongst football fans; our members and the LMA have raised over £250,000, and over 50 members have attended media events and fundraising campaigns

We were delighted that Prostate United, with the support of the LMA was recognised at the Football Business Awards 2025 for Best Corporate Social Responsibility scheme.

Prostate Cancer UK

British Heart Foundation

The LMA supported the BHF as part of their countrywide RevivR campaign - their mission to get more of the general public trained in CPR. To date over 300,000 people have now completed the training online.

The BHF featured in The Manager magazine and hosted an educational interactive webinar for members and commercial partners. Additionally, the LMA trained all their internal office staff as part of the campaign.

Bowel Cancer UK

The LMA began a partnership with Bowel Cancer UK to support our members with bespoke confidential signposting and ongoing support when a diagnosis was

provided. Additionally, Bowel Cancer UK provided an educational webinar to members and received coverage in the LMA’s The Manager magazine.

Shining A Light On Suicide

Over the past twelve months the LMA has extended its work with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to plan delivery of phase 3 of the LMA/Shining a Light on Suicide prevention campaign.

Phase 3 will be a social media video campaign launched on 10th September 2025 – World Suicide Prevention Day. Building upon the success of the 2021 video campaign, LMA members across the men’s and women’s game will use their influence and reach to raise awareness of

free online suicide prevention training, with the aim of surpassing the previous campaign which saw an increase of 7,791% unique page views on Learn to Save a Life Training page.

Suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 49 and women aged 20 to 34. The award-winning campaign works to bring the word ‘suicide’ out of the dark, so that everyone can confidently start open and honest conversations about suicide and suicidal feelings.

WE’RE REALLY PROUD OF THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LMA AND ARE SO GRATEFUL TO THE MANAGERS WHO HAVE STEPPED FORWARD TO BE PART OF THIS FILM, GIVING THIS CAMPAIGN A SIGNIFICANT BOOST, BECAUSE THEIR WORDS MATTER TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. BY WORKING WITH THE LMA TO SHINE A LIGHT ON SUICIDE WE WILL REACH PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE BEEN MISSED AND TOGETHER WE WILL SAVE LIVES.

Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester

Laureus Sport For Good

The LMA established a three-year partnership with Laureus Sport for Good to share its mental wellbeing resources with Laureus’ global network of grassroots projects, ensuring the same mental health expertise and approach used by Premier League, EFL, WSL and WSL2 Football Managers positively impacts the lives of over 240,000 children across the Laureus programmes.

Additionally, the LMA has provided a number of members and consultants to talk at Laureus’ groundbreaking mental health and wellbeing forums and on LMA delivered webinars. LMA Member, Sean Dyche attended a global event in Hong Kong along with community partners, athletes, mental health and wellbeing experts and key stakeholders, to discuss the role of sport in building confidence and resilience in young people. Additionally, Laureus and its coaches have access to unique resources via the LMA Online Platform to support with their education and improving mental health.

DURING MY CAREER I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR ATHLETES’ MENTAL HEALTH; MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING THEIR WELLBEING IS ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF ANY MANAGER’S JOB. THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION AND LAUREUS IS EXPORTING ALL OUR EXPERTISE IN THIS AREA – AND THE RESOURCES WE USE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND ELSEWHERE –TO GRASSROOTS SPORT ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT’S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF USING SPORT FOR GOOD AND I ENJOYED COMMUNICATING THAT TO THIS GROUNDBREAKING FORUM IN HONG KONG, CHINA

Sean Dyche LMA member

Football Pride

The LMA was proud to sponsor the Football Pride ‘Football v Homophobia’ event held at Chelsea FC in June 2024. Celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ+ people and allies in the game, including coaching and management.

Underrepresentation remains a challenge in the game and as an employment association that places Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do we are hugely supportive of events and initiatives that aim to raise awareness of the issues the game faces.

Kick It Out

The LMA shares Kick It Out’s ambition to continue to challenge racism in the game, increase the diversity of football’s leadership and build a game grounded in fairness and inclusion.

Over the last 12 months we have welcomed the opportunity to deepen our engagement with KIO and we look forward to collaborating into 2026 on areas where

we can collectively influence the game including football policies and regulations, employment data and tracking, and research. In line with KIO’s updated vision for the game, our recently update EDI report continues to call for a wider and a more unified strategic approach to EDI across the game delivering more sustained, structural progress.

Photographer credit - Sam Rees

THE MANAGERS OF THE YEAR.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS.

2024-25 WINNERS.

Premier League

Winners - Arne Slot, Liverpool FC

EFL Championship

Winners – Daniel Farke, Leeds United

Automatic Promotion – Scott Parker, Burnley FC

Play-Off Winners – Régis Le Bris, Sunderland AFC

EFL League One

Winners – Chris Davies, Birmingham City

Automatic Promotion – Phil Parkinson, Wrexham AFC

Play-Off Winners – Nathan Jones, Charlton Athletic

EFL League Two

Winners – Grant McCann, Doncaster Rovers

Automatic Promotion – Darren Moore, Port Vale FC

Automatic Promotion – Graham Alexander, Bradford City

Play-Off Winners – Johnnie Jackson, AFC Wimbledon

National League

Winners – Dean Brennan, Barnet FC

Play-Off Winners – Micky Mellon, Oldham Athletic

Women’s

Super League

Winners – Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea FC

Women’s Championship

Winners – Jocelyn Prêcheur, London City Lionesses

Cups

Emirates FA Cup – Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace

Carabao Cup – Eddie Howe, Newcastle United

FA Community Shield – Pep Guardiola, Manchester City

The Vertu Trophy – Darren Ferguson, Peterborough United

Adobe Women’s FA Cup – Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea FC

Subway Women’s League Cup – Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea FC

Special Achievements

UEFA Women’s Champions League – Renée Slegers, Arsenal FC

UEFA Europa League – Ange Postecoglou , Tottenham Hotspur

UEFA Conference League – Enzo Maresca, Chelsea FC

FIFA Club World Cup – Enzo Maresca, Chelsea FC

UEFA Under-21 European Championships – Lee Carsley, England U21 National Team

UEFA European Women’s Championship – Sarina Wiegman, England Women’s National Team

Overseas

UEFA Super Cup – Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid

UEFA Nations League – Roberto Martínez, Portugal

National Team

Serie A – Antonio Conte, SSC Napoli

Cypriot Cup – Henning Berg, AEK Larnaca

Nepal Super League – Simon Grayson, Lalitpur City FC

Olympic Gold Medal – Emma Hayes OBE, USA National Team

Nemzeti Bajnokság – Robbie Keane, Ferencváros

Bundesliga – Vincent Kompany, FC Bayern Munich

Portuguese League Cup – Bruno Lage, S.L. Benfica

Northern Ireland Football League Cup – Jim Magilton, Cliftonville FC

Scottish Premiership – Brendan Rodgers, Celtic FC

Scottish League Cup – Brendan Rodgers, Celtic FC

UAE Super Cup – Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al-Ahli

UAE-Qatar Challenge Shield – Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al-Ahli

UAE Pro League – Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al-Ahli

Presidents Cup – Paulo Sousa, Shabab Al-Ahli

John Duncan Award

Sonia Bompastor

Oliver Glasner

Eddie Howe

Enzo Maresca

Ange Postecoglou

Renée Slegers

OVERSEAS WINNING MEMBERS.

LMA HALL OF FAME 1000 CLUB.

THE MANAGERS OF THE MONTH.

Barclays Manager of the Month

J August: Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton & Hove Albion)

J September: Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)

J October: Nuno Espírito Santo (Nottingham Forest)

J November: Arne Slot (Liverpool)

J December: Nuno Espírito Santo (Nottingham Forest)

J January: Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth)

J February: David Moyes OBE (Everton)

J March: Nuno Espírito Santo (Nottingham Forest)

J April: Vítor Pereira (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

League One Manager of the Month

J August: Phil Parkinson (Wrexham AFC)

J September: Steve Bruce (Blackpool)

J October: Matt Bloomfield (Wycombe Wanderers)

J November: Matt Bloomfield (Wycombe Wanderers)

J December: Richie Wellens (Leyton Orient)

J January: Richie Wellens (Leyton Orient)

J February: Chris Davies (Birmingham City)

J March: Phil Parkinson (Wrexham AFC)

J April: Chris Davies (Birmingham City)

Women’s Super League Manager of the Month

J September: Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea)

J October: Dario Vidošić (Brighton & Hove Albion)

J November: Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea)

J December: Renée Slegers (Arsenal)

J January: Sonia Bompastor (Chelsea)

J February: Renée Slegers (Arsenal)

J March: Renée Slegers (Arsenal)

J April: Natalia Arroyo (Aston Villa)

Championship Manager of the Month

J August: Régis Le Bris (Sunderland AFC)

J September: Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)

J October: Régis Le Bris (Sunderland AFC)

J November: Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)

J December: Daniel Farke (Leeds United)

J January: Gary Rowett (Oxford United)

J February: Daniel Farke (Leeds United)

J March: Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)

J April: Scott Parker (Burnley)

League Two Manager of the Month

J August: Mark Bonner (Gillingham)

J September: Darren Moore (Port Vale)

J October: Darren Moore (Port Vale)

J November: Derek Adams (Morecambe)

J December: Mat Sadler (Walsall)

J January: Ian Holloway (Swindon Town)

J February: Graham Alexander (Bradford City)

J March: Danny Cowley (Colchester United)

J April: Grant McCann (Doncaster Rovers)

Women’s Championship Manager of the Month

J September: Karen Hills (Charlton Athletic)

J October: Amy Merricks (Birmingham City)

J November: Melanie Reay (Sunderland AFC)

J December: Stephen Kirby (Bristol City)

J January: Karen Hills (Charlton Athletic)

J February: Amy Merricks (Birmingham City)

J March: Jocelyn Prêcheur (London City Lionesses)

J April: Becky Langley (Newcastle United)

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK.

Scott Parker - 12th August 2024

Luton Town 1-4 BURNLEY

Fabian Hürzeler – 17th August 2024

Everton FC 0-3 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FC

Enzo Maresca – 27th August 2024 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 2-6 CHELSEA FC

Andoni Iraola – 31st August 2024 Everton 2-3 AFC BOURNEMOUTH

Nuno Espírito Santo – 14th September 2024 Liverpool FC 0-1 NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Enzo Maresca – 21st September 2024 West Ham United 0-3 CHELSEA FC

Ange Postecoglou – 29th September 2024

Manchester United FC 0-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Wayne Rooney – 5th October 2024 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE FC 2-1 Blackburn Rovers FC

Andoni Iraola – 19th October 2024 AFC BOURNEMOUTH 2-0 Arsenal FC

Mark Robins – 26th October 2024 COVENTRY CITY FC 3-2 Luton Town FC

Andoni Iraola – 2nd November 2024 AFC BOURNEMOUTH 2-1 Manchester City FC

Kieran McKenna – 10th November 2024

Tottenham Hotspur FC 1-2 IPSWICH TOWN FC

Ange Postecoglou – 23rd November 2024

Manchester City FC 0-4 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC

Sean Dyche – 4th December 2024 EVERTON FC 4-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Nuno Espírito Santo – 7th December 2024

Manchester United FC 2-3 NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC

Brian Sørensen – 15th December 2024 EVERTON FC 2-1 Manchester City FC

Arne Slot – 22nd December 2024

Tottenham Hotspur FC 3-6 LIVERPOOL FC

John Mousinho – 1st January 2025 PORTSMOUTH FC 4-0 Swansea City FC

Thomas Frank – 4th January 2025

Southampton FC 0-5 BRENTFORD FC

Graham Potter – 14th January 2025 WEST HAM UNITED FC 3-2 Fulham FC

Andoni Iraola – 18th January 2025

Newcastle United FC 1-4 AFC BOURNEMOUTH

Ruud van Nistelrooy – 26th January 2025 Tottenham Hotspur FC 1-2 LEICESTER CITY FC

sponsored by

Nuno Espírito Santo – 1st February 2025 NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC 7-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

Miron Muslić – 12th February 2025 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE FC 5-1 Millwall FC

Renée Slegers – 16th February 2025 ARSENAL FC 5-0 Tottenham Hotspur FC

Arne Slot – 23rd February 2025

Manchester City FC 0-2 LIVERPOOL FC

Steven Schumacher – 4th March 2025 BOLTON WANDERERS FC 3-1 Birmingham City FC

John Mousinho – 9th March 2025 PORTSMOUTH FC 1-0 Leeds United FC

Frank Lampard OBE – 15th March 2025 COVENTRY CITY FC 3-0 Sunderland AFC

Becky Langley – 23rd March 2025 NEWCASTLE UNITED FC 1-0 Sunderland AFC

Scott Lindsey – 29th March 2025 Rotherham United FC 0-4 CRAWLEY TOWN FC

Marco Silva – 6th April 2025 FULHAM FC 3-2 Liverpool FC

David Moyes OBE – 12th April 2025 Nottingham Forest FC 0-1 EVERTON FC

Daniel Farke – 21st April 2025 LEEDS UNITED 6-0 Stoke City FC

Arne Slot – 27th April 2025 LIVERPOOL FC 5-1 Tottenham FC

Andoni Iraola – 3rd May 2025 Arsenal FC 1-2 AFC BOURNEMOUTH

David Moyes OBE – 10th May 2025 Fulham FC 1-3 EVERTON FC

Fabian Hürzeler – 19th May 2025 Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Liverpool FC

THE LMA TEAM.

Richard Bevan OBE Chief Executive

Nick Allsop Commercial Director

Mark Farthing Football Operations Director

Rebecca Gentle Member Services Director

Lindsay Gordon Director – In House Lawyer

Sue McKellar Director

Elaine Nelson / Geoff Davies Finance Director / DY Consultant

Jim Souter Operations & Strategy Director

Adam Tarrant Business Development Director

Emma Benton Partnerships and Events Manager

Emma Causer Senior Executive Administrator

Sophie Cliff Wellbeing Manager

Matt Draycott Brand & Design Manager

Mike Gilmore Member Services Manager

Stuart Gray Technical Consultant

Jake Henry Coach Development Manager

Luke Johnson Partnerships Manager

Brian Laws Technical Manager

Claire Mulvenna Learning & Development Manager

Elena Murphy Head of Intl. Stakeholder Relations

Sam Westbrook Football Operations Executive

Marc Williams Member Services Administrator

THE LMA VPS & COMMITTEE.

Thomas Tuchel President

Martin O’Neill OBE Chair

John Barnwell Vice President

Dave Bassett Vice President

Frank Clark Vice President

Olaf Dixon Vice President

Sir Alex Ferguson CBE Vice President & Committee Member

Lawrie McMenemy MBE Vice President

David Pleat Vice President

John Ward Vice President

Howard Wilkinson OBE Vice President

J Committee Members for 2025-26 – Gareth Ainsworth, Gary Caldwell, Thomas Frank, Mat Sadler and Rehanne Skinner

Sam Allardyce Committee Member

Alan Curbishley Committee Member

Pep Guardiola Committee Member

Emma Hayes OBE Committee Member

Chris Hughton Committee Member

Roberto Martínez Committee Member

Darren Moore Committee Member

David Moyes OBE Committee Member

Hope Powell CBE Committee Member

Dean Smith Committee Member

Sir Gareth Southgate OBE Committee Member

THE LMA EXPERTS & CONSULTANTS.

Dr. Rob Archer Chartered Occupational Psychologist

Brian Ashton Elite Sports Coach

Dr. Fairuz Awenat Clinical Psychologist

Funke Awoderu EDI

Professor Sue Bridgewater University of Liverpool

Andy Cale Mentor

Piero Carrino Football Careers

Faye Carruthers Media & Communications

Mark Clemmit Media & Communications

David Cockayne University of Liverpool

Dr. Hannah Critchlow Neuroscientist

David Cunnington Legal Panel

Keith Davids

Sheffield Hallam University

Geoff Davies Finance

Shaun Dixon Wealth Management

Alex Dos Santos Legal Panel

Jonathan Edgeley Montrose Health Group

Anna Edwards Career Coach

Dr. Nicole Ernstzen Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Alistair Eykyn Media & Communications

Simon Felstein Media & Communications

Dr. Paul R. Ford Skill Acquisition

Donna Fraser EDI

Chris Gibbons EDI

Mike Gilham Skill Acquisition

Amina Graham Legal Panel

Ashley Grumbell Skill Acquisition

Dr. Sally Harris Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Craig Harris Legal Panel

Dr. Jessamy Hibberd Chartered Clinical Psychologist

Sarah Hopkins Career Coach

Dr. Phil Hopley Psychiatrist

Phil Horton Non Executive Director

Rob Hunt Foreign Languages

Dr. Paul Jenkins Chairman and Medical Director Echelon Health

Steve Johnson Influence & Leadership

Dr. Allan Johnston Psychiatrist

Geir Jordet Elite Team Performance

Lucy Key Performing Perfectly

Vicky Kloss Media & Communications

Stephen Kosmin Legal Panel

Rebecca Levett Leadership

Simone Lewis Leadership & Performance

Pat Loftus Consultant

Jane Longworth Career Coach

Kieran Maguire Football Finance

Patrick Marr Leading Edge Performance

Steve Martin Influence & Leadership

John Mehrzad KC Legal Panel

Sue Minten University of Liverpool

Katie Mobed Performance Psychologist

Dr Punam Modgil Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Richard Nugent Leadership

Dr. Peter Olusoga Chartered Psychologist

Oli Patrick Wellbeing Consultant

James Pearce Pearce Sport

Gillian Pickersgill Legal Panel

Kendrah Potts Legal Panel

Justyn Price Executive Coach

Martin Price Legal Panel

Dr. David Prossor Psychiatrist

Jane Purdon Football Leadership Executive

Steve Radcliffe Leadership

Dr. Shanta Ramduth Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Dr. Andre Roca Skill Acquisition

Dr. Tim Rogers Psychiatrist

Ged Salzano Leadership

Clare Sanders Director, HCA Healthcare UK

Dr. Robert Sands HCA Healthcare UK

Dr. Mustafa Sarkar Chartered Psychologist

Holly Sedlacek Executive Coach

Langley Sharp MBE Leadership

Dave Slemen Career Coach

Tony Smith Leadership

Jeremy Snape Performance Coach

Dr. Richard Sylvester Consultant Neurologist, HCA

Dr. Teresa Tatton Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Lesley Taylor Regional Director, HCA Healthcare UK

Professor Stuart Timperley Leadership

Matt Wadewitz Leadership

Professor Vin Walsh Professor of Human Brain Research

Professor Geoff Walters University of Liverpool

Russell Watters EDI

Alistair Webster KC Legal Panel

Dr. Peter Williamson Private GP, HCA Healthcare UK

Cathy Wood Media & Communications

Tim Wright Wellbeing

FOOTBALL SOCCER LE FOOT FUSSBALL CALCIO FUTEBOL

VOETBAL FOTBOLL FUTBOL FUTBOLL

JALKAPALLO

IT IS ALWAYS NICE THAT YOU HAVE AN ASSOCIATION THAT IS THERE FOR YOU WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM, 24 HOURS A DAY.

Arne Slot LMA Member