THE QUARTERLY LEADERSHIP & PERFORMANCE JOURNAL OF THE LMA. WINTER 2023 | ISSUE 56
LMA CHIEF EXECUTIVE
LMA Chief Executive
RICHARD BEVAN OBE. As we begin a new year at the LMA and look forward to the opportunities ahead, we must reflect on 2023 and take a moment to remember those who are no longer with us. The recent passing of Trevor Francis, Colin Murphy, Sir Bobby Charlton CBE and former LMA President and LMA Hall of Fame member Terry Venables have had a heartfelt impact on many of our members, to whom these wonderful men and legends of our game were friends and colleagues. They will be greatly missed, not only by those closest to them, but by the wider football family. Tragically, we also lost our own dear colleague and friend, Alison Betson. Ali was our Member Services Director for the last six years, initially joining the LMA in 2013. The relationships she fostered during that time have had an invaluable impact on the LMA’s ability to deliver its world-class services. Her selflessness and empathy made her a much-loved member of the LMA team, and she will be missed by all of us, as well as by the countless members whom she supported. We also have many moments of happiness and pride to reflect on, the LMA Conference in November being one such event. The team at the LMA organised a brilliant day, providing insightful and thought-provoking presentations on the themes of leadership and wellbeing. We’re grateful to the fantastic line up of speakers, including Ellis Watson, Kimberley Wilson, Dr Hannah Critchlow, Major
General Zac R. Stenning OBE and LMA member and Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach Ange Postecoglou, and to our host, Clare Tomlinson. Special thanks also to our Commercial Partners, Castrol, Nike, the Premier League and TNT Sports, and to Lead Partner HCA Healthcare UK. The group’s support of the LMA’s members through its services remains invaluable and greatly appreciated. The unwavering support of the LMA’s Commercial Partners and friends continues to drive us forward in developing and improving our services. This year, for example, we will focus on the development of our International Project. This aims to develop our global stakeholder relationships, and facilitate further educational opportunities and employment prospects across the globe for our members. I very much look forward to seeing
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members continue to benefit from this project in the coming year. The growth of the LCA also remains very much at the forefront of our vision for 2024. The LCA has welcomed hundreds of new members during its inaugural year, increasing the volume of personal and professional support we provide to the game’s professional coaches. I am proud of how the association is developing and very much look forward to seeing this continue throughout 2024 and beyond. Finally, shortly before publication we learned that LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson and LMA member Alex McLeish have been awarded OBEs for their outstanding services to football and charity. Huge congratulations to both Howard and Alex on this much-deserved recognition. A very happy and healthy year ahead to everyone.
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Alice Hoey
FROM THE EDITOR. I’ve never really understood the point of a New Year’s Resolution. Whatever behaviour or action we promise to do more or less of, or to do better, it is by its nature something we’ve struggled with up ‘til now. Thinking that we’ll somehow smash it this time, for a whole year, is surely setting ourselves up to fail. Every journey starts with a single step, so if making a resolution or statement of intent helps you to embark on that journey, all the better. But for me it is those small steps that should be the focus, not success in some far-distant goal. Great managers will often speak of not thinking too much about where they might finish in the table come May; they’re focused totally on winning the next game, then the one after that. The same goes for any changes in your lifestyle or professional life that you want to make, whether it’s cutting down on alcohol, controlling your emotions or exercising more. If you can succeed one day at a time then the months will take care of themselves. Annual resolutions also provide too many get-out clauses and too much scope to procrastinate or lose sight of the prize. A year is a very long time for anyone,
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professionally, mentally and physically. As Dr Sally Harris explains in detail on page 92, one of the most worthy resolutions you could possibly make is to attend a health screening, but if you vow to do it ‘this year’ it may well never happen. Book it in this month or as soon as possible. My resolution, then, is this: to grab hold of each week and make the changes I need to make now, not tomorrow or next summer. I will aim for the small wins, and celebrate them when they come. Because a big success is only ever an accumulation of small victories, and happiness comes one day at a time.
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EDITOR Alice Hoey AliceHoey1@gmail.com EDITOR FOR THE LMA Sue McKellar Sue.McKellar@leaguemanagers.com ART DIRECTOR Ian Cherry Ian.Cherry@leaguemanagers.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Luke Johnson Luke.Johnson@leaguemanagers.com SENIOR WRITER Mark Farthing Mark.Farthing@leaguemanagers.com PUBLISHER Jim Souter Jim.Souter@leaguemanagers.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Adam Tarrant Adam.Tarrant@leaguemanagers.com The League Managers Association, St. George’s Park, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent DE13 9PD The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the League Managers Association, its members, officers or employees. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. www.leaguemanagers.com
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Winter 2023 // Issue 56. The quarterly leadership and performance journal of the LMA.
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IN TRIBUTE TO TERRY VENABLES.
WELCOME.
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THE LEADER.
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LMA CEO: Richard Bevan OBE
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Column: Ellis Watson
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The Editor: Alice Hoey
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Feature: The Together Endeavour
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In Tribute: Ali Betson
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On the cover: Terry Venables
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A Legend Remembered: Sir Bobby Charlton CBE
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Coach, Teacher, Pioneer: Manisha Tailor MBE
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In Tribute: Colin Murphy
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From another sport: Jess Thirlby
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In Tribute: Trevor Francis
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LMA Annual Leadership & Wellbeing Conference
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Interview: Simon Antrobus, Children in Need Key Takeaways: Joe Davis
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THE MANAGER
LMA NEWS.
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Events and corporate activity
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Nike events and activity
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LMA Commercial Film
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LMA Institute
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In the Game
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PERSONAL PERFORMANCE & WELLBEING.
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Column: Dr Sally Harris
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10 Ideas: Be a change agent
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Feature: Reach out
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Feature: Frame work
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How to: Protein and carbs
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Career change: Alistair Halliday
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THE GAME.
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Interview: Scott Young, TNT Sports
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Skill Corner
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Technical zone: René Wormhoudt
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The FA
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Premier League
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Mappin & Webb
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Just a Moment
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22 LMA 2023 ANNUAL LEADERSHIP AND WELLBEING CONFERENCE.
48 MANISHA TAILOR MBE.
League Managers Association
THE MANAGER
IN TRIBUTE
ALISON BETSON 1969-2023
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Everyone at the LMA was devastated by the sudden passing of our Member Services Director and great friend, Ali Betson, in September. Ali joined the LMA in 2013 and, over the course of the next decade, became an integral and ever-present support system to hundreds of LMA members and their families. She was appointed to the LMA Executive Board as Member Services Director in June 2017, and was often the first port of call for members and colleagues during their most difficult times. She leaves a legacy of pastoral care, for which the LMA and its members will be forever grateful. The relationships that Ali fostered during her 10 years with the LMA have had an invaluable impact on our ability to deliver world-class services. She was a woman who had the ability to save lives with a conversation. Her selflessness and empathy
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made her a much-loved member of the LMA team. Ali was an extremely intelligent football administrator, and was instrumental in the founding and development of the LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance, supporting the career progression of thousands of managers and coaches in the professional game. Through the LMA Wellness programme, Ali was the driving force in the implementation of an allencompassing provision, which included safeguarding the physical and mental health of the LMA membership and their loved ones. Ali was a passionate Derby County season ticket holder, and her love of football and the managers within the game took her to stadiums all over the country, sometimes to support her team and sometimes to support her members. We will miss her dearly.
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ALISON BETSON
ALI WAS A MENTOR, A FRIEND, A COLLEAGUE AND A HUGE PART OF OUR LIVES FOR SO MANY YEARS. THE LMA IS A COMMUNITY THAT, FOR OVER 10 YEARS, HAS BEEN SERVED BY ALI WITH AN UNWAVERING SENSE OF AFFINITY AND CARE. HER LEGACY WILL LIVE ON IN THE SUPPORT PROGRAMMES SHE ESTABLISHED AND WE WILL HONOUR HER MEMORY BY EMULATING HER KINDNESS AND SELFLESSNESS. Richard Bevan OBE LMA Chief Executive
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THE MANAGER
England Training – St. George’s Park, Burton upon Trent – October 2, 2017, Sir Bobby Charlton CBE speaks with England Manager Gareth Southgate OBE during the unveiling of the Sir Bobby Charlton pitch. Reuters // Action Images
A LEGEND REMEMBERED
SIR BOBBY CHARLTON CBE 1937-2023 14
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SIR BOBBY CHARLTON CBE
1966 – England’s Sir Bobby Charlton CBE fires his team’s second goal past Portugal goalkeeper Jose Pereira. // Alamy
1969 – Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, Manchester United. // Alamy
1970 – Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, Manchester United. Reuters // Action Images
1970 – Sir Bobby Charlton CBE presented with silver salver for his 100th England cap watched by Bobby Moore. // Alamy
1993 – The Football World Cup Draw, Las Vegas USA, Sir Bobby Charlton CBE with Pele at the draw. Reuters // Action Images
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1994 – Sir Bobby Charlton CBE receives a Knighthood. // Alamy
1997 – Man Utd manager Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton CBE share a few words during training in Dortmund, Champions Cup semi-final. Reuters // Action Images
2013 – England v Brazil – International Friendly – Wembley Stadium. England’s Steven Gerrard (R) shakes hands with former England International Sir Bobby Charlton CBE as he receives an award for 100 caps before the match. Reuters // Action Images
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SIR BOBBY CHARLTON CBE
2015 – England v Estonia – UEFA Euro 2016. Wayne Rooney is presented with a trophy by Sir Bobby Charlton CBE for becoming England’s leading goal scorer. Reuters // Action Images
2016 – Sir Bobby Charlton CBE and wife Norma walk out onto the pitch as fans pay tribute during the unveiling of the newly renamed South Stand “Sir Bobby Charlton stand” to commemorate the 60-year anniversary of his debut for Manchester United. Reuters // Action Images
St. George’s Park, Burton upon Trent – 2 October 2017, Sir Bobby Charlton CBE with England Manager Gareth Southgate OBE and the players. Reuters // Action Images
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THE MANAGER
IN TRIBUTE
COLIN MURPHY 1944-2023 Photography: Alamy
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The Manager Journal
1944-2023
Colin Murphy watches from the dug-out, 16 April, 1988. // Alamy
The LMA was saddened to learn of the passing of LMA member Colin Murphy, who died in September. Colin enjoyed a coaching career of over 35 years, including management spells in the Football League, Ireland and Asia. His coaching journey began at Nottingham Forest, where he joined Dave Mackay’s staff, before following him to Derby County in 1973. His first managerial appointment came at Derby, three years later. Colin joined Lincoln City in 1978 and within three years he had led the club to promotion to Division Three. After a couple of years in Stockport and Saudi Arabia, Colin returned to Sincil Bank to lead Lincoln back into the Football League, before stabilising the club’s league position over the next couple of years. Colin spent a couple of years at Southend United, in
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different roles, then returned to management in 1994 with League of Ireland side Shelbourne. His next role in English football came at Notts County, who he almost led to Division Two but for a play-off final defeat to Bradford City. Colin journeyed back to Asia as manager of Vietnam and Burma, with a brief spell as Tottenham Hotspur’s academy director in between. The final destination for his long and successful career was Hull City, where he fulfilled multiple roles. “Colin stood out as a very enthusiastic friend, peer, coach and manager who would go on to enjoy many years in coaching and management. His standing in football is testament to him as a person,” said LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson OBE. “His success and qualities as a colleague, friend and leader were respected by all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.”
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THE MANAGER
IN TRIBUTE
TREVOR FRANCIS 1954-2023 Photography: Reuters // Action Images
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The Manager Journal
TRIBUTE TO TREVOR FRANCIS
The LMA was deeply saddened following the passing of LMA member Trevor Francis, who died in July. With a career in the game that spanned over three decades, former England international Trevor Francis was regarded by many as one of the greatest English players of his era. He spent eight years with Birmingham City and when he transferred to Nottingham Forest, with whom he won the European Cup twice, he became Britain’s first £1m player. Trevor went on to play for a further four British clubs. He also spent time with American team Detroit Express, as well as several years in Italy, with Sampdoria and Atalanta.
“TREVOR WAS A DEAR FRIEND AND HIS PASSING WILL LEAVE A HUGE GAP IN OUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF MANY OTHERS. OUR FRIENDSHIP TRANSCENDED OUR CAREERS IN FOOTBALL AND WE HAD A DEEP CONNECTION AS TWO FAMILIES WHO ENJOYED SPENDING TIME TOGETHER.” Howard Wilkinson OBE LMA Chairman
Trevor Francis acted as Manager of Crystal Palace between 2001 and 2003. Reuters // Action Images
Trevor began his managerial career in player-manager roles at QPR and Sheffield Wednesday. He led Wednesday to a thirdplace finish, qualifying for European football, and then to two domestic cup finals. After four seasons at Sheffield Wednesday, Trevor took a year away from management before joining his boyhood club, Birmingham City. He went on to manage almost 300 games for the club, including the League Cup final in 2001. His final managerial appointment came at Crystal Palace.
“TREVOR WAS A HUGELY TALENTED AND HUMBLE MAN, WHO WAS A LONG-STANDING MEMBER AND FRIEND OF THE LMA. HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS A PLAYER, ON AND OFF THE PITCH, HAVE CEMENTED HIS PLACE IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL HISTORY. HOWEVER, HE WAS ALSO A VERY ASTUTE MANAGER, WHOSE ABILITY TO INSPIRE TEAMS ENSURED HE HAD A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN THE TECHNICAL AREA.” Richard Bevan OBE LMA Chief Executive
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THE MANAGER
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The Manager Journal
DR SUNDIP J PATEL
DR SEAN PRESTON
MAJOR GENERAL ZAC R STENNING OBE DR HANNAH CRITCHLOW
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LMA ANNUAL LEADERSHIP & WELLBEING CONFERENCE
The 2023 LMA Annual Leadership & Wellbeing Conference took place in November at the prestigious British Museum. LMA members, partners and friends came together to learn and be inspired by a diverse line up of speakers from industry, the armed forces, academia, wellbeing and football. The event kicked off with an entertaining and highly motivational presentation by Ellis Watson, who spent the first decade of his career working for Rupert Murdoch and went on to run two global PLCs. He spoke about the need to constantly take the best from the people and environments around us and urged us to keep that development going throughout our lives. This was followed by chartered psychologist and author Kimberley Wilson, who shared her passion for mental health. She delved into the links between nutrition and brain health, and the biology and psychology of stress, and gave some practical tips and strategies on slowing brain aging. The morning concluded with presentations from LMA Lead Conference Partner HCA Healthcare UK. The group’s
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Dr Sally Harris, Dr Sundip J Patel and Dr Sean Preston took part in an enlightening panel discussion on the importance and accessibility of health screenings. Major General Zac R Stenning OBE, 31st Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, opened the afternoon session with a presentation on leadership in the army. He emphasised the importance of empowerment, trust and decision making, as well as the power of purpose and identity for sustained performance. He was followed by Dr Hannah Critchlow, a neuroscientist, broadcaster, author and fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge. Critchlow gave an interactive session using live experiments to explore how to harness brain power productively, build consensus and boost learning through brain synchronicity and empathy. Finally, headlining this year’s conference was Ange Postecoglou, LMA member and Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur. He shared some of his experience from a long career that has seen him coach in Australia, Greece, Japan and Scotland (winning 5 trophies and 2 Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic) en-route to the Premier League.
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DR SALLY HARRIS
KIMBERLEY WILSON
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LMA ANNUAL LEADERSHIP & WELLBEING CONFERENCE
ELLIS WATSON
Just wanted to congratulate you and the LMA team on a great Leadership and Wellbeing Conference yesterday. I thought the speakers were exceptional, it was both entertaining and thought provoking. Chris Colby Head of Partnerships at Prostate Cancer UK
ANGE POSTECOGLOU
I thought it was great – a really worthwhile afternoon. I have a few notes to develop and follow up on! Stuart MacPhee Head of Commercial Development & Rights at the EFL
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THE LEADER.
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THE MANAGER
LEADER COLUMN
Ellis Watson
DON’T SLOW DOWN. Throughout my life and career I have learned that, whatever you want in life, you have to go out and get it.
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LEADER COLUMN
Technology brings extraordinary joy, but it should also come with some health warnings, which society has only just started wising up to. That doesn’t mean being mercenary or selfish, but using your talents and those of the people around you to achieve the best possible outcome. It’s about looking constantly at your particular model, challenging it and figuring out how it could be better tomorrow. The problem is, as we go through life and have some success at work, we tend to challenge ourselves less and less. We stop trying to go much further, because we’ve already exceeded our expectations of ourselves. We get imposter syndrome, and we become gradually less bold and brave. We also slow down because we don’t like taking risks, not helped by the perception in society that it is wrong to fail or make mistakes in
life. All of this puts the brakes on our potential. As we get older, society and our own insecurities encourage us to avoid taking risks and hold us back from achieving more. We need to fight against that. That doesn’t mean we should be disruptive, dangerous or reckless. It’s really about being able to take the good bits from what we see in the cultures and people around us without slowing down. We need to make the most of the privileged opportunities that we’re presented with, by way of our DNA or our circumstances. Technology also holds us back. We spend so much of our time spectating on and critiquing other people’s lives. Subliminally and actually, we are observing
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other people performing, whether it is on the football pitch, at work, or via our little screens. It means we’re not really participating in, or making the most of, our own lives. Always-on technology also compounds another problem, the tendency to be busy all the time. The addiction of momentum is a terrible thing. We should never judge our productivity on how busy we are, but on how effective we are. In the age of always-on, always-visible judgement, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to show everyone how much we’re achieving to justify our existence. Many of us, especially those who work remotely or hybrid, put far more effort than we should into showing people how effective we’re being, and trying
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Ellis Watson As global CEO of Simon Cowell’s Syco Corporation, Watson took record labels and programme formats, including the X Factor, to international success. After turning around the fortunes of Greyhound in the US, Watson acted as CEO of Scottish media group DC Thomson for 10 years. Watson recently gave a rousing and highly entertaining speech at the LMA Annual Conference in London, upon which this column is based.
to come across well. Instead, we should answer to ourselves and to our own productivity. Then, by default rather than by design, others will see that we’re doing well. Technology brings extraordinary joy, but it should also come with some health warnings, which society has only just started wising up to. The digital revolution has discouraged us from interacting with other humans as much as we used to, something made worse by the Covid pandemic, as we started to work from home more. As a result, we have lost touch with what it is to really mix with people. The privilege of being able to talk to someone and have
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that empathetic bonding can never be underestimated. There are parts of communication where it’s fine to let technology take the lead, but for the important stuff we should always pick up the phone or see people face to face. We tend to hide behind screens and it is incredibly stifling. We must avoid becoming comfortable and complacent with all the trappings we have and be aware that as we get older and work gets more challenging, we tend not to push ourselves as much. Always remember, whatever you think you can achieve, it is the mind that is the main limiting factor.
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THE MANAGER
Words: Prof Matt Slater Photography: Reuters // Action Images
THE TOGETHER ENDEAVOUR. To move beyond simply getting the job done, great leaders build a sense of belonging and social cohesion in their teams, says Prof Matt Slater.
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THE TOGETHER ENDEAVOUR
The Lionesses huddle together in an act of unity and solidarity following their defeat by Spain in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Sydney. Reuters // Action Images
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THE MANAGER
Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrate as a team after Hwang Hee-Chan scores the side’s second goal against Fulham at Craven Cottage, November 2023. Reuters // Action Images
Recent research has given us revealing insights into the importance of leaders fostering connections within their teams. We know, for example, that high-performance leadership and high-performance team dynamics are interwoven; you can’t have one without the other. We also know that high-performing connections are really important for highperforming teams, which means that a big part of the leader’s role should be facilitating and building these connections within the group. It’s important to recognise that there are two sides to team functioning. The first is the task
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dimension, and it has to do with efficiency and getting the job done. Rightly, it tends to get most focus because you have to get it right in order for the team to function correctly. However, there’s also an important social dimension, where there’s not just functionality but also warmth and connection on a deeper level between the team members. You know each other’s backgrounds, fears and sensitivities, and that connection and understanding actually binds the team together. It also means that individual unique personalities are being accommodated in the team, because not everyone works in the same way or performs well under the same conditions.
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ARE YOU STRANGERS? Once you have the task dimension in place in your team, you can start trying to build the social cohesion dimension, because while task cohesion will enable you to reach a certain level, it’s by adding those social elements that you can really raise your game. When people feel a sense of genuine connection and belonging to a team they’ll do everything they can to communicate with each other, support and encourage one another. They’re also not bothered who takes the credit for that achievement, because it is the team that comes first. You reach a point where success for you looks the same as it does to
THE TOGETHER ENDEAVOUR
THE 3RS THE 3R MODEL IS A USEFUL WAY OF BUILDING TOGETHERNESS AND IT INVOLVES THREE PHASES:
REFLECTION is that process of really trying to understand the history of your team. Why was it set up, what were its original values and purpose, and are you still living and breathing those or have you disconnected? That first phase of really understanding and connecting with your team members is incredibly important because it lays the foundations for everything else.
REPRESENT is about being a good role model for
the team as a whole, and it feels like a really important piece of your own sense of self. To develop that social dimension, it’s important to ask how well you really know the people you work with and to what extent you connect with them on a psychological level. Are you at the point where you trust one another and where there’s a real sense of bonding? This is an interesting point to reflect on, because often at work we communicate enough to get things done, but go no further than that. We’re effectively strangers.
the team, and putting them first in your decision making. Using collective language, like ‘we’ and ‘I’ is an important aspect of this, not used in an artificial or manipulative way, but genuinely speaking collectively because you are part of a shared identity. The final phase, REALISATION, is where you make progress towards your team vision and then try to go again or go further. It means asking what your values look like day to day and then planning practical activities that enable you to live out those values.
Prof Matt Slater Prof Matt Slater is Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, and acts as a consultant across a range of elite sport, exercise, military, private and public sector organisations.
The leader has a really key role
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THE MANAGER
High-performance leadership and high-performance team dynamics are interwoven; you can’t have one without the other.
to play in facilitating that, ensuring there is the time, space and opportunities for people to get together, not only for functional things, but for non-functional activities. That might mean organising regular social activities or something as simple as providing a context in which people are encouraged, without pressure, to share their stories. They can reflect on what identities they have as individuals and what groups are important to them. This is important because your identity is made up not only of your personality or character, but also the group memberships that you hold close – family groups, sporting groups, work groups, and so on. When you spend time together as a group in a non-functional activity, you always find out something new about one another, and it can be incredibly powerful. Even in workplaces that are normally quite clinical, people are often open to sharing and opening
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up about themselves and their stories. CONNECTIONS AND CONTEXT I encourage leaders to become what I refer to as ‘connoisseurs’ of their teams, and this is especially important for those starting with a new team. You have to take the time to get to know your team members, to serve a kind of apprenticeship. It’s important to understand the context before you can work together. That means articulating together what the team’s shared values are, what’s unique to the team, why you are there, what you stand for and what your shared history is. Articulating that with clarity is key, because when things are grey or opaque, people don’t know whether or not they fit in. When you start to articulate what you stand for it allows people to gravitate towards what really matters to them and you begin to create a real sense of belonging.
The Manager Journal
As a new manager you also can’t expect or demand that your team members trust you. Trust is built over time by spending time with people, and understanding and sharing one another’s values. People need to see evidence of your actions and behaviour over time to get to that point of trust. Conventional wisdom dictates that leadership is about the personality traits we’re born with, and that successful leaders are those with charismatic personalities. While there’s a certain romance around those ideas, when you speak to most people, what they actually want is to work with and follow people they connect with and trust at a psychological level. In fact, we know now from research into the psychology of leadership that great leadership is much more about creating a sense of team identity and purpose, where people feel a sense of belonging. That really is the beating heart of successful and sustainable leadership.
THE TOGETHER ENDEAVOUR
STEVEN SCHUMACHER MANAGER, STOKE CITY There are two key sides to uniting your players. First, you have to agree on an objective right from the start. I tend to set that with the players in pre-season – how many points we’re going to need, what that means in terms of wins, etc. We make sure we’re all on the same page from game one and that everyone buys into those goals. Secondly, it’s important for me that the players feel connected to the club and to the city itself. Where they live is, therefore, really important. When as many
players as possible live nearby it brings them together and means they can relate to one another, socialise together and be as one. They don’t have to like each other, but it certainly helps. At Plymouth Argyle we were quite remote, so we’d be on a coach for some 7 hours there and back to matches at the weekend. In that situation, if you’re not a good person and you don’t fit well into the group then it’s going to show up pretty quickly. Everyone is not necessarily going to be best mates with everyone else, but
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what’s key is that they accept one another and one another’s interests and preferences. It’s essential that the players are able to self-regulate as a group, set their own standards and hold each other to account. It works far better and causes much less resentment when the rules are set and enforced by the players themselves. Having a good captain is also very important, because I can’t be in the first-team dressing room every minute of every day. I entrust the captain and the leaders within the group to make sure standards don’t slip.
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TRIBUTE TO TERRY VENABLES
IN TRIBUTE
TERRY VENABLES 1943-2023 A tactical genius, masterful leader and outstanding man-manager, we pay tribute to former LMA President and England Manager Terry Venables.
Photography: Reuters // Action Images League Managers Association
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A young Pep Guardiola (left) looks up at Terry Venables after he leads Barcelona to the 1986 European Cup Final. Having started the game 3-0 down against Gothenburg, Barcelona secure their place following a penalty shoot-out.
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The Manager Journal
TRIBUTE TO TERRY VENABLES
“From the first time I met Terry Venables I could feel that he was a special leader,” says Nick Barmby, who signed for Tottenham when he was just 16. “He made you feel at ease straight away, but at the same time he had such a presence.”
as well as understanding how they function as a group. It was so impressive to see him on a training pitch, sharing his knowledge of the game, developing people and instilling belief in all of the players throughout the squad.”
Barmby is not alone in recounting the hugely positive influence that Venables had on him throughout his career, on and off the pitch. With his support and guidance, so many players were able to give their best performance, and grow as athletes and people. “When you know, as a player, that the manager is looking out for you and genuinely wants you to do well, it empowers you,” says Barmby. “It’s a feeling you never forget.”
Gary Lineker OBE, whom Venables signed for both Barcelona and Tottenham, agrees that his former manager was right up there among the best in terms of his football knowledge. “I had so many lunches with him where we would just talk tactics,” he says.
‘QUITE SIMPLY, A GENIUS’ Venables’ knowledge of the game was recognised as second to none, and Barmby and others have spoken of the impact he had on how they viewed football. “In terms of the strategic and technical aspects of the game, some of what we talk about today Terry was already doing back in the 1970s and 80s,” he says. “For example, he knew decades ago that you can’t take a one-sizefits-all approach, and he was committed to learning about the players as individuals, their families and interests,
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, points out that it was largely thanks to Venables’ tactical genius that, under his watch, Barcelona finally won La Liga after 11 years. “His impact was incredible there,” says Guardiola. “He introduced something that had never been done before, especially a certain type of pressing and the set pieces.” The influence he had on the Spanish club in the relatively short time he was there was incredible. Despite only spending three years at Barcelona between 1984 and 1987, Venables left a huge legacy, not only in terms of the style of football played at the club, but in the countless hearts and minds he changed along the way.
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Venables then spent four years at Tottenham, bringing on board stars like Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne, with whom he would win the FA Cup in 1991. “He created an incredible learning environment at the club,” says Barmby. “This and the impressive way that he handled big personalities like Gascoigne showed just how outstanding his man-management skills were.” INTERNATIONAL TREASURE Venables had a talent for getting the best out of his players, and partly this was down to his ability to create an environment where those around him could express themselves without fear. Venables was appointed manager of the England side in January 1994, thereby also becoming LMA President, and when Barmby joined the following year he could feel the positive culture that had been put in place in the national side. “The players wanted to turn up for training every day and they loved every minute of it,” he recalls. His England team-mate at the time, Gareth Southgate OBE, agrees, saying, “He was open minded, forward thinking, enjoyed life to the full and created a brilliant environment with England that allowed his players to flourish and have one of the most memorable tournaments in England history.” Indeed, during Venables’ two
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Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne listen to instructions from England manager Terry Venables during team training at Bisham Abbey ahead of England’s friendly against Colombia at Wembley, 1995. Reuters // Action Images
years as England manager he succeeded in leading them to the semi-finals of Euro 96 on home soil. “The ability he had to change systems during matches and from game to game was incredible,” added Gary Neville. “England certainly needed more like him and it was a real sadness when he
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left at the end of Euro 96.” “He was, quite simply, a genius,” says fellow England team-mate Alan Shearer CBE. “We talk, quite rightly, about incredible coaches like Guardiola and Klopp, but Terry had all of that. He had a plan, then another plan and then another plan for every
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eventuality. Terry was the first one who told me how to press. We get excited about managers playing three or four different systems in games, but Terry was doing that 25-30 years ago.” SPEAKING THEIR LANGUAGE As well as being ahead of his time tactically, Venables was a charismatic leader with the
TRIBUTE TO TERRY VENABLES
HE WAS, QUITE SIMPLY, A GENIUS. HE HAD A PLAN, THEN ANOTHER PLAN AND THEN ANOTHER PLAN FOR EVERY EVENTUALITY. TERRY WAS THE FIRST ONE WHO TOLD ME HOW TO PRESS. WE GET EXCITED ABOUT MANAGERS PLAYING THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT SYSTEMS IN GAMES, BUT TERRY WAS DOING THAT 25-30 YEARS AGO. Alan Shearer
FROM THE FIRST TIME I MET TERRY VENABLES I COULD FEEL THAT HE WAS A SPECIAL LEADER. HE MADE YOU FEEL AT EASE STRAIGHT AWAY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE HAD SUCH A PRESENCE. Nick Barmby
ability to convey technical and tactical information in such a way that everyone understood what was required of them. “Terry was a brilliant coach to work with and I learned so much from him,” says Bryan Robson OBE, who coached alongside Venables with England and Middlesbrough. “He was very good tactically, but he
was also a great motivator and communicator.” Sir Alex Ferguson CBE, meanwhile, says, “I know from speaking with my players, who worked under Terry at international level, that they thought he was terrific man manager. He was clearly a charismatic leader
who possessed outstanding technical knowledge and could adapt his tactics with ease.” “He was charming, charismatic and witty, but he was also tough. That’s what you needed him to be,” adds Lineker, while Ange Postecoglou says, “Everyone who I have ever come across who has worked
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England Training at Bisham Abbey, 1996. Terry Venables with Darren Anderton, David Platt, Gareth Southgate, Teddy Sheringham and Tony Adams. Reuters // Action Images
with him says he is by far the best coach, manager and tactician. Every player who played for him loved him.” Perhaps one of the key reasons that Venables had such buy in and admiration from his team members is that he took a really collaborative approach, says Barmby. “He would seek feedback from them and he welcomed their views and questions. That meant everyone around him was learning and developing all the time. When you look at the teams he’s managed and the players he’s helped to improve, both at
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home and overseas, it speaks volumes about his capabilities and his impact on the game. Every day that you were being coached by Terry Venables you were learning and thinking about the game in a different way.” Venables was inducted into the LMA Hall of Fame in 2011 in recognition of his special career, which spanned over 25 years. That career saw him manage at six clubs, including his successful spell at Barcelona, and two national teams, England and Australia.
HE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX IN TERMS OF HOW A TEAM COULD PLAY THE GAME AND WAS EXCELLENT AT COMMUNICATING HIS IDEAS TO THE PLAYERS ON THE TRAINING PITCH. TERRY RARELY CONFORMED TO THE STATUS QUO. Howard Wilkinson OBE LMA Chairman
TRIBUTE TO TERRY VENABLES
HE WAS OPEN MINDED, FORWARD THINKING, ENJOYED LIFE TO THE FULL AND CREATED A BRILLIANT ENVIRONMENT WITH ENGLAND THAT ALLOWED HIS PLAYERS TO FLOURISH AND HAVE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE TOURNAMENTS IN ENGLAND HISTORY. Gareth Southgate OBE LMA President
LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson OBE said, “I was fortunate to spend time with Terry as a friend and trusted colleague, as part of Dave Sexton’s coaching staff with the England U21 team. He was always open to new ideas and was a forward-thinking coaches’ coach. I enjoyed many long conversations with Terry and Dave about football and we shared many similar views on the modern game, which often came from a position of creativity and courage. “By reputation, he had earned the respect of the teams he worked with and understood the players as much as any person in his position,” he continues. “He was always looking outside the box in terms of how a team could play the game and was excellent at communicating his ideas to the players on the training pitch. Terry rarely conformed to the status quo.”
Terry Venables, England Manager, with Nick Barmby Reuters // Action Images
LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan OBE remembers him as “a truly valued member of the association, whose support during his time as President, and for the decades after, was unwavering and greatly appreciated by his fellow LMA members. Terry was an incredible man and highly skilled football manager,” he continues. “His talent leant itself to a long and successful career as a player and manager, with his personality and charm endearing himself to former colleagues, peers and millions of fans in England and overseas.”
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MANISHA TAILOR
MANISHA TAILOR MBE
COACH, TEACHER, PIONEER. The first female South Asian coach in English professional football, QPR’s Assistant Head of Academy Coaching, Manisha Tailor MBE, shares how she is advancing in, and shaping, the sport she loves.
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If proof were needed that success as a coach is dependent on neither gender, race nor playing experience, look no further than Manisha Tailor MBE. While she’s currently blazing a trail on a number of fronts, her journey to becoming a coach, mentor, advisor and author was far from conventional. Tailor was working as a deputy headteacher when, in 2011, she made the decision to change direction, to work full-time in football. While it was a brave move, it was guided by both heart and mind. “Football has always been very
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special for me, because it’s something I would watch and play with my twin brother, who suffered a mental breakdown nearly 25 years ago,” she explains. After her brother’s mental health deteriorated, Tailor sought any way she could to help with his recovery, and found that engaging more deeply with the sport that had been such a shared passion was a great way to feel closer to him. As she says, “It was a decision I made on moral purpose.” FIRST STEPS By the time Tailor left her teaching post, she had already gained some fantastic experience
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of coaching at grassroots level, having worked with various school teams and established a football programme, which harnessed the power of the sport to engage children with numeracy and literacy. It was through one of these teaching roles that she met former England player Rachel Yankey OBE, who encouraged her to begin the formal process of becoming a professional coach. Tailor started her coaching badges and gained more experience by volunteering at weekends at Yankey’s grassroots club. “Working on Rachel’s schools programme, in particular,
MANISHA TAILOR
provided me with valuable experience,” recalls Tailor. “I had to learn to be highly adaptable and to problem solve quickly, because often the playground or field we were due to be training on wouldn’t be available, or the number of players in the session would change at the last minute or even midway through training.”
Manisha Tailor MBE was named joint winner (alongside Chris Ramsey MBE) of the Kick It Out & Sky Inclusion Champion Award at the 2022 LMA Awards.
Creating an environment that allows players to try things without fear of the outcome is key to developing resilient and adaptable learners.
It was during this formative phase, therefore, that she began to hone some of what would become her core skills and ideals as a coach. “I learned, for example, that the quality of your coaching isn’t determined by the resources at your disposal, but by your ability to work with what you have, and to adapt to the needs of your players and the limits of your environment.” With a huge range in the capability and commitment of her young charges, Tailor had to find ways of connecting with each one as a person. “I found that they performed better when the environment empowered them to make their own decisions, and when they were respected as individuals and trusted with personal responsibility,” she says. Tailor completed her UEFA B Licence in 2015 while she was working at Middlesex Girls Centre of Excellence as Head Coach and with an U16 grassroots boys team. She then
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followed this up with the FA Advanced Youth Award and her UEFA A Licence. WELCOME TO THE CLUB Tailor also took on the role of grassroots mentor, helping aspiring coaches who were just starting out on their career journeys. “I’d work with each mentee to determine what drives and motivates them and to find their goal or ‘north star’,” she says. “That’s something I’ve always been able to draw on myself when things get tough.” It was while wearing this particular hat that she found herself at a Kick it Out Raise Your Game event alongside fellow mentor and then QPR Technical Director Chris Ramsey MBE. Middlesex Girls Centre of Excellence was set to close and, seeing how keen she was to continue her coaching journey, Ramsey invited her to take charge of QPR’s U9s on a voluntary basis. After several months, this evolved into a part-time role. “Chris respects transparency and honesty, and he has a background in primary education, so there was a synergy there between his experience and my own,” says Tailor. “I valued any opportunity to learn, so it was fantastic that he allowed me to come in and volunteer, to develop as a coach and to better understand the workings of the football club.”
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THE MANAGER
The quality of your coaching isn’t determined by the resources at your disposal, but by your ability to work with what you have.
Tailor adds that when mentoring her Ramsey took the same strengths-based approach as he does his players. “He’d speak about my strengths and how these might be enhanced,” she says, “as well as ways to plug any gaps in knowledge and skills that might prevent me from moving forward.” While Tailor was working part-time at QPR, Ramsey also encouraged her to apply for a place on the Premier League’s Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme, which if accepted would enable her to be employed full time. Having successfully completed the scheme, she was appointed as QPR’s Lead Foundation-Phase Coach, also
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assisting in youth development. It was, she says, just the boost she needed. “Simply being in the building full-time accelerated my learning and development as a coach and strategic leader.” ALLY AND MENTOR Currently Assistant Head of Academy Coaching, Tailor worked closely with Ramsey, who she describes as, “a transformational leader, who truly believes football is for everyone and has a way of unearthing and developing talent in players and others.” Finding an ally, like Ramsey, who will support your growth and development is invaluable, she says. “This was especially
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true for me as an Asian woman trying to break into an industry that isn’t perceived traditionally as being a career option.” Until his departure in January, Tailor assisted Ramsey in the overall running of the coaching department, as well as with coach and player development, coaching the U9s through to the development squad. Doing that effectively, she says, relied on a working relationship founded on trust, loyalty and accountability, and a mutual appreciation of the complementary skills they brought to the table. But she also learned how important it is to understand exactly what Ramsey needed from her and how she could best support him.
MANISHA TAILOR
As Chris Ramsey’s number two, Tailor worked closely with him on coach and player development across the QPR academy.
“Learning from Chris’ approach to leadership has enabled me to explore what effective leadership means to me, and to understand the importance of resilience and of being able to adapt to new circumstances and limitations,” says Tailor. “For example, with Chris’ support, I’ve done a lot of work on areas such as recovering from setbacks and adaptability, staying optimistic and mission-oriented, responding instead of simply reacting, and demonstrating the art of listening and being open to new ideas.” RELATE AND EMPOWER While Tailor’s coaching philosophy and methodology
Dream like me “With the support of key stakeholders and organisations, the game continues to work to ensure that football is accessible to all, whatever your race, gender or background,” says Tailor. “For me personally, it is fantastic to see more South Asian girls and women now involved in football, both on and off the pitch. I wrote ‘Dream Like Me: South Asian Football Trailblazers’ to encourage young girls and boys to dream big, and so to accelerate that rate of positive change. Based on the powerful stories of 42 pioneering individuals working in all parts of the game, it shows what they can achieve with a growth mindset, hard work, determination and support.”
continue to be shaped by her experience and learning at QPR, they are deeply rooted in her background in education. Indeed, she believes her core teaching skillset is highly transferable to football coaching. “My experience of coaching five year olds right through to adults has taught me the importance of understanding how players learn and then adapting your approach to suit their needs,” she says. “Knowledge and understanding of football alone is not enough. What’s fundamental is being able to relate it to the players, especially if learning and practice is to be purposeful, where the players know not just what they are learning, but also why and
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how they are going to get there.” That means connecting with the players and getting to know them as people beyond being footballers, she says. “You have to cultivate positive relationships in order to get the best out of people, to develop a deeprooted mutual understanding with them and a sense of trust. That, in turn, helps the players feel empowered and motivated to persevere on their journey, knowing that you are genuine and that you care.” Tailor also asks her players to take ownership of their learning, to self-reflect using methods such as video analysis and journalling, and to work on their resilience.
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The club is supportive of me being proactive in using my position and voice in a positive way, to promote fairness and equal opportunities in the game as a whole.
“I want to develop players who are mentally versatile as well as technically rounded, who are able to persevere, no matter how challenging the task becomes,” she says. “Creating an environment that allows players to try things without fear of the outcome is key to developing resilient and adaptable learners.” A PROACTIVE INFLUENCER Tailor has taken risks, made sacrifices and worked incredibly hard to carve out a career in an industry that has not traditionally embraced minority groups. She also considers herself fortunate to have landed at a club that she says is at the forefront of diversity and inclusion. “At QPR we pride ourselves on our three Rs – respect, responsibility and resilience – and ensure that these standards are upheld by all involved at the club. Respect, for me, means
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taking into account everyone’s differences,” she says. “It means that everyone is afforded an opportunity to succeed, without bias or judgement. Importantly,” she adds, “the club is supportive of me being proactive in using my position and voice in a positive way, to promote fairness and equal opportunities in the game as a whole.” Tailor has found various ways to do that, activities that deepen her knowledge of the industry today, while helping to shape the industry of the future. In addition to her day-to-day role at QPR, she is on the LCA Advisory Group and the LMA Diploma, and recently completed the PL Academy Leaders programme, signposted by QPR’s Academy Director, Alex Carroll. Incredibly, she has even found time to write a book (see the boxout). This season, as well as her role
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at QPR, Tailor will become an Assistant U15s coach to the Young Lionesses as part of the Elite England Coach Programme, another important step towards her dream of coaching on a senior or international stage. “I believe that if we’re to achieve a better, more diverse, game it’s important that we use our voices, platforms and networks to drive change,” she says. “Being part of the LCA, for example, opens the door to more conversations around important issues and, more importantly, possible solutions and outcomes. The LMA Diploma, meanwhile, allows me to continue my education, learning from experts as well as others on the programme. After all, the more advanced my knowledge and expertise are, the better placed I will be to help influence the game in years to come.”
MANISHA TAILOR
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England Vitality Roses Head Coach Jess Thirlby at the Copper Box Arena, London. Saturday October 8, 2022. // Alamy
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JESS THIRLBY
Words: Alice Hoey Photography: Alamy
FROM ANOTHER SPORT:
JESS THIRLBY
BOLD, BRAVE AND FEARLESS. Still energised from their historic silver medal win at the Netball World Cup in Cape Town, the Vitality Roses aim to stay at the very top. Here, Head Coach Jess Thirlby shares the pride and trust she has in her fast-improving team.
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I’m proud of the depth of quality we have now, not only in terms of our players, but also our staff and systems.
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JESS THIRLBY
(L-R) England Assistant Coach Sonia Mkoloma, Head Coach Jess Thirlby and Technical Coach Olivia Murphy pose with their trophy after winning the Vitality Netball International Series match at the Copper Box Arena, London. Picture date: Sunday January 15, 2023. // Alamy
I SPENT 17 YEARS AS A PLAYER AND THE SAME AS A COACH. I think most of my decisions are therefore informed by my experience on both sides, whether I’m conscious of it or not. I’m able to see things through both lenses. My experience as a player, with Team Bath and England, means I understand, and can empathise with, what it means to be an elite athlete, how intensive it is and the work you have to put in to be successful on an international stage. That means when I’m speaking to the players I’m doing so from a place of integrity and experience. Having said that, it’s important to remember that both the game and coaching methods are constantly evolving, so it’s essential that I don’t rest on what I’ve learned in the past, and that I remain agile and open to new ideas. I BELIEVE IN BEING BOLD, BRAVE AND FEARLESS. While I wasn’t always the captain of the team, I was often part of leadership groups as a player. Perhaps even more importantly though in terms of the influence I had on my team mates, I was a very committed athlete, and I managed myself in a very positive and proactive way. I think I modelled those behaviours well. I’ve always
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adopted an almost limitless belief in what’s possible. As a coach, I’m curious to try things differently, rather than simply following what others have done before, and I’m very open and invite feedback. I like to surround myself with staff and players who think differently to me. I’m not afraid of that; in fact, I get a buzz out of it. IT’S A PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH THE VITALITY ROSES. Not least because I’ve always been a huge fan and advocate. By the time I took the head coach role, I already had a really good grasp of the infrastructure and systems across England Netball. I’d coached for some 10 years across many of the England age groups, leading some of them to world championships, and had worked in and around the Roses in various short-term roles. As a result, I was well placed to understand what was working well and where I might be able to implement meaningful changes. WINNING GOLD AT THE 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT. I became Roses Head Coach shortly afterwards, and felt I had a big task on my hands to bring home more medals. I wanted to make sure that the 2018 achievement didn’t end up being an outlier. In the short term, though, I could see there was work to be done in terms
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of increasing the quality of our player pool. While the team had seen that incredible success, I didn’t think there was yet enough depth for us to be confident of repeating it. We often speak about development and winning as though they’re mutually exclusive, but I believe you can achieve both at the same time. WE ALL FEEL A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS. Obviously we’re here to try to win medals, but actually I see how we go about our business as equally important. We understand that the Vitality Roses are the shop window for netball, and we want to position the sport in the best way we can. One of the things I really value about the Roses is that when the fans or our stakeholders or sponsors interact with us, they soon appreciate just how open and accessible we are as a team. I see first-hand how the players are able to inspire the fans and engage new audiences. In netball, we’re not yet in that space where things are constrained or restricted, and that’s a huge selling point for us compared to many other sports. I RESTED OUR WORLD CUP PLAYERS AT THE RECENT NEW ZEALAND TEST SERIES. It was absolutely right to give our silver-medal-winning athletes a
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period to recover, physically and mentally, as well as the staff who supported them throughout the competition. I don’t believe we should aim to win at all costs. The decision was well thought through, taking into account both the practical limitations of having successive competitions so close together, and the opportunities that existed for those players who had not gone to Cape Town. Part of our preparations to win a gold medal next time around is ensuring our players have experience of playing against the top teams, in particular Australia and New Zealand. Providing those players, many of whom were young or less in the public eye, with that experience at the test series was therefore invaluable. I ALSO HANDED OVER THE BATON TO A TEMPORARY COACHING TEAM. I was there should they need me, but I trusted them implicitly and knew that empowering members of my staff to lead the Roses on that journey could only be a positive thing. Being able to watch from the sidelines also gave me great insight into a player group who I need to know as well as possible as we move into the next couple of competitions. Having myself and the most high-profile players take a back seat was invaluable on every level. The fact that we beat
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England coach Jess Thirlby speaks to her players during their Pool B Match at The NEC on day two of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Picture date: Saturday July 30, 2022. // Alamy
I’ve always adopted an almost limitless belief in what’s possible.
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New Zealand in the opening match with none of our World Cup players was the icing on the cake. Some may have doubted the capability of the group, but I certainly didn’t. THERE’S STILL WORK TO BE DONE, BUT WE’VE TURNED A CORNER. I’m proud of the depth of quality we have now, not only in terms
of our players, but also our staff and systems. Over time, I hope that will mean we can continue to stay close to the best teams in the world. The margins between the top six nations are probably smaller than they’ve ever been. Looking forward to the next decade and beyond, our programme and systems will need to evolve further. However, it is the domestic competition
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going professional that would make the biggest difference to our ability to compete amongst the best. Many of our players are still working full time, as lawyers and doctors for example, while completing intensive training with the team. It makes the fact they are able to go out and achieve results like a World Cup silver medal even more incredible.
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Words: Alice Hoey
INTERVIEW
QUESTION CONSTANTLY WHO ISN’T AT THE TABLE. BBC Children in Need CEO Simon Antrobus explains why he believes all leaders have the power and responsibility to champion equity, diversity and inclusion.
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In 2021, the year after the murder of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis, Simon Antrobus wrote an online blog. In it, he outlined a series of actions and behaviours he was committing to as CEO of BBC Children in Need to tackle racial injustice and ensure that diverse voices are heard. It reads as a very personal statement, from one leader to another, and is all the more powerful for it. “After the killing of George Floyd, we took some time to reflect with our Black colleagues at BBC Children in Need and it seemed absolutely right that we should have a long hard look at ourselves as an organisation,” says Antrobus. “Were we genuinely and authentically being an ally to our Black colleagues and to young people of colour across the UK? That’s what the statement was born out of. It’s not enough to feel appalled when something like Floyd’s death occurs, to recognise the implications of it and acknowledge our own privileges. If we don’t actively do something about it, then we’re simply not doing enough.” GUIDING PRINCIPLES Following lengthy discussions with the charity’s senior leadership team and board, Antrobus led considerable developments in its approach to supporting people of colour. Equity, diversity and inclusivity
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(EDI) became its raison d’ệtre and everything it now does towards its over-riding goal of changing the lives of children and young people is viewed through that lens. For Antrobus as a leader that means being more selective in terms of the groups, panels and committees he takes part in and his choice of stakeholders, partners and grantees. “We need to question constantly who isn’t at the table and how might we get them there, and ensure that a wide range of voices and lived experiences are being heard, both in our own events and those we participate in,” he says. Leaders of charities, and indeed all organisations, have a power and responsibility to tackle racial injustice and champion equity and inclusion, he says. Ensuring recruitment processes don’t have inbuilt biases or ‘invisible filters’ is an important part of that. As the leading independent funder for children and young people in the UK, BBC Children in Need also needs to ensure its grant application and selection process is free of conscious and unconscious biases. That means assessing the fairness of the charity’s allocation processes constantly, says Antrobus. “We take an insight-driven approach to this,
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where we look at how the money is being spent and ensure that this tallies with our key principles. We also take an equity-based approach, where we set aside funding specifically to support a particular cause, such as disadvantaged young people of colour in the UK.” CULTURE ADD Perhaps most importantly, though, is that the organisation itself is inclusive and representative of the community it serves. “You can’t hope to break down prejudices, privileges and stereotypes if you are, yourself, a homogenous group, says Antrobus. Diversity also can’t succeed without first ensuring inclusion; there’s little point bringing people into the room if you fail to give them a voice. “As part of our big push towards inclusivity within BBC Children in Need we’ve done a considerable amount of antiracism training,” says Antrobus. “That’s been an uncomfortable journey for a number of our staff, but it’s important that we each understand the part we play in creating an inclusive environment.” Antrobus also set up an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion action group, made up of staff from right across the organisation, at every level. The group ensures the money raised by BBC Children in Need is allocated in the fairest
SIMON ANTROBUS
You can’t hope to break down prejudices, privileges and stereotypes if you are, yourself, a homogenous group.
Simon Antrobus, BBC Children in Need CEO
possible way, that it recruits the right people, and that its culture is appropriate and just. “Most people talk about culture fit, but we prefer to talk about culture add,” says Antrobus. “That means that rather than trying to force people into a fixed culture we’ve created, we add to it and build on it.” CHALLENGE EQUALS OPPORTUNITY Antrobus has worked in the
voluntary sector for over 25 years and while he says the focus used to be on growth, it has shifted towards justice. This, though, as he points out, can itself be a driver of growth and development. “The more diverse, inclusive and representative your organisation, the more successful you’re likely to be; that’s a proven fact,” he says. “To be a high-performing organisation you have to break
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down what it is that has been holding you back. For us, the most important thing we realised we needed to focus on was belonging. Do we ensure that every member of staff working for BBC Children in Need feels like they genuinely and authentically belong and have a contribution to make? Are the way they see the world and their protected characteristics celebrated and recognised, and seen as key parts of delivering outcomes for the organisation?”
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SIMON ANTROBUS
The more diverse, inclusive and representative your organisation, the more successful you’re likely to be; that’s a proven fact.
About Simon Antrobus CEO of BBC Children in Need since 2016, Simon Antrobus was previously Chief Executive of charity We are With You, before which he was Chief Executive of Clubs for Young People. Simon has also held senior positions at Parkinson’s UK and Scope.
The only way to do that, he says, is to place belonging front and centre of your strategy. “One of the principal things I’ve learned in recent years is that EDI is not an add-on or a boxticking exercise, it’s the thing that delivers on your outcomes,” says Antrobus. “It’s easy to say you’re going to become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, but as leaders we need to explore what that means to us. We need to educate ourselves, understand our own privileges and prejudices, and ensure that people throughout the organisation feel able to challenge us.” Getting to a point where people at all levels of the organisation can give you honest and genuine feedback is critical, he adds, but it’s neither easy nor straightforward.
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“Often you’re talking about years and years of conscious and unconscious bias, but if you get it right people will feel they can contribute in an authentic way and they will challenge the established ways of working and thinking. That’s essential, because the conversation around EDI is always evolving. You have to talk and listen to your people constantly to ensure that the things you’re implementing are playing out right. “Critical for me is recognising that the best opportunities and solutions to your tricky challenges often come from where you least expect. If you create a culture that sees those things as positive and where those opportunities can happen you’ll be more successful.”
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Photography: iStock
KEY TAKEAWAYS
JOE DAVIS
BUILD YOUR EMOTIONAL CAPITAL. EmotionaI intelligence, says Ground+Air’s Joe Davis is about understanding how our emotions and those of others drive our behaviours, and learning to manage those emotions more intelligently to leverage our personal strengths.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS: JOE DAVIS
WE CAN ALL BUILD OUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. Research has now moved on from what EI is to how we can actually develop and improve the core skills involved. The Emotional Capital Model, for example, came out of research with leaders in sport and business, and links EI directly to leadership performance. 10 skills are central to the model: self-knowing or self-awareness, self-confidence, self-reliance, straightforwardness, selfactualisation, adaptability, optimism, self-control, empathy and relationship skills. ASSESSMENT TOOLS CAN BE TRANSFORMATIONAL. Assessment tools such as ECR
can be really useful in providing insight into where someone is with those 10 EI skills. That can help to ensure you’re recruiting the right people for the right roles, and once those people are on board it can help you to create a development plan for them. You know which areas of EI they need to improve, and what strengths they have that they could dial up to be even more effective. GOOD SELF-AWARENESS ENABLES YOU TO BUILD YOUR EI SKILLS. Self-reflection is key here, and tools such as Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle can be very useful in encouraging us to reflect on what has gone well and not
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so well, and what sense you can make of particular meetings, events or conversations. Once you start to build self-awareness you can begin to develop some of the other skills, like self-control. Having a mentor or trusted associate is also very useful here, as they can check your behaviour and help you see how else you might have dealt with things. A BIG PART OF EI IS HOW WE MANAGE OUR EMOTIONS. Self-control is essential in enabling us to manage stress effectively and intelligently. We need to stay calm, rational-minded and disciplined. There are various ways to build those skills, but some of the most useful involve our lifestyles: staying active,
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KEY TAKEAWAYS: JOE DAVIS
Research has now moved on from what EI is to how we can actually develop and improve the core skills involved.
About Joe Davis A performance psychologist and Senior Consultant at Ground + Air, Davis has considerable experience in the world of human performance and is highly skilled at applying his knowledge of performance psychology in business, education and sporting environments.
exercising, eating well and getting enough quality sleep. BREATHING TECHNIQUES CAN REGULATE THE EMOTIONAL-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE. If you’re too aroused, you might show up as impulsive and project your mood onto your team mates. Learning breathing techniques, where you inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, repeating that a number of times, can help to regulate that emotional response. EMPATHY IS NOT THE SAME AS SYMPATHY. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone, while empathy is much more than that. It’s about understanding the world from someone else’s point of view, getting into their shoes if you can. There are three parts to this
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that you can build on. The first is active listening, where you listen to understand rather than to respond. The second thing is adopting a curious attitude with the people we meet, asking open-ended questions to find out more about them as people. EMOTIONAL CONNECTION IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. This relates to things like whether you smile when interacting and have a solid handshake, and whether you paraphrase what the other person is saying when they’re speaking to you, especially if they’re sharing concerns or emotions. It takes good EI to build high-quality relationships, because you need to take time to get to know your team members outside of work, learn about their families and their interests, and find common ground.
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LMA NEWS.
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LMA EVENTS & CORPORATE ACTIVITY. Anglian – Emirates Stadium Dinner > JODY MORRIS // MARTIN KEOWN The LMA hosted a private dinner for partner Anglian Home Improvements at the Emirates Stadium. LMA Ambassadors Jody Morris and Martin Keown took part in a Q&A with host Hayley McQueen.
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UCFB – Induction Days > DEAN SMITH During visits to Old Trafford and Wembley Stadium, LMA Ambassador Dean Smith provided students at UCFB with an insight into the world of professional football management and shared some of his first-hand experience.
GRS – St. George’s Park Football Tournament > KOLO TOURÉ // IAN BARACLOUGH // NEIL LENNON // KIT SYMONS // DEAN SMITH // DEAN HOLDEN // NATHAN JONES // STEVE ROUND The LMA hosted Partner GRS Roadstone at St. George’s Park for an exclusive 8-a-side football tournament on the Sir Alf Ramsey indoor pitch. LMA Ambassadors Kolo Touré, Ian Baraclough, Neil Lennon, Kit Symons, Dean Smith, Dean Holden, Nathan Jones and Steve Round each managed a team.
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Anglian – Champions Conference 2023 > DION DUBLIN LMA Partner Anglian Home Improvements hosted its 2023 Champions Conference at the Hilton St. George’s Park in July. LMA Ambassador Dion Dublin took part in a Q&A and helped to distribute prizes to Anglian’s sales teams from across the UK.
Sports Interactive – Foot Talks > DARREN MOORE LMA Ambassador Darren Moore took part in a Q&A discussing his career so far and future ambitions within professional football as part of Sports Interactive’s ‘Foot Talks’ series. The series provides employees at Sports Interactive with valuable insight into the professional game, specifically to benefit the development of the Football Manager game series.
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Indeed – London Transport Museum > STUART PEARCE MBE LMA Ambassador Stuart Pearce, along with Sports Psychologist Rebecca Levett and host Hayley McQueen, helped to deliver an event for Indeed for HR leaders on the future of technology in the workplace.
Utilita – Performance of the Week > CARLA WARD Each week, the LMA supports the Utilita Performance of the Week Award, which recognises significant achievements across the professional divisions of the men’s and women’s game. LMA member and Manager of Aston Villa Women, Carla Ward, won the award on the 23 November following her side’s 2-3 victory against West Ham Women.
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Castrol – EDI Event > RACHEL YANKEY OBE // EBONY RAINFORD-BRENT MBE The LMA and Castrol held a panel discussion, hosted by Hayley McQueen. LMA Ambassadors Rachel Yankey and Ebony Rainford-Brent shared their experience of balancing performance and inclusivity, their strategies and experiences around creating psychological safety within a team, and the future of the women’s game.
Utilita – Football Rebooted > JONAS EIDEVALL LMA Ambassador Jonas Eidevall helped LMA Partner Utilita with a coaching session at Carshalton Athletic Football Club. Eidevall gave a detailed breakdown of one of his sessions, answered questions and lent his support to Utilita’s ‘Football Rebooted’ campaign.
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Cadbury > HARRY REDKNAPP LMA Ambassador Harry Redknapp supported Cadbury’s ‘Surprise and Delight’ event at Tesco in Sandhurst, Surrey. Redknapp surprised shoppers at the store with prizes to support Cadbury’s partnership with the Premier League.
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03 01 Nike and The Powerhouse Project at Wembley Stadium On behalf of Nike and The Powerhouse Project, LMA member Vicky Jepson recently held a coaching masterclass at Wembley Stadium alongside LMA member Rachel Yankey OBE. Jepson’s session concentrated on possession under pressure. 02 Nike and Unisport Stockholm Appearance LMA Ambassador and ex-Liverpool player John Barnes MBE supported Nike at an exclusive LFC kit launch in Stockholm. At the August event, which took place at Unisport’s flagship store in the city, fans had the opportunity to quiz Barnes on all things Liverpool FC, and his playing and management career.
05 03 Nike ‘Gurls Talk’ Vicky Jepson, Senior Assistant Head Coach at Tottenham Hotspur and LMA Ambassador, supported Nike at an intimate event at their HQ in Kings Cross. At the exclusive event, called Gurl’s Talk, 12 aspiring young coaches had the opportunity to learn from Jepson and her career achievements to date. The coaches, from the US and Canada, asked for tips and advice around all aspects of player management, managing up and down, and her career progression. 04 Nike and PRO:DIRECT ‘Women’s Hour’ Jepson also assisted Nike with their Women’s Hour event at Power
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League Vauxhall in October. As part of the panel, she discussed the progression and growth of women’s football from a professional coach’s perspective and how younger women can look to follow the coaching pathway into the professional game. 05 NikeTown Live Watch-Along LMA Ambassador and former England International goalkeeper David James MBE was a surprise guest at the Nike live ‘watch along’ of the Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur game on 30 September. James also took part in a Q&A and gave his own pre-match, halftime, and post-match analysis of the game.
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WATCH THE NEW LMA COMMERCIAL FILM.
Scan the QR code above to view the film, which was released at the LMA 2023 Annual Leadership & Wellbeing Conference. For more information on what the LMA can offer to Commercial Partners, contact LMA Head of Commercial Partnerships Nick Allsop on Nick.Allsop@leaguemanagers.com or 07425 828661
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A big thank you to all the LMA Partners.
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LMA INSTITUTE OF LEADERSHIP AND HIGH PERFORMANCE. 84
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05 01 LMA Diploma in Football Management Following the opening residential week and three masterclass sessions, the 2023/24 edition of the LMA Diploma in Football Management is well underway. Content to date has included The World of the Football Manager, Personal Branding, Presentation Skills, Managing Up, Influence and Negotiation, Inspiring Leadership, Mental Health, and EDI and Safeguarding in Football. 02 LMA Diploma Graduation Congratulations to the students of the 2022/23 LMA Diploma in Football Management, who graduated in December at the University of Liverpool. 03 LMA Postgraduate Award in Strategic Leadership The 2023/24 edition of the LMA Postgraduate Award kicked off in September with a presentation by Brigadier Ged Salzano MBE on his leadership experience in the Royal Marines, US Navy SEALs and the financial services industry. The students have now completed Module 1, with content including Leading Individuals, Leading Teams and
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04 LMA Masterclass: October The first LMA Masterclass of the 2023/24 season was held at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. LMA member Julen Lopetegui delivered a practical coaching session followed by a debrief drawing on his personal experience as an elite level manager. The second session was taken by Ground+Air, who presented on Leading with Emotional Intelligence using the Emotional Capital Model. Finally, LMA Technical Partner SkillCorner held an interactive session on Powering Smart Decisions in Football.
06 LMA Insights Webinars Five Technical Webinars have been delivered on a range of football-related topics, including Academy Development, Throwins and the Athletic Skills Model. LMA member and Brentford Manager Thomas Frank and Technical Director Phil Giles discussed the club’s journey to the Premier League and their plans for continuing success. Four Insights Webinars have also taken place, with Olympic Canoe Slalom coach Craig Morris, LMA member Jesse Marsch, solicitor Gillian Pickersgill and neuroscientist Professor Vincent Walsh.
05 LMA Masterclass: September At an LMA Masterclass at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, Fieri Leadership delivered an immersive session on leading change, including case studies, practical exercises and an introduction to useful toolkits and concepts. The afternoon session was delivered by LMA Head of Mental Health and Psychology Jennifer Lace, who covered the foundations of mental health before delving deeper into the benefits and drawbacks of perfectionist tendencies.
07 LMA Performance Visits A performance visit to Rugby Super League club Hull FC took place in August. LMA and LCA members had the opportunity to visit the club’s training facility alongside Head Coach and LMA mentor Tony Smith as they prepared for their next fixture. LMA members were also invited to visit Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in September, where they were introduced to the British Army’s leadership philosophies.
Crisis Management. Module 2 will focus on Strategy and Governance.
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IN THE GAME. LMA members and ambassadors have delivered community coaching sessions across the UK.
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01 Adam Sadler
LMA Ambassador Adam Sadler delivered a community coaching session at FCV International Academy, Leicestershire. 02 Paul Konchesky
LMA member Paul Konchesky delivered a community coaching session at Dartford FC after the National League club was given the FA Youth Development League (East Division) Fair Play Award. 03 Danny Cowley
LMA member Danny Cowley delivered a community coaching session at Barnfield Prep School in Surrey.
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04 Michael Johnson
LMA Ambassador Michael Johnson delivered a community coaching session at FCV International Academy, Leicestershire. 05 Phil Brown
LMA member Phil Brown delivered a community coaching session to an U13 team in Oxfordshire. 06 Chris Hargreaves
LMA member Chris Hargreaves delivered a community coaching session to a U12 team in Cornwall.
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07 Jarred Harvey
LMA Ambassador Jarred Harvey delivered a community coaching session for Wycombe Wanderers Women. 08 Mark Warburton
LMA member Mark Warburton delivered a community coaching session at Westminster Academy in London. 09 Johnnie Jackson // Terence Skiverton
AFC Wimbledon Manager Johnnie Jackson and Assistant Terence Skiverton (both LMA members) delivered a community coaching session for Surrey County FA.
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PERSONAL WELLBEING & PERFORMANCE.
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PERSONAL WELLBEING & PERFORMANCE COLUMN
Dr Sally Harris MB, ChB, DFFP, HCA Healthcare UK
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOU. Health screening is like a physical MOT and it’s not just about allowing you a longer life; it’s about enabling you to have an action-packed, disease-free life, filled with energy, mobility and, hopefully, joy.
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PERSONAL WELLBEING & PERFORMANCE
It shows that you value yourself and love your family, and it shows you want to be around for many years to come.
If someone had asked me early on in my career to spend an afternoon doing health screenings I would probably have scoffed at the idea. I trained to be a doctor and to spend my time helping sick patients, why would I want to spend time with the worried well? Oh, the ignorance of youth. If I’m honest, I’m probably saving more lives now in my health screening role than at any other time in my career. I’m also certainly influencing health with medical knowledge and facts. There are people who love screenings and those who hate them. The latter tend to think I will just tell them what they already know – that they need to lose weight or drink less. In reality, while I probably will
tell them some home truths, it will only be a small part of the conversation. I’m far more interested in why they might need to lose weight and why, even though they know they drink too much, they’re unable to reduce it. The adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ works for health too. Just because you look to be in good shape, it doesn’t mean you have a desirable cholesterol level or a normal blood pressure reading. Sadly, as we age we are all at increasing risk of all illnesses and cancers. Screening really should be seen as a privilege, a positive use of time, and a benefit in every sense of the word. When talking about health, someone
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once said ‘your biology becomes your biography’ and certainly genetics can influence your life story with regards to health, as well as lifestyle choices of course. During a screening we’ll ask about any medication you’re taking, any time spent in hospital and any allergies you might have, and we’ll take time to ask about your past medical history. If your father, grandfather and great grandfather all suffered from heart disease you don’t need to be Hercule Poirot to figure out that you may well be at increased risk. While this may be causing you and your family real concern, unless questioned directly you may not think to mention it. The key to good health screening is taking a really keen interest
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Screening really should be seen as a privilege, a positive use of time, and a benefit in every sense of the word.
About Dr Sally Harris Dr Sally Harris is a highly esteemed and experienced general practitioner (GP) with extensive experience in a diverse range of medical fields including emergency medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, dermatology and female health.
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in you, tapping into your world, gaining insight into your average day, the peaks and pits of each week, your home-life balance, family history, age and gender. I want to find out what your sleep is like, when and what you eat, and what you do for exercise. We tend to assume that the exercise we’re doing is the correct one, but you may not be doing what’s most effective for your health concerns, age and risks. We know, for example, that running, swimming and cycling are fantastic for cardiovascular and mental health, but that more resistant types of exercise like weights and Pilates can help your
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body to produce more natural testosterone, increasing muscle mass and energy levels. If you’re a smoker, we can talk about it, and help you to find the best option for you to stop. We’ll talk about cancer, the ones that present the most risk to you and the screening that’s available, and about your lifestyle, including the links between your job and your health. The most prevalent occupational health issue that I see from day to day is cortisol, which we know is responsible for a significant increase in risk of heart disease.
We’ll talk about nutrition and weight and the fact that BMI is not the only measurement. It depends where you’re carrying your weight. We’ll consider noticeable fluctuations in weight also, because sometimes these changes are more a reflection of our levels of stress and our lifestyle than they are of the food we eat. We’ll cover sleep and alcohol, and discuss the need to moderate what we drink and try to have two or three consecutive days with no alcohol. Reminders that alcohol is strongly linked to breast cancer and liver cancer can really help to focus the mind here.
We can talk also about nutrition and the advice that is suitable for you, because with so much advice out there it can be difficult to know which direction to turn. Which supplements are relevant and in what dose? I will then process all of that information to find your specific risk factors based on your age and gender. If the results are abnormal, it can be a shock or it can be an acknowledgement of a symptom that you’ve been really concerned about. What’s important to remember,
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though, is that what is flagged up by those results would not have been normal if you hadn’t done the testing; the issue would have continued unabated and unrecognised. With screening we can refer you to an expert in the field and hopefully vastly improve your prognosis. If the results come back normal, meanwhile, then all the better. A couple of hours of your time will have allowed you to clear your mind of worries. It shows that you value yourself and love your family, and it shows you want to be around for many years to come.
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10 IDEAS: BE A CHANGE AGENT.
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OWN IT. Speaking in an LMA Masterclass recently, Fieri’s Harrie Ellaway said, “The rate of change is increasing exponentially, so if we want to thrive we must get better at managing and implementing it. What’s more, if something happens to change your life, as happened to many of us during the Covid pandemic, it’s helpful to look for ways to take control of that change.”
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10 IDEAS: BE A CHANGE AGENT
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IN THEORY. Various models can help us to deal with and implement change. The Lippitt-Knoster model presents six key elements required for effective change, while David Rock’s SCARF model helps us to work more effectively with those around us, which is particularly useful during periods of change. The model focuses on the brain’s threat and reward response, and looks at five domains that trigger a reward or threat response in social situations: status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness.
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UNDERSTAND AND INFLUENCE. We are much more likely to run away from threat than we are to run towards reward, says Ellaway. “When presented with change, or something that threatens our certainty, we can’t physically run away, but we can employ other behaviours to try to prevent that change from happening. We might passively disagree with someone, sabotage their idea or undermine them. As a leader, therefore, the more we can understand how to influence those around us the better our chances of being able to implement change successfully.”
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WELCOME DIALOGUE. Change tends to happen more quickly and successfully when the various stakeholders are able to have an input, rather than simply having change imposed upon them. Open up a conversation during the planning stages and continue to welcome discussion around the plans as they progress. Listen to concerns and suggestions from people throughout the organisation, be prepared to act on them, and keep communication open and transparent.
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TRUST ME. Unless your people trust you and believe in what you’re trying to do then your change project will never be successful, says Ellaway. “Together, competency, reliability and intimacy will help you to regain people’s trust. You need to show that you know what you’re doing, that you follow through on what you’ve promised, and that you take time to talk to people and show you’re doing things for the right reasons and not for personal gain.”
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BELIEF AND AUTHENTICITY. As the driving force behind a change initiative or project, a change agent, champion or ambassador must have total belief in what they’re striving to achieve. That authenticity is key if people are to buy into your vision for the future and accept the disruption and uncertainty that characterise periods of transition. Don’t hold back your authentic enthusiasm and passion, because it will be contagious.
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WALK THE TALK. A big part of both authenticity and trust is role modelling. If you give your team a vision, it’s essential that you then live by it yourself. “If your behaviours don’t align with that vision you will be caught out. Your people will know about it; they will feel it more than they see it,” says Ellaway.
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10 IDEAS: BE A CHANGE AGENT
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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. For some people, change is a source of stress and anxiety and it can cause mental wellbeing and performance to nose-dive. Others actively seek out change and can become frustrated if it doesn’t happen quickly enough. As a change agent, you will need to listen and be able to empathise with both camps, understanding their motivations and managing their expectations, hopes and fears. Communicating a detailed, albeit flexible, roadmap, with check-in points along the way, will help people to visualise the journey ahead.
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CONTEXT AND PERSUASION. However necessary or beneficial you believe your change project to be, it will be just one of many pressing issues facing the organisation and its senior executives. Your powers of persuasion and influence, passion, and ability to articulate your vision and plan will be crucial in winning the buy in of those at the top.
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MANAGE THE TRANSITION. Change has a direct impact on people and processes, but its effects, both positive and negative, can also rumble on throughout an organisation, affecting budgets, revenue, productivity and morale. It’s important to understand the wider context and potential impacts of any change project, communicate openly and look to mitigate any negative knock-on effects.
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Words: Alice Hoey Photography: Reuters // Action Images
REACH OUT. Seeking support, validation and challenge from others is a sign of strength, not weakness, demonstrating self-confidence, and a determination to improve and develop.
SUPPORTED BY
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SUPPORTED BY
When it comes to professional development, perhaps the most valuable resource is also the most easily accessible. All you have to do is reach out to it.
Andy Cale Dr Andy Cale has worked in football and education settings for the last 40 years. He holds a PhD in Sports Psychology, is a Pro-Licence holder and is currently a Football Consultant specialising in mentoring, coach and player development and the establishment of effective learning environments across the football landscape. He has worked as a Sport Psychologist in the Premier League, a Coach and Manager in the UEFA Champions League, the Head of Player Development and Research for The FA and Senior Football Development Manager for the 2022 World Cup.
As sports psychologist and former coach and manager Andy Cale says, “Most of our learning comes from our peers. It comes from observation and discussion, from listening and questioning. Creating environments where we can learn from lots of different sources is therefore a key skill.” That means surrounding yourself with people who will support and challenge you in equal measure, and being ready and willing to act on the advice and feedback that you receive. It also takes proactivity, because it is through regular networking and by playing an active role in the industry that you will meet with peers and build connections with future allies and collaborators. SAFE SPACES Then, of course, there is mentoring, which has become
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an increasingly common and powerful means of maximising learning and performance, in business, sport and beyond. According to Cale, now a consultant specialising in mentoring, coach and player development, mentoring works because it creates a safe place for people to feel supported and challenged. “In doing so, it increases their self-confidence, confirms and clarifies their immediate issues and required actions, and most importantly creates an environment that enables growth, development and learning to take place,” he says. Key to the success of mentoring is that it places the mentee at the centre of the learning and performance environment. “It’s the mentee that drives this relationship, who processes the conversations and clarifies key issues and actions, and who must commit to action and behavioural change,” says Cale. “In this way, they grow their skillset, and become more
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confident, resilient and selfsufficient.” Great mentors, therefore, act as what Cale refers to as ‘thinking partners’, creating an environment in which the mentee can work things out for themself. “They hold up a mirror and ask questions about what the mentee sees. It’s this focus on learning that helps people become better decision makers, because they listen and hear more clearly, and are better able to commit to clear and achievable outcomes.”
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FROM ALL ANGLES When looking for regular support, advice or feedback, turning to those around you has many advantages. The people you work closely with, day in, day out, are after all best placed to spot changes in your behaviour or approach and understand the context of the challenges at hand. That said, great leaders rarely limit their scope to their immediate professional circle. It has become increasingly common, says Cale, to create
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a wider support network, and many at the top in sport and business have not one but multiple mentors or advisors, guiding and supporting them in different domains and specialisms. While these mentors are often experienced professionals within the industry, it’s also valuable to reach out to people from different backgrounds and who work in comparable roles in other sports or fields. The more diverse the experiences, the more varied the prisms through
SUPPORTED BY
We may need to reach out to people of all age groups and experience in order to contextualise what is an increasingly complex range of ideas and approaches.
Burnley Manager Vincent Kompany hugs Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola ahead of a match on August 11, 2023. Reuters // Action Images
which people can view your situation. Reaching out in this way is not an admission of weakness; it’s an acknowledgment that, however experienced you are, you’re never the finished article, and it shows a dedication to continually improving your skills and deepening your knowledge. It’s important to remember that the parameters within which we’re working are changing constantly, and with each new piece of research or technological development
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comes new insight and potential. Peer-to-peer and reverse mentoring, where your mentor is more junior, can be particularly helpful in making sense of the huge volume of information now available to us. As Cale points out, what’s key is not just that we’re able to learn from many different people and environments, but that we can apply that thinking to our own situations.” We may need to reach out to people of all age groups and experience in order to contextualise what is an
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NEW SIGNINGS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY All LMA members enjoy a preferential rate across our range of vehicles, including the All-Electric Toyota bZ4X. Visit your local Toyota Dealer to discover our exclusive LMA offering.
Model shown is Toyota bZ4X Pure. Price £52,775. Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (1/100km) N/A. Combined CO2 0g/km. Electric range up to 278 miles. Battery electric vehicle requires mains electricity for charging. Figures are provided for comparability purposes only compare fuel consumption, CO2 and/or electric range figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results. Fuel consumption, CO2 produced and electric range can vary significantly depending on a number of factors, including the accessories fitted (post-registration), driving style, conditions, speed and vehicle load. UK specs may vary.
SUPPORTED BY
It’s important to remember that the parameters within which we’re working are changing constantly, and with each new piece of research or technological development comes new insight and potential.
increasingly complex range of ideas and approaches. A PROBLEM SHARED Reaching out to others for support, information or feedback isn’t always easy, but it’s a skill that top managers have developed, and not only as a means of boosting their professional development. Mentoring and peer-topeer support can provide valuable solidarity and a sense of connectedness between professionals in often very isolating roles. “Being a leader can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be,” says Cale. “The best leaders accept
their role and responsibilities, but also create sustainable and effective working environments for themselves and their staff. Top-class performance environments are highly supportive ones, where all individuals, including leaders, have somebody or somewhere to turn when they need to.” A core skill of the greatest leaders is therefore to accept that help and support, and to build networks of care around themselves and their teams. “Just being able to talk through your week, articulate some of your thoughts and share concerns are part of this caring support network,”
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says Cale. “This can be both formal and informal and the top managers have both types of these mechanisms with people they trust and value. “The best leaders are humble and know themselves and their limitations,” continues Cale, pointing out that self-awareness is closely linked to emotional intelligence. “Asking for help and showing vulnerability is a genuine strength and one that great leaders use to their advantage, knowing that creating extensive support networks and having great communication skills will allow them to compete at the highest level.”
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Words: Alice Hoey Photography: iStock
FRAME WORK. If we can learn to look at things differently, disappointments won’t set us back, they’ll springboard us to bigger, better things.
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FRAME WORK
Jennifer Lace LMA Head of Psychology and Mental Health Jennifer has worked within domestic and international football for over 10 years, at football clubs and a variety of football national governing bodies, and has helped both athletes and coaches. She has British Psychological Society training through a Doctorate in Psychology and is a member of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science as a Charted Scientist.
When things don’t turn out as you hoped, it can hit hard. It might seem like all of your efforts were pointless, and that attempting such a feat again would be futile; you might feel a sense of shame or guilt. These kinds of thoughts are natural and show how deeply you care, but we know from experience how irrational and unhelpful they really are. A defeat or missed opportunity is not the end, it’s a beginning, building our resilience and providing fuel for learning and improvement. SELF-REGULATION While it might appear that we’re at the mercy of our emotions, we can choose how we respond to them, with a little practice. How constructively you are able to deal with disappointment will depend on a number of factors (see overleaf), but perhaps foremost among them is how well you can control and reframe your thoughts and emotions. “We can’t control which of the 60,000-plus thoughts pass through our brains each day, but we can control which of them we give attention to,” says LMA Head of Psychology and Mental Health Jennifer Lace. “We can question how we’re thinking about something and whether
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we could look at it in a different way, and this then influences how we feel about that situation and how we respond and move forward.” Reframing or reappraising thoughts is a skill that needs to be practised like any other, she adds, and when we do so it creates new neural pathways, allowing us to identify, interpret and respond to negative experiences better in the future. Cognitive framing, or the story we tell ourselves about a setback, is an important part of our ability to understand and manage our behaviour and reactions, something known as ‘self-regulation’. As Lace explains, “Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most useful and scientifically proven tools here, helping us to highlight and dissect our thoughts, feelings, bodily responses and behaviour to a specific trigger or situation. Using CBT, we can start to identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts into more helpful or alternative views of the event. This allows us to redefine our behaviours to help us move forward.” EXTERNALISE Immediately after a setback or
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disappointment, our thoughts and emotions can get pretty messy, and the sooner we are able to tidy them up the quicker we can move on. Journalling is a great way to sift through the rubble, spotting the nuggets of learning that you might otherwise have missed and challenging your thinking by asking some key questions. Why am I feeling as I do and can I look at things in a different way? What part did I play in the outcome and what might I have done differently? What would I say to someone else who was feeling this way? Lace recommends keeping a thought diary, where you write down your thoughts exactly as they are in your head, known as ‘raw thoughts’. “Seeing these raw thoughts on paper can help to identify patterns, triggers and distortions in thinking and so enable you to see alternative perspectives,” she says. “Thought diaries can be seen as data capturing and analysis for the brain, where we really start to understand what is going on. “But it’s also important to connect with those around you, to share your thoughts and make yourself vulnerable,” adds Lace, pointing out that the ability
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to do so is a good predictor of how well we cope with stress. Not everyone finds this kind of interaction easy following a setback, preferring instead to withdraw from social contact and even distancing themselves from the activity or environment linked to the event. Working through thoughts and feelings with others, however, helps us to rationalise them and put them into perspective. “After a disappointment, some people may go through a process of internalising their thoughts, where they accept them so they are perceived as real,” explains Lace. “If you withdraw, with all these unhelpful and probably untrue thoughts whirling around your head, you’re likely to internalise them, causing negative feelings to build and last longer. It’s therefore important to externalise your thoughts by writing them down, voice recording them or speaking to somebody.” OWN AND ACCEPT By externalising our thoughts and emotions we are better able to view events rationally, sorting facts from emotions and extracting positive lessons from negative events. Recognising the level of control or influence we
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had over an incident is key here, as it can free us from irrational guilt or shame, which often holds us back from responding in a rational and constructive manner. Where you had no, or minimal, control and influence over an outcome, for example, directing thoughts and emotions towards blame or guilt wastes precious time and energy. Far better is to focus on understanding where there might still be room for improvement. Could you have done more to foresee, or prepare your team for, such an eventuality? Could your communication have been better or more support have been provided to those around you? Might you have dealt with events better on an emotional level and is there support you could have sought to help you through it? In other words, even if the event itself was out of your control, you may be able to ensure that, next time, you’ll be better prepared, mentally and strategically. There are, of course, events where we must accept that, whether through our decisions, actions or leadership, we have some responsibility. “Rather than looking to reframe such events or deflect them away from us, it may be more helpful to move towards accepting difficult thoughts and
FRAME WORK
feelings,” says Lace. “We can then choose to act in ways that are consistent with our values. This is known as Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), and it’s a way of dealing with negative events by detaching ourselves from our thoughts. We simply recognise them and let them pass through the mind rather than fighting them.” It’s also important to recognise that, while disappointments for which we have some responsibility are often the hardest to swallow, they are also the richest seams in terms of personal and professional development lessons. If we can take ownership of a poor outcome and identify where and why we went wrong, we fast-track our learning, minimise our chances of making the same mistakes again, and improve our ability to bounce back stronger than ever.
5 KEYS TO RESILIENCE According to Jennifer Lace, we can look to research by Fletcher and Sarkar (2012) as the ‘Gold Mark’ on resilience and bouncebackability. In this, five factors are presented as being important in protecting people from the negative effects of events:
1
Having a positive personality.
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Being able to motivate yourself by remembering your purpose and why you are pursuing an activity.
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Having confidence that is determined by your beliefs about yourself and your perceived ability to complete a task.
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Keeping focus by being able to outline and track important success markers – even in perceived negative events.
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Perceived social support – i.e. you perceive that you have support in your network, even if you don’t always use these people.
If you would like help to better understand and manage your emotions, especially following difficult events or during tough periods in your career, contact the LMA. We can work with you to create a bespoke performance plan, helping you to be your best, at work and at home. Please contact: Jennifer Lace, Jennifer.lace@ leaguemanagers.com
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Words: Alice Hoey
HOW TO: PROTEINS & CARBS. MIND AND BODY.
Carrots
CARBOHYDRAT E:
10g per 100g PROT EIN:
0.9g per 100g
A balanced diet, rich in healthy carbs, is crucial for optimum performance. Carbohydrates, along with fats, are the body’s main sources of energy, so getting enough is essential to maintain physical stamina. What’s more, without sufficient carbs, the brain struggles to maintain alertness and concentration. Low intake of carbohydrates is associated with brain fog, depression, fatigue and sluggishness.
GOOD CARB, BAD CARB. Carbohydrate quality is important. Aim for plant-based or ‘complex’ carbs such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans, which are packed with nutrition and tend to be digested more slowly. Minimise ‘simple’ carbs, which have been processed and stripped of their nutrients. These starches and sugars are quickly digested so you feel hungry again sooner.
Bell pepper CARBOHYDRAT E:
4.6g per 100g PROT EIN:
0.9g per 100g 108
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ALL-ROUND BENEFITS. Protein is essential in building strong bones, gaining muscle mass, and muscle repair and recovery. It also plays many other roles, however, including supporting the immune system and helping to regulate hormones. High-protein diets have been found to help people manage the symptoms of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Mushrooms CARBOHYDRAT E:
3.3g per 100g PROT EIN:
3.1g per 100g
Beetroot CARBOHYDRAT E:
9.6g per 100g PROT EIN:
1.6g per 100g
SNACK-ATTACK. High-protein, low-carb diets are often promoted as an effective way to lose weight, primarily because protein-rich foods improve your sense of fullness and satisfaction, meaning you end up eating fewer calories in total. Protein also boosts the metabolism, meaning you burn comparatively more calories than fat or carbs.
BONE OF CONTENTION. A long-perpetuated myth is that high-protein diets over a sustained period cause loss of bone mass due to the leaching of calcium. There’s little evidence to support this idea, however. In fact, studies have shown that people who eat more protein tend to maintain bone mass better as they age and have a much lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Sweetcorn CARBOHYDRAT E:
19g per 100g PROT EIN:
3.2g per 100g League Managers Association
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Words: Alice Hoey Photography: iStock
ALISTAIR HALLIDAY
TIME FOR A CHANGE? After more than 30 years in the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Commodore, Alistair Halliday embarked on a new journey on ‘civvy street’. As Chief Executive of the Forces Employment Charity, he shares some lessons from the military on changing careers.
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Around 15,000 people leave the Armed Forces each year. Some, like me, will have spent an extensive period of their adult lives forging their career in the military, others serving for a much shorter timeframe. The range of reasons for leaving is vast, from changes in life or family circumstances through to events outside people’s control, such as medical discharge. Whatever the rank or role reached, or reason for leaving, anyone thinking about or facing a change in career is confronted with a huge array of options. As someone who has been through this life-changing process personally, and now as head of the UK’s leading charity for members of the ex-Forces community seeking employment opportunities, I know first hand how overwhelming it can be. However, it is reassuring to remember that with any big change come big opportunities.
WHAT ARE YOUR DRIVERS? To maximise the opportunities that a career change brings it is important to ask yourself a few questions from the outset that will help to shape your decision making. What is driving your decision? What are you looking for? What aren’t you getting from your current situation? Then, consider your key drivers. What is more important to you, money, status or responsibility? Alternatively, are you seeking a better work-life balance and time to engage in activities and hobbies outside of work? In answering these questions, you may realise you already have the things you’re seeking, but that there is something else driving you, the lack of a supportive manager or solid team perhaps? By exploring these issues, you might decide that a major career change isn’t the right choice after all. A sideways move, or a move
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within your existing field, may better suit your needs. If your key driver is a better work-life balance, it may be worth investigating the possibility of compressed working hours or reducing your working days within your existing role. Alternatively, if you’re seeking a salary hike, promotion or increase in responsibilities, is there a business case you can make to your existing employer to support this? If, having explored your drivers, you decide that a career change is still the right decision, then creating a solid plan is critical. The Forces Employment Charity provides life-long, life-changing support, job opportunities and training to Service leavers, veterans, reservists and their families, regardless of circumstances, rank, length of service or reason for leaving. www. forcesemployment.org.uk
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TIME FOR CHANGE?
5 KEYS FOR CAREER CHANGE SUCCESS 1. Do your research It may sound simple, but approaching people already in your network and asking them about their individual roles is a great way to get a sense of new routes to consider. Once you find something that piques your interest, there are guides available online for multiple industries. Look into the types of roles that interest you in more detail, including typical job specifications, working hours and starting salaries.
2. Consider retraining and upskilling A change in career may require some upskilling, specific qualifications or further training. If cost outlay is a barrier, it’s worth investigating
whether there are any grants, bursaries or other sources of funding available to you. Another option to consider is an apprenticeship, as some industries, such as cybersecurity, offer entry level apprenticeships, with starting salaries of around £40,000.
3. Network, network, network If you are already employed, you’ll find you are naturally networking all the time, through informal connections, new colleagues and contacts. These can all be beneficial when it comes to looking for prospective roles or routes into a new career. Career networking events in your area can also help to open doors. Always be sure to have your CV and LinkedIn profile up to date so you can follow up any potential opportunities in a timely fashion.
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4. Build up your skills alongside your current role It’s easier to find a job when you’re already employed, as there are no gaps in your CV. You also have the chance to secure training and/or development opportunities, which may further your future career. Having an existing role ensures you have a level of financial security to underpin your next move. In many cases, building a ‘side hustle’ can be a great starting point to making a career change in the long term.
5. Give it time A career change requires adjustment, so it’s important to allow yourself a decent and realistic amount of time to settle into new ways of working.
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THE GAME.
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TNT SPORTS
Interview: Sue McKellar
NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. As the newest broadcaster to hold rights to the Premier League and Champions League, TNT is taking a fresh approach to its coverage. Scott Young, Group Senior Vice President, Content, Production and Business Operations WBD Sports Europe, tells us more.
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WE WANT PEOPLE TO THINK, ‘THERE’S SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE.’ The aim with TNT Sports was to take everything that BT Sport achieved over the past 10 years and then re-imagine that into a fresh, new sports brand that people could engage with on linear, streaming and across our web, app and social platforms. That means approaching our editorial direction in a way that
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breaks from tradition, while still respecting the players, teams, athletes and all those involved in the sports that we’re broadcasting. We want to take fans, the sports we’re covering, and even our staff on a journey with us, so they feel comfortable with the changes, while seeing a notable point of difference. Everyone needs to be able to understand and buy into our vision before they can help deliver it.
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BRANDING WAS CRUCIAL. TNT Sports is already a very established and successful brand in America and Latin America. As we launched a new brand in the UK, we hoped that we could align with our other territories. Our goal was to retain the credibility as a major sports broadcaster and be a genuine modern alternative to the other sports offerings. Fundamental to that was looking at our brand
TNT SPORTS
We empower our people to innovate and to conceptualise new ideas and ways of working.
and what it would stand for. We did an enormous amount of work around what our mission statement and brand manifesto would be. Our new sports brand needed to be easily explained without being over-complicated and needed to concentrate on what mattered most – the fan experience. This is what brought us to the slogan of ‘right by the fans’ to help guide us in everything we do internally.
EVERYONE WORKING AT TNT SPORTS IS PASSIONATE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT SPORT. We hope that comes across to our viewers. We have spent a lot of time with our team – and in particular with our pundits and commentators – to ensure they understand and believe in what we’re hoping to achieve with this new brand. We invited our cast to rip up the play book and
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take a more maverick approach to broadcasting, but most of all they need to be fans of sport, for fans of sport. ‘Right by the fans’ means not talking down to them, but instead being one of them, having a conversation with sports fans as part of modern culture, as they would do a friend. To be able to do that while also helping people to understand the sports better is a really magnetic way of connecting with an audience.
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We invited our cast to rip up the play book and take a more maverick approach to broadcasting.
I LOVE LIVE SPORT AND ENGAGING CONTENT. I enjoy working with presenters, producers and crew who are passionate about the content that we make. I also love making content that makes people think. Throughout my career [which has included being head of F1 at Sky Sports] I have searched for different ways to tell stories about the sports, teams and athletes that people love and follow, the heroes they look up to, who have such an important role to play. We are able to produce far more engaging content now as a result of our partnerships and relationships
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with those teams, clubs and athletes. WE NEED TO ASK, ‘HOW CAN WE HELP YOU AS A CLUB?’ Sports broadcasters will often come up with a long list of requests to clubs to enable them to produce their content, but we need to turn that around and ask how we can be a better partner in the football ecosystem. That was my starting point with our team at TNT Sports. We want players, managers and clubs to know that we are not here to interrogate. Sport is
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entertainment and we are here to be a storyteller. The more that clubs can let us in so we can understand their teams, what it takes to win, and what it means to achieve their goals (win or lose), the better we can tell their stories. We’re not a news broadcaster, we are a sports broadcaster, and for me there is a massive difference between the two. Taking a collaborative approach is very important for us. CHANGE TAKES TIME. We empower our people to innovate and to conceptualise new ideas and ways of working,
TNT SPORTS
but there’s no light switch moment here. Everyone understands that we’re on a journey and it’s going to take time. We’ll continue to review together what works and what doesn’t in a very open and collaborative manner. Success for me is that the sport, clubs, managers and players acknowledge our approach to storytelling and find their own way to work with us. We’re in a very privileged position to be a content creator and to have the opportunity to innovate and take the football narrative forward in the UK.
SCOTT YOUNG With more than 30 years’ industry experience, Young has a proven track record of harnessing technology and on-screen innovations to unlock the power of sport. Since joining Discovery in 2020 as SVP Content and Production, he has overseen its sports content in 75 markets globally, including Eurosport’s flagship events. Prior to his current role, he headed up Sky Sports’ Formula 1 coverage, oversaw the transformation of IMG’s Television Production unit in South East Asia, and spent five years as the Head of Television and Content at V8 Supercars in Australia. Going further back, he spent more than a decade at Network Ten as its Head of Sport Production, leading the production of a rights portfolio that included Formula 1, MotoGP, the World Rally Championship, Indy Car, World Superbikes and Red Bull Air Race.
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Words: Alice Hoey Photography: iStock
THE PERFECT MATCH. Being able to match performance metrics to the footballing requirements specified by a club can give clubs a head start and ensure great players don’t slip through the net.
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SKILLCORNER
A common challenge with data analytics in recruitment is matching performance metrics to the footballing requirements specified by a club. At SkillCorner, they aim to support their clients in making these connections, and in understanding which of their physical and Game Intelligence data metrics can be used to identify players that meet specific requirements, across a wide range of global competitions. As an example, a club might be looking to recruit a full back who can make an impact on the game through their physicality, while being active in attacks, providing width through overlap runs, and with excellent ability to recover. How does this footballing need translate into data metrics that allow analysts to quickly identify and benchmark players that might be suitable? In each case, the footballing requirement can be mapped to one or more SkillCorner performance metrics. For example, physicality can be measured by looking at a player’s Peak Sprint Velocity (99th Percentile). The ability to recover can be understood through the number of high-intensity actions made by a player, both in and out of possession. Finally, providing width through overlaps can be evaluated through analysis of specific types of off-ball runs made. The same club might also be looking for a full back who is
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creative and technically gifted, able to play an active role in the build-up and in creating chances in the final third. Again, SkillCorner can map these requirements to different metrics. Playing an active role in the build up can be measured by looking at a player’s tendency to make supportive off-ball runs. Technical ability and chance creation in the final third can be evaluated by analysing a player’s ability to attempt passes to attacking runs, and their ability to complete passes to dangerous runs while under pressure. With these metrics established, analysts, heads of recruitment and sporting directors can quickly use SkillCorner’s data to identify players that fit the desired profile from selected leagues. This allows recruitment teams to quickly build up an initial list of targets for further investigation and analysis, including benchmarking against other players, or against position and league averages. Having access to this kind of data on players from over 75 leagues and competitions around the world, and the ability to match that data to footballing requirements, gives scouting and recruitment teams a real head start when it comes to identifying players that fit their requirements. For more information visit www.skillcorner.com
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RENÉ WORMHOUDT
BETTER MOVERS, BETTER FOOTBALL PLAYERS. René Wormhoudt explains the principles behind the Athletic Skills Model, which aims to improve player performance by developing a broad range of movements.
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LMA TECHNICAL SUPPORTED BY ATHLETIC SKILLS MODEL
DOHA – René Wormhoudt and players during a training session of the Dutch national team at the Qatar University training complex in 2022. // Alamy
“Of course, we must continue to train football because dribbling and ball control are essential skills, but we also need to understand that a good football player is about more than just dribbling and sprinting,” says René Wormhoudt, founder of the Athletic Skills Model (ASM). Wormhoudt spent 25 years at Ajax as Strength and Conditioning Coach, after which he joined KNVB, the governing body of football in the Netherlands. For the last 12 years, he has acted as Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Dutch Men’s football team and, since 2023, also the Women’s football team. When appointed at Ajax, Wormhoudt believed that he could enhance the skills of football players by providing them with a versatile, yet structured, movement programme. Between 2005 and 2014, he therefore allocated 45% of training time to activities beyond traditional football.
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Linking movement versatility and football athleticism was, he says, a new concept. “Performance in elite sports requires not only movement proficiency, but also cognitive skills such as anticipation, pattern recognition and decision making. When you develop these skills in multiple ways, you develop multiple ways to find solutions.” Football players who are versatile and adaptable can learn specific football skills better and faster, he continues. “We often assume that the best approach is to only train football, but actually sports have more in common than they differ. Think about Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring a goal with the outside of his foot, raised to an impressive height,” he says. “We consider this creative, but for Ibrahimovic that’s simply part of his movement repertoire, partly due to his background in taekwondo. He applied what he learned in another sport to score that goal.”
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LMA TECHNICAL SUPPORTED BY ATHLETIC SKILLS MODEL
Today’s youth is significantly less mentally and physically fit. This is impacting their ability to assess risks. EVIDENCE BASED In 2005, when Wormhoudt started this novel approach to elite football training, he met Geert Savelsbergh, a professor in motor learning at the VU University in Amsterdam. Prof Savelsbergh pointed out similar approaches being developed in Canada and Australia, and together they further worked these ideas into a scientifically informed framework for coaches, the Athletic Skills Model. This was based on the principle of providing a broad and diverse range of movements in a structured manner. “When we learn the alphabet, it’s not effective to learn just a few letters, as you can’t read or write well with that alone,” says Wormhoudt. “How then can we think that a few basic forms of movements are sufficient for football or any other sport?” Teaching movement variation and versatility in sports clubs is becoming increasingly important as levels of physical literacy are decreasing, he says. “Today’s youth is significantly less mentally and physically fit. This is impacting their ability to assess risks. If we, as clubs, don’t teach this to footballers ourselves, then we’re training players for the hospital. We have a shared responsibility to
provide comprehensive training to prevent injuries.”
will become better movers. Better movers become better football players,” says Wormhoudt.
COORDINATIVE ABILITY Wormhoudt believes that footballers should be developed by practising a wide range of movements. In fact, the ASM suggests the development of 10 fundamental forms of movement, including kicking, aiming, balancing, twisting, running, rolling, jumping, throwing, catching and landing, which are considered crucial for a player’s development. “Research conducted on children aged 10-to-12 shows that two hours of practice in various sports is as effective in developing coordinative abilities as six hours of practice in one single sport,” says Wormhoudt. He points out also that the distinction between elite and subelite players is not solely based on their specific football skills, but on their overall coordinative ability. According to ASM, one way to develop high levels of coordination is to include seven coordinative elements during football specific, and non-specific, movement skills training. “If you improve a footballer’s ability to maintain better balance in the air, while sliding, rotating, climbing and falling, they
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ASM is not about radically changing your approach, but enhancing it. It’s about incorporating different skills within football training supported by a guiding system. “The next step in the development of football goes beyond being faster, powerful and stronger,” says Wormhoudt. “It is crucial to increase overall coordination to become more adaptable and creative.” ASM aims to provide coaches with a framework to develop versatile specialists, but the model also includes developing more versatile sports facilities. More than 50 facilities designed by ASM offer a space where the 10 fundamental movements can be performed. Examples can be found at training facilities such as PSV, Ajax and Almere City, as well as at the rehabilitation centre at the KNVB campus. “We are currently working with Heracles, and will soon be working with a club in the English Premier League,” says Wormhoudt.
For more information about ASM courses and training facilities in the UK: martinanavarro@ athleticskillsmodel.nl
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The FA has launched a campaign to raise awareness of discriminatory behaviour in grassroots football and the consequences facing perpetrators of hate.
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THE FA
Grassroots football is the foundation of our game and we want it to be as enjoyable and inclusive as possible.
Aimed at grassroots players, coaches, parents and supporters, the Enough is Enough campaign makes clear what behaviours it deems discriminatory, and reaffirms the fact that such behaviour will not be tolerated in English football. The campaign also focuses on the importance of reporting incidents of discrimination and highlights the various ways to do this via match officials, The FA, Kick It Out and local County FAs. Anyone in the game who sees or hears an incident of discrimination is urged to report it through the official channels so that appropriate action can be taken. The campaign also outlines the support available to victims, which includes access to a range of specialist mental health and wellbeing services, funded by The FA and delivered by charity
Sporting Chance. Enough is Enough also focuses on the importance of reporting incidents of discrimination. This builds on ongoing work to address unacceptable, discriminatory and illegal behaviour across the game, under the football-wide ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ initiative. This aims to ensure that the actions of the minority do not spoil the game for all. At the start of the 2023/24 season, The FA introduced points deductions for teams across the grassroots game whose players or coaches commit repeated offences of serious misconduct, including discriminatory behaviour. This landmark change in sanctioning followed consistent feedback from across grassroots football that player behaviour is a significant issue.
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FA Director of Football Development James Kendall said, “Grassroots football is the foundation of our game and we want it to be as enjoyable and inclusive as possible, played in an environment where everybody feels safe and comfortable to be themselves. “We’ve acted previously on feedback to strengthen our sanctioning framework across grassroots football, to ensure those who are found guilty of discriminatory behaviour face the toughest possible action. We’re also using Enough is Enough to highlight the significance of reporting incidents, which cannot be underestimated. It’s critical that every incident of this nature that is seen or heard is reported to match officials, local County FAs, The FA or Kick It Out. Only by working together can we truly stamp this behaviour out of our game.”
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UNACCEPTABLE. Working together to put an end to abuse that causes significant distress to the families of football tragedy victims.
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PREMIER LEAGUE
Anyone found to have committed an offence faces stadium bans and potential criminal prosecution.
The Premier League, clubs, The FA and EFL, continue to treat offensive tragedyrelated chanting, gesturing and displaying of abusive messages as unacceptable and are committed to working together to address it as a priority. Tough new measures were introduced at the start of the 2023/24 season, which mean anyone found to have committed an offence faces stadium bans and potential criminal prosecution. This applies to abuse occurring inside the stadium or online. Action has already been taken this season, with incidents investigated and bans issued.
Liverpool v Benfica – Anfield, Liverpool 2022. Liverpool fans hold up signs in reference to the 97 victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Reuters // Action Images
As part of the package of measures announced at the start of the season, the Premier League has launched education resources to help children understand the hurt and impact of negative behaviour such as tragedy-related abuse. This
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in-classroom lesson is now available to more than 18,900 primary schools and 66,000 teachers in England and Wales as part of the Premier League Primary Stars programme. The resource is supported by Liverpool fan Margaret Aspinall, former Chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, whose son James died tragically at Hillsborough. Aspinall participated in a video to explain the hurt caused by tragedy abuse, and urged people to report any incidents. “Football brings so much joy to so many people all over the world, but there is no need for people to be chanting in the way they do,” she says. “The pain it causes is unbearable; we do not deserve to hear these chants, they hurt just as much as losing your child. I urge anyone who hears offensive chanting to report it to a steward, because by going through the proper avenues we can change things.”
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ONE OF A KIND. Official award and trophy supplier to the LMA Mappin & Webb explains the process behind its bespoke creations.
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As a business, Mappin and Webb prides itself on the unique, bespoke service it offers to clients. This allows clients who desire a more personalised and custom experience to create their own one-of-a-kind jewellery, tailored to their individual tastes and preferences.
Throughout the creation process, the client has the opportunity to provide feedback and make any necessary adjustments to ensure the final piece meets their expectations. Mappin and Webb’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail ensures that every bespoke creation is of the highest quality.
The process begins with a consultation with one of Mappin and Webb’s expert craftsmen or designers, during which the client can discuss their vision and requirements. The craftsmen provide guidance and expertise, helping the client to refine their ideas and offering suggestions to ensure the final piece is both aesthetically
Once the design is finalised, Mappin and Webb’s artisans begin the meticulous process of bringing the jewellery to life in their London workshop, using the finest materials and techniques. The client can choose from a wide range of precious metals, gemstones and other materials to create a unique piece that reflects their personal style and preferences.
Upon completion, the client receives their bespoke piece, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. This exclusive service provides them with a unique and personalised piece of jewellery as well as a memorable and personalised experience from start to finish.
AS PART OF MAPPIN AND WEBB’S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LMA, IT IS PLEASED TO OFFER ALL MEMBERS 10% OFF SWISS BRAND WATCHES* AND 15% OFF ITS JEWELLERY COLLECTIONS. For all enquiries, please contact Karl Bailey, Corporate Sales Manager, karl.bailey@mappinandwebb.com, +44 (0)7795 398 735 *(exclusions apply)
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Rebecca Welch leads the teams out at Craven Cottage for the match between Fulham and Burnley, becoming the first female referee to take charge of a Premier League fixture. Saturday 23rd December, 2023. Reuters // Action Images