PSN
ON THE FRONT FOOT May 2018
Issue One
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Gareth Thomas
Kevin Campbell
Coming out and making a difference
Comparing Player Care then and now
State of The Nation
A Duty of Care
Best practice in Player Care
Academies under the spotlight
Coming Back Stronger Joe’s Thompson’s inspirational tale of two battles
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INTERNATIONAL PLAYER CARE CONFERENCE
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NOVEMBER 12, 2018 CORINTHIA HOTEL, LONDON
OLD COURSE HOTEL ST ANDREWS GOLF TOUR 7-9TH OCTOBER, 2018
Sunday 8th Arrival Informal Dinner Monday 9th Golf on the Duke’s Private Dinner in the Road Hole restaurant Tuesday 10th Golf on New Course Prize giving lunch in Jigger Inn Depart
Note: This event is strictly on invitation-only and complimentary to club Directors, Player Liaison Officers & Player Agents
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Issue One Contents 4
State of the Nation: exploring good practice in Player Care
6 7 8 11
Results of our annual Player Care survey The PSN Behind the Scenes Awards 2018 Joe Thompson: Coming Back Stronger The Champions League, Europe’s Biggest Transportation Event
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In His Own Words: Gareth Thomas, Welsh International Rugby Player
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Now and Then with Kevin Campbell, former Arsenal and Everton footballer
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Travel Tales – did Swansea pay for cancelling Southampton’s hotel? Duty of Care in the Academy Briefs: Why it pays to sign a pre-nup
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Welcome to the new look On The Front Foot, the magazine for Player Care. I hope you like the new design but, more importantly, I hope you get something from the content. Most of what you will read in these pages was presented to delegates at our recent Player Care conference in Manchester and I’d like to think it will encourage you to register for our next event in October. On The Front Foot is part of the Premier Sports Network’s contribution to supporting those who are responsible for Player Care at clubs, academies, agencies and governing bodies. It sits alongside our conferences which take place twice per year, our Behind the Scenes Awards, our golf networking events and our annual industry survey. We have been working in the industry for the past four years and seen it change quite rapidly in that time. Our survey of player liaison officers, player care managers, agents and governing bodies was conducted for the first time in April this year. It is our way of discovering the challenges faced by clubs and finding out the structures that are in place to address them. You can read the full results of the survey on p6 and I encourage you to take part when we run it again next year. Finally, I want to thank our sponsors and commercial partners without whose support this publication and our events would not be possible. Happy Reading Spencer Hidge Director Premier Sports Network t. 0208 4191100
Publisher Spencer Hidge Editor Phil Savage Design ShandMedia To send feedback or articles for publication contact Phil Savage at editor@premiersports.agency To enquire about advertising contact David Watts at davidw@premiersports.agency On The Front Foot is published by the Premier Sports Network copyright ©2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without permission.
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EVOLUTION OF PLAYER CARE
State Of The Nation
Four experienced voices from football discuss best practice in Player Care and the future challenges the sport faces “The biggest issue is not care for those who cut it but care for those who don’t.”
So says Graham Daniels, Sporting Director of Cambridge United FC. “As performance pathways have got younger, more children have aspirations, more parents have expectations,” he says pointing out that many players are left devasted when they are let go. Player’s Agent Danny Philpott agrees. “When players are released it’s an unsettling time and player care is a high priority. Philpott’s company, Base Soccer works hard to manage expectations of young players. “Players need to put in a lot of hard work to get a pro contract so we push patience and dedication from players and parents.” Players joining and leaving is part of running a football club, but how they do it is the key according to Karen Ray, General Manager at West Ham United Ladies. “Player care is pivotal in everything, whether it’s bringing in new players or letting others go, we prioritise support from the club. It’s important for me that every player that leaves West Ham leaves with a good taste in their mouth.” The success of international transfers is often down to working with the personality of the player. Tom Sutton has brought numerous players to the UK in his role as First Team Scout with Stoke City FC. He says that the biggest challenge is players’ struggling to adapt to a different culture and the relationship with a scout
can make the difference. “Scouts have built up trust needed to bring them in and they can also help them settle. Someone who knows the personality of player is key especially for foreign players. That helps make sure they’re well supported with the right kind of care.” Coaching the coaches The relationship between players and their coach can be a powerful force in promoting good player care. “The tone is set at the top of a club but the head coach has to own it,” says Daniels. “We have to coach people not players and it is important that coaches realise the influence they have not just on the field but in players’ lives off it.” Philpott’s Base Soccer works with coaches who have to believe in the players they are working with. “Responsibility is a grey area but it’s down to trust and relationships built up over time,” he says. “It’s always a leap of faith but ultimately agents and coaches want the same thing for a player; for him to be successful and both sides play a part in that.”
Fit for the future? There are a range of views about the future for Player Care. For Tom Sutton it is about creating a structure where “everything is there to settle players and there is someone to go to if things are not working out.” Karen Ray sees resourcing player care as vital. “Having someone who genuinely cares about those individuals and maintains the relationship whatever the outcome of their playing career.” At Cambridge, Graham Daniels is working towards a time when people all around the club play a part. “There’s a role that anyone can play. From staff to volunteers, it’s important to foster long term relationships and prepare for life after retirement.” Finally, Danny Philpott recognises there is work to be done around trust between agents and clubs. “If we can be part of the dialogue that a club has with a player and there is a relationship of trust then we can achieve a lot more.”
”It’s vital to have someone who genuinely cares about individuals and maintains the relationship whatever”
Graham Daniels, Tom Sutton, Karen Ray and Danny Philpott were talking to John-Paul Davies at Player Care Manchester
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ANNUAL SURVEY
Wider Role, More Admin
SURVEY RESPONDERS 54% Youth Academy 23% First Team 10% Agent Senior management, lawyer and governing body
Exclusive survey of Player Care managers finds their responsibilities are wider than ever meaning less time spent with players Premier Sports Network’s first ever survey of Player Care managers has found that the scope of the role at UK team sports clubs is broader than ever.
The survey, which attracted responses from Premier League and other Football clubs, Premiership Rugby clubs, County Cricket clubs and National Governing Bodies, also highlighted that the additional responsibilities and the admin that goes with them can come at the expense of time spent with players. With responsibilities ranging from providing concierge-style services, relocation and family liaison, financial and professional advice, recruitment and contracts, and emergency support, the Player Care role is now stretched over practically every aspect of a players’ life in both First Team and Academy. At least a third of those responding to the survey reported that their workload was now such that it impinged on their time spent working directly with players. Among the other challenges mentioned were gaining the support and understanding of coaches and enough resource at their clubs to do the job effectively. Player mental health headed the priority list among those working with the First Team, whilst duty of care was top of the agenda for Academy staff. Academy Player Care personnel also highlighted the challenges of supporting very young players living away from home. The first Player Care survey was conducted online in April 2018. 54% of responders worked in Academies with 23% in first team and 10% players’ agents. There was a wide spread of backgrounds and levels of education with teaching the most common source of experience. Premier Sports Network will conduct the survey again next year when it is hoped it will highlight changes over time as well as provide a snapshot of the sector.
Player Care Background, Education and Training 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Player Care Qualifications
Other
Safeguarding
Degree level education
Finance
Teaching qualifications
Health and Safety
Scope of Player Care Role 100
Functions: % of Player Liaison Responders
80 60 40 20 0
Emergency Family Support Liaison
Induction Recruitment Recommending Relocation Concierge Whereabouts Travel & appearances Adviors
Contracts First Team & Academy
Areas of interest 100
Specific areas surveyed
80 60 40 20 0
Academy Duty of Care
Player mental Gaining Gambling health support from club
Integrating Overseas Players
Addictions
Financial advice
Social media
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The 2nd edition of the Behind the Scenes Awards celebrated the unsung heroes of Player Care Outstanding services to Player Support
Outstanding services to Education
CEO, The Rugby Players’ Association
Head of Education, Kick It Out
Damian Hopley Damian was recognised by judges for his twenty years of service at the Rugby Players Association having founded the organisation in 1998. He has worked tirelessly to champion the cause of Player Care, development and support in rugby.
Troy Townsend Troy has been at the very heart of educating the world of football on equality and diversity. His work has supported aspiring individuals with mentoring conferences he has inspired many in the game to tackle racism and inequality.
Outstanding services to Youth Development
Above and Beyond Award
Head of Youth Development, Chelsea FC
First Team Player Liaison Officer, Fulham FC
Neil Bath
Neil has dedicated 25 years of his career to the Youth Academy at Chelsea and has overseen the most successful period of the team’s history. Judges praised his vision and personal care for the lads in his charge.
Mark Maunders Mark was singled out as an individual who has genuinely gone above and beyond in his 20 years stint as Fulham’s Player Engagement Manager. He is held in great esteem at the club for his reliability, trustworthiness and dedication.
CLICK HERE to nominate someone for next year’s awards
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IN HIS OWN WORDS JOE THOMPSON
Coming Back Stronger Life has not been easy for Rochdale FC midfielder and cancer surviver, Joe Thompson. Here he reflects on the ups and downs of his career and how his club helped him through the tough times. I was 16 when I was rejected from the Academy at Manchester Utd. It was tough to take at the time; I’d been there since I was nine and to get released when I was just about to do GCSEs was hard.
It was like the teachers were right all along saying that I wasn’t going to make it. I was born in Rochdale so I was really pleased when they offered me an apprentice contract and then my first pro contract in 2007. Roll forward a couple of years, I was 21 with
a daughter on the way and I’d moved on from Rochdale to play for Tranmere. I started to feel unwell, I was constantly tired, but I put that down to life at home. Then I went for some tests and found out I had a rare form of cancer. The treatment was a bit of a blur but when the doctors can’t tell you if you’re going to get through it or not, it’s pretty scary. I ended up having six months of chemotherapy but I felt that as an athlete in training I was in the best possible position to take the treatment. I looked at it as a boxing match: we’ll go 12 rounds and then let’s see who’s left standing. It took time to get my confidence back afterwards and I played a bit⬊
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“I looked at it as a boxing match: we’ll go 12 rounds and then let’s see who’s left standing.”
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IN HIS OWN WORDS JOE THOMPSON
in my shell but I felt I had to pace myself. I didn’t know how long my reserves of energy would hold up. I spent a year or so in the wilderness but when I got back to Rochdale I was back to playing well again. So when I found out I had cancer a second time I just felt angry. I thought I’d done everything I could to stay healthy. This time I was put into isolation and I had intensive 24-hour chemo for 6 days which was hell. My immune system was totally shot so I couldn’t see my daughter or anyone from outside. The treatment completely knocked me out even after it had finished. I was violently sick and I couldn’t take anything on board to stop me losing weight so the doctors were very worried about me. I also had so much time on my hands to think and playout different scenarios in my mind. At one point I was delirious and I couldn’t make out whether it was day or night. They found me in the corner shaking like a wreck. Football helped me massively to get through and the support I received over social media but the main focus was my family. I felt I had so much still to achieve so that gave me strength too. The manager was constantly on the phone to me and encouraging me to be positive. Without realising it, the resilience, discipline and sacrifice you learn as a player and the camaraderie you experience with the team give you lots of elements to draw on in tough times. I’ve never wanted sympathy or to be seen as a victim but the experience has changed me. I understand now that time is priceless and I’ve learned not to moan and to really make the most of every opportunity I’ve been given. Since I recovered this time I’ve had the chance to speak at events and work with people who are having problems of their own and I’ve seen that people can draw something from my experience. I do feel very lucky and positive. Everyone has problems in their lives and if I can give hope to the people that I come across than that’s a good thing.
“Everyone has problems in their lives and if I can give hope to the people that I come across than that’s a good thing.”
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ADVERTORIAL: AIR CHARTER SERVICE
Curing A ChampionSized Headache ALEX SADAT-SHAFAI The week between the Champions League draw and the first game taking place is always a mad scramble as teams struggle to get transport to their respective opponents’ grounds. There are only so many planes available and it’s already a very busy time for the charter airlines. But by being proactive Air Charter Services has gained a reputation for securing the best solutions that meet team needs and budgets. From the moment we know who has qualified for Champions League and Europa League we work with teams to anticipate their requirements. Then, when the draw happens we can be first to put in requests with the charter airline companies.
Some teams will take a larger plane and recoups costs by selling tickets, others have particular catering needs and they will also need to decide whether to return immediately after the game or stay over. By working with the teams in advance we have a good idea of what they need and can be ready quickly with requests. We know the flying times and local conditions at airports around Europe so can make sure the teams arrive on time and in comfort ready to perform. That week will always be a scramble but the work we’ve done frees the teams up to concentrate on the football. Alex Sadat-Shafai is Global Football Sales Director at Air Charter Service lonprivate@aircharterservice.com
A Global leader in Aircraft Charters for the Sports Industry
PRIVATE JETS FOR PLAYERS / EXECUTIVE AIRLINERS FOR TEAMS
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IN HIS OWN WORDS GARETH THOMAS
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An Honest Man CLICK HERE to see Gareth speak at the most recent Player Care event
As young player I was living the dream and living the dream of all those around me too. Rugby became the best and worst thing that ever happened in my life; it was what gave me my identity but my identity as a gay man was also everything that people thought a rugby player couldn’t be. The values of my sport are all about honesty but for me there was this massive area of dishonesty. I felt I was living the life of two completely different people and the more successful my career became the more I had to conform to what the sport expected and cover up that other part of me. Getting married was part of that cover
As a top-class rugby player for club and country Gareth Thomas was a sporting icon in Wales and around the world. But he was hiding a secret that nearly cost him his life.
up too. I put rugby ahead of my own life so I felt I had to conform and get married. I knew one day it would come out that I was gay but that drove me on to overachieve as a player. I pushed as hard as I could so that I would be able to stand up and say I’d been the best I could be. On the pitch I was at the top of my game but inside I was a mess. I tried to take my own life and after several failed suicide attempts I had to make a choice: do I choose to live or to die? I chose to live which meant I had to be honest with everyone. I had no idea whether my rugby career would carry on but I knew I could look people in the eye and say ‘you’ve taught me to be honest and that’s what I’m doing.’ After I came out was the best two years of my life as a player. The reaction from teammates was
the biggest non-event ever. It was all over in the time it takes to drink a pint and after that everyone just got on with it. I think the team really respected my honesty but it wasn’t just them, it was also the teams we came up against. When I switched to rugby league I suffered a bit of abuse from fans. I didn’t report it at the time but the fans did and the sport’s governing body clamped down on it. That was a proud moment for me. After I came out I had the support of so many people but the vocal minority is what makes the headlines and gives sport a bad name. I care passionately about that and wanted to do something about it. That led to the documentary about homophobia in football called Hate in the Beautiful Game. After that I approached the MP Damien Collins MP to get homophobia written into the football offences act which is still something we’re working on. I didn’t come out to be a trail blazer but by going first you make it easier for those who come after you. I want to make sport better and I don’t care if you remember me for my rugby. I want to be remembered as someone who made a positive change and created a better environment within sport.
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OPINION KEVIN CAMPBELL
Now And Then Kevin Campbell looks back on Player Care when he was a footballer and how things have changed for his son Tyrese. When I was playing at Arsenal the kit man Vic Akers was the closest we got to Player Care. He had a punishment regime he called ‘doing the duties’. After him it was Pat Rice the ex captain who kept up the tradition but to be honest coming up through the ranks has always been hard. There were only two of us that made it in my year.
I think some young players today get trapped at clubs where the badge counts for more than the individual players. Nothing beats playing men’s football: you can have the badge but nothing matches up to that. So when Tyrese said to me ‘Dad I back myself and I’ve got to get out of here if I’m going to make it.’ I supported him. Player Care is definitely better now but when Tyrese left City and joined Stoke we found that leaving one academy and joining another is harder than you think. In a way this is an area where player care contradicts itself. Life was made quite difficult at the club when he said he was leaving. There were lawyers involved, us as his parents and agents so moving clubs is a bit of a process. That process meant he couldn’t play with his new club through all of pre-season. That’s a vital part of preparing for the season so is that Player Care to stop a young lad playing? In my view not enough players come through academy football and make the first team and we need to find ways of keeping them in the game. For me, it all starts too young so if a kid signs with a football club he’s not able to play with his friends and that’s got to be wrong. The result is too many drop out of the game completely and are not playing at all so if we’re talking about Player Care that’s where we need to start.
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TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION
Defence Against The Dark Arts When Southampton boss Mark Hughes found the hotel cancelled for their must-win game at Swansea he turned it into a positive for the team It was billed as the fight for Premier League survival but when Southampton arrived in Swansea they found the team hotel mysteriously over booked.
Later, when the team coach was refused entry to the Liberty Stadium manager Mark Hughes suspected the “dark arts” were at work. If so, it proved to be in vain as the Welshman turned the situation to his team’s advantage as an extra motivator and a secondhalf goal saw them haul themselves to safety. The whole episode showed the influence that good travel and accommodation planning can have on a team’s performance as not everyone will
be able to bounce back so easily from a disrupted journey or sleep. Well over half of the Player Care managers in this year’s survey (see p6) had responsibility for travel arrangements and the variables multiply rapidly when that travel is overseas. Working with a travel management company can be the answer especially when the challenge is to get the national team to a World Cup in Russia. Air Charter Service has been visiting the country for the past two years setting up relationships that they can rely on come this summer’s festival of football. They describe the country as culturally very different. “Operators work in a very different way and you have to understand Russian culture to be able to get client needs met in that environment,” says Alex
Sadat their head of football. “ “When you fly a football team around it’s almost expected that you can avoid the normal rules but that doesn’t work in some cultures and administrations. Part of our job is to set realistic expectations and then make sure we achieve them.” Simplexity agrees that cultural differences can be a headache. “Some of the biggest challenges are with hotels. They may not be used special requests, special diets and things like keeping minibars empty (or well stocked),” says Mark Smith, their head of business development. “Challenges are not things we want to share with our clients. We want to be like the proverbial swan. As smooth as possible whatever’s going on under the surface.”
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ACADEMY FOOTBALL
“We all use the term ‘Player Care’ but we have tried to dig into that and ask ‘what is it and what does it mean?”
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A Duty Of Care With Youth Academies in the spotlight sometimes for all the wrong reasons we contrast two clubs’ approaches to the challenge of providing effective support to aspiring young players The No Hunger in Paradise documentary presented a picture of Youth Academies as potentially damaging to the physical, educational and emotional development of young players. Realising the risks of working with young and vulnerable boys, Chelsea FC has invested a great deal in its Academy, says Jack Francis it Head of Player Care. “There is no such thing as an easy job at an Academy but at Chelsea we have got a good leader and worked hard to develop a good culture. It’s a family environment and there’s not a high turnover of players. That allows us to develop trust with everyone and that is so important. That relationship with the players is what gives them the freedom to express themselves. “We all use the term ‘Player Care’ but we have tried to dig into that and ask ‘what is it
and what does it mean?’ For us it’s about the individual and it’s everyone’s responsibility. Everyone involved with the club can get to know the player and if they communicate that they help the player develop. Every Academy player is on their own individual pathway. We have some who have a training year with the first team, we have a loan pathway, we have a best with the best scheme where they train together with a first team player and each approach works differently with different players. “The average age of premier league debut⬊
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ACADEMY FOOTBALL
is 22.5 so we have tried to look at what happens in that middle bit and what the route to first team football is. We have a massive personal development programme where we talk about dual aspirations and dual careers. We support young players with an aftercare programme which kicks in at any point. It’s not just into employment but also education too.” Chelsea’s approach is in complete contrast with life at Championship Club Brentford FC which has had to cut its cloth to suit its budget. Mark Devlin, the club’s CEO says that they took the decision to close their Academy having built it up. “We took a decision several years ago to go for Category 2 status so we staffed up and modified the training ground to a point where costs were running at £1.5-£2 million per year. The trouble was that no players were coming through: the manager and coaches wouldn’t trust younger players to step up. “We are in a competitive industry
and our mantra is to out-think not outspend our competition so looked at what we could do differently to achieve the results we needed. In the end we decided to close the Academy and we’ve moved to a B-team structure where we specialise in 17-21 year olds often picking up players released from other clubs. They train on the same pitches and under the same structure as the first team and the first team coach does a session with them each week. “The decision to close the Academy was a painful experience for the players and their parents. We were dealing with people’s kids and they were upset with us at the time but we worked with every child individually to try and find them a place in another Academy. We knew we were making the right decision for us and we have had a number of other clubs follow our lead. My advice is to be brave but understand what success looks like and put the strategy in place to achieve it.”
“Closing the Academy was painful for the players and their parents. We were dealing with people’s kids and they were upset with us”
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ADVERTORIAL: WITHERS
To England with Prenup BY BRETT FRANKLE It may be unromantic to say so but legally speaking England and Wales is among the most expensive places in the world to get divorced. The Courts are far more generous to financially weaker spouses than in Continental European countries and further afield. A simple prenup or postnup (if a player is already married) has been shown by case law to be enforceable and can save a great deal of money and heartache for a player if his relationship breaks down. We have worked with several players who experienced deep troughs in their performance as a result of messy divorces all of which could have been avoided. From as little as ÂŁ2,500 plus VAT a simple agreement can be put in place which makes good provision for both partners in the event that one or other files for divorce. It is particularly important for players relocating from overseas as even if they return home or move somewhere else, their spouse may still be able to use the courts here for their settlement. So, it may not be the first thing you mention to your next foreign import but it should be on the checklist of things they think about when settling in England or Wales. Brett Frankle is a Partner in the Withers LLP Family Team He can be contacted on 020 7597 6222
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