The blogs I release in January focus on transitioning into an Academy Scholarship (the Professional Development Phase). The next few months will see a large number of players transitioning into that environment, so it seems pertinent to spend some time considering the changes the players will face and how to support them. This week, I'm going to draw on the research I've undertaken to explore how the leisure lives of players will change.
Not going out?
Love it or loathe it, the process of growing up and developing socially involves discovering our own spaces. It is something that has occurred in countless generations of young people and is a vital part of the process required to develop our own identity. As young people migrate from places that are largely controlled by adults to spaces they 'own', they forge their social standards and learn to understand what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't in the context of their generation. They make mistakes, misinterpret things, push boundaries too far and then, having reflected, recalibrate their judgements based on that experience. Important stuff, indeed. But for young males who commit to professional football clubs, the process is different. As the following group of players noted:
