This blog is inspired by a question posed by a Player Care Manager at a professional football club on LinkedIn. I was moved to respond to the question because of my experiences in this area and the data that supported my view. The data show just how difficult the job of a Player Care Manager can be but also why it is so important for family and friends of players to make time for listening, counselling and supporting players in their well-being
The Question
Let's start with the question. The Player Care Manager asked:
What questions do you ask your athletes for open and honest feedback on the support you provide them?
Like many in that job, they spend time gathering views of players and families to try and refine the support they offer. Evaluation is an important tool for any strategy; this role is no different. However, there is something unique about gathering these views in a professional sporting setting. The players have come to understand that they are low on power. If they say something that is controversial, unpopular, negative or may disrupt things, they know some more powerful people are in a place to make the pursuit of a professional contract very difficult. Let me show you two among many examples of what I mean. Here is a group of players who were at a League Two academy talking about this:
