Mentoring in Football

There are so many lessons to learn in football. Several on the pitch, even more off of it. Any elite athlete will tell you that there is so much more to being successful than just being talented. Talent is a great start, but it is about how you nurture the talent that matters most.

I am now 21 and have learnt so much about football, through both good and bad experiences. But 21 is no longer young in football; I look back on my career so far and wish I knew the lessons I know now, only five years ago. Knowing how to communicate with managers when I am frustrated, or knowing how to manage my emotions when on the football pitch, or having a clear idea of what I can do off the pitch to become stronger and fitter.

Academy players are given all the tools to succeed from a young age. Resources on and off the pitch, regular sessions on nutrition, psychology and more. They've also got older role models who can guide them through the highs and lows. Unfortunately for grassroots players, the truth is that most are only helped on the pitch. The gap between the two in terms of resources is so large, which allows academy players to excel more.

Take an example. I had a conversation with a friend who had played academy football his whole youth career. I was going through a rough patch in my form and asked him what he does if he's made a mistake on the pitch, as I was used to spiralling after a bad five minutes. He told me that his sports psychologist at the club taught him to try 'reset techniques' which worked for him. Little reset buttons like re-tying shoe laces or pulling his socks up. This was one of the many important lessons I had never heard of because I had never been helped off the pitch. He told me how much these sessions helped him become an all-rounded footballer and person. Whilst he learnt these lessons from an early age, I had to learn at a much later stage through adverse experiences.

This is why we are mentoring younger footballers. We want to give everyone in the upcoming generation the opportunity to understand what it takes to be an all-rounded footballer as well as an all-rounded person. We are giving tools to everyone, not just academy players. And we want those who have been through it to help those who are just about to go through it all, to give them the best journey possible.