Academy Transition Programme Information Pack

“FOOTBALL IS A GAME OF MISTAKES.
Whoever Makes the fewest mistakes
wins”.

NAVAGATING
WHAT LIES
AHEAD...
Academy players are tasked with adjusting not only to the speed and
physicality of the professional game but also to life off the pitch.
Newcomers to the Premier League will face challenges in their personal lives
that range from managing finances, media communication and personal
conduct in the public eye. With some academy players entering the league at
19, handling the spotlight and newfound fortune can be a lot to tackle.
That’s where the Premier Sports Academy Transition Programme steps in.
The programme is a league-wide initiative for academy players entering the
Premier League that helps provide young players with information and
resources that enable them to proactively make quality decisions and
successfully adapt to the lifestyle and challenges of the Premier League.

THE
united
states
As part of Premier Sports due diligence in building the course
we have spent time in the USA observing and considering
how the major professional sports associations and clubs
provide apprentice and player care and how they build their
transition programmes, this has included discussions with
the NFL, NBA, MLS and some major teams on how they
manage the evolution from apprentice to professional.

HOW IT
WORKS
The programme is an off-season one-day event which will feature
interactive workshops and counsel sessions on challenges they will face in
the Premier League, plus guest appearances from current and former
Premier League players.
There is special focus on character, ethics, the importance of positive
images as well as personal and social responsibility.
The sessions will run from 09.00-18.00 and will be conducted by the
Premier Sports Network, the Premier League, PFA, current and former
players and industry experts in each of the fields covered.

THE GOAL
Ensure all Premier League academy players understand the
challenges and pressures they are about to encounter and
how to deal with them. That they’re fully aware of all the
support mechanisms and programmes in place available to
them whenever they need.
All individuals completing the course will receive an Academy
Transition Programme personal development certificate
accredited by the Premier League and the PFA.

MENTAL
HEALTH
& WELLBEING
Every year, one-in-four people experiences a mental health problem.
Don’t think that the glamour and riches experienced by those who play
professional sport means they’re any different: on the contrary, more
and more high-profile athletes are speaking out about their own battles
with mental health, the stigma attached to admitting their struggles and
the resulting lack of support they have received.
We explore how athlete support staff and organisations currently
respond to, manage and prevent mental illness, and to identify
successful programmes and approaches that can be shared between
sports.
Partners:

OF PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALLERS
FILE BANKRUPTCY WITHIN FIVE
YEARS OF RETIREMENT.

FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT
Professional sportspeople are more financially savvy than they’ve ever
been. Today, top athletes - even in their teens - are putting money aside
into a nest egg, or into investments they feel passionate about that they
can then fall back on a decade later when injuries or age ends the career
they are primarily known for. So too are they thinking harder about how
they can financially protect themselves and their families, both during
and after their career.
We discuss how players view their financial matters, and what support
needs to be offered to professional sportspeople during their career –
financial, educational and vocational – so that they’re protected during
their sporting career and beyond.
Partners:

Alcohol &
Gambling
abuse
Vices common to adult men of all ages – alcoholism, drug addiction and
gambling – are also common in football circles, with players attracted to
the less virtuous ways of spending their leisure time outside of
matchdays and training. It’s why charities such as Sporting Chance,
founded by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams following
his own well-documented battles, work hard to educate and rehabilitate
footballers across the UK.
The Academy Transition Programme will explore, in depth, the dangers
presented to footballers in this area, what the consequences are for both
player and club, how support staff can guide players away from
temptation and what the best procedures are to help footballers in
recovery or identified as in danger of addiction.
Partners:

Personal
conduct
Fame, adulation and large amounts of money can be a dangerous combination
when young, impressionable footballers are forming personal relationships. Given
they are hero-worshiped, in the public eye and contactable like never before
through social media, the number of temptations, many of which are inappropriate,
are numerous. Sexual scandal also continues to sell papers, so just one step out of
line could see a player on the front page of a newspaper rather than the back page.
The sensitive topic of personal conduct – which has received greater attention
following the high-profile jailing of Adam Johnson earlier this year - will be covered
in the Academy Transition Programme by giving those working in player care an
understanding of how players can avoid getting into improper personal
relationships, and what the implications can be for both player and club should
footballers behave illegally and inappropriately.
Partners:

Safety &
security
Protecting footballers from the everyday dangers of life is at the very
heart of player care – and the high-profile nature of the sport means that
those dangers are bigger and more numerous than those faced by the
average person on the street. A fully protected home, security when
travelling abroad, safety on the road...often the most basic problemsolving
by support staff can have the biggest positive impact on a
footballer’s mental and physical health.
This area will be covered in the Academy Transition Programme by
security experts who’ll identify the various ways footballers can come into
potential danger, what processes and procedures need to be put in place
to overcome them, and which external companies offer the best specialist
safety services.
Partners:

Schedule
of the day
AM
09.00 PREMIER LEAGUE/PFA COMMUNICATIONS
09.20 VIEW FROM A FORMER PROFESSIONAL
09.45 PROFESSIONAL LIFE SKILLS:
• FINANCE
• RETIREMENT
• INSURANCE
• TAX
• PROFESSIONALISM
10.45 BREAK
11.15 LEGAL EDUCATION:
• FELONY SITUATIONS
• GAMBLING
• SEXUAL HARRASMENT
• SECURITY
13.00 LUNCH
PM
14.00 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION:
• IMAGE & ETHICS
• RELOCATION & CULTURAL ADAPTION
• DRIVING SAFETY
• TRAVELLING ABROAD
• DRUGS & ALCOHOL
• FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
• RACISM & HOMOPHOBIA
15.30 BREAK
15.45 MENTAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING
• ANXIETY & DEPRESSION
• ANGER MANAGEMENT
16.15 MEDIA & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
• COMMUNITY RELATIONS
• MEDIA TRAINING
• SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
• CHARITABLE ENDEAVORS
17..30 – 17.45 CLOSING REMARKS

Who we
are
The Premier Sports Network is a series of invite-only player care events for
support staff from clubs and federations. Each event gives attendees the
chance to network and discuss challenges in the sector.
At the Premier Sports Network: Player Care events, professionals from the UK
player support network including academy directors, player liaison officers,
lawyers, financial advisors, agents and education officers will discuss and
debate the challenges that face players, and their advisors, in a career journey
starting at youth-level and spanning to retirement.
“The Academy Transition Programme has been created following feedback from those who
have attended our Player Care seminars who outlined the real need to educate and
support the Premier League players of the future. With increasing demands to protect their
most valuable investments - players - we believe the Academy Transition Programme will
become a must-attend annual event for every Premier League club’s upcoming talent.”
- David Bull, Co-Founder

For
more
Info...
David Bull
Co-Founder
Premier Sports Network
david@premiersports.agency
+44 (0) 208 419 1100
+44 (0) 778 2366 16
www.premiersportsnetwork.com