Academy Player Care Manager

The category one Academy environment and the holistic support around players has developed vastly over the past few years, with bespoke wrap around support available for players in our academy.

One of the biggest components to this is our Academy House provision for U16-U21 registered players along with trialists throughout the season. The Academy House provision is currently running at capacity and inefficiently with its staffing structure regularly relying on short-term solutions to annual leave, absence, and illness amongst Academy House staff. The lease for the current Academy House ends in August 2025 ahead of the 2025/26 season which we intend to extend into the future. However, in doing this we are striving to improve the provison strategically through process, staff and organisational structure.

Further, Academy Player Care currently is managed by the Head of Education & Player Care. To drive our provision forward over the next few seasons to excel and support our players to the highest possible standard we are proposing the recruitment of a Player Care Manager to line manage the current four roles based in the player care department, and lead on the strategic improvement of the Academy House provision.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Line management of the staff in the Player Care department, including the oversight of; EPPP standards and compliance, 360 Hammers, 369 Hammers, Transition Team, Player and Parent Voice, Loans.

• To take lead responsibility for the Player Care department ensuring the core KPI’s of EPPP are effectively measured, assessed, and achieved across the Youth development programme in line with the PGAAC Audit process.

• Contributing to the Academy Management Team in a management capacity.

* To communicate with key Academy staff regarding concerns about the players welfare and/or wellbeing and any other issues that may be a barrier to their development.

* Any other duties as required by the Football Club within the reasonable demands of the role.

* The post-holder will directly line manage and be responsible for the coordination and organisation of all Academy House provision.

Overview of the role and rationale

The post-holder will take the leadership role in the Academy Player Care department, ensuring and driving the standards across all aspects of the Elite Player Performance Plan and Professional Game Academy Audit Company requirements.

With the aim to drive the standards and provision delivered forward, increasing the size of the Player Care department to include an independent Player Care Manager who is on the Academy Management Team, will allow for an improvement in delivery and provision of the department whilst measuring the impact for the players during their time at the Academy. The responsibilities of Player Care are increasing every season and consequently the growth of the department Is required to meet these demands.

The Academy Player Care Manager will be responsible for the line management of the four staff roles (one full-time and three part-time) and the oversight of the oversight of; EPPP standards and compliance, 360 Hammers, 369 Hammers and Alumni, Transition Team, Player and Parent Voice, Loan Players and Player Appearances.

The key rationale and justification for this role is the development and enhanced management of the current Academy House provision. Currently, the Academy House is managed through a combination of staff members including the Academy Manager, Men’s Academy Head of Safeguarding & Player Care - this includes the players, the staff and the physical space. The post-holder will directly line manage and be responsible for the coordination and organisation of all Academy House provision.

Further, the post-holder will be responsible for strategically improving and developing the academy house provision and its ‘day-to-day’ running whilst ensuring standards are met, to ensure we remain compliant with the FA, Premier League, and government guidelines and to maintain the live risk register. These recommendations are highlighted in the recent Barnardo's Progress visit at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The focused, efficient, and improved management of the current academy house provision as well as a focus on its strategic development will substantially develop our Academy Player Care provision.

Summary:

In summary, the recruitment of an Academy Player Care Manager will drive our Academy provision forward to be the best in class across Premier League Category 1 Academies and ensure that our current Academy House provision is improved and strategically developed.

The proposed Academy Player Care Manager will manage the department, line managing the current four roles striving to develop and enhance the Academies provision line-managed by and working closely with the Head of Education & Player Care, Men’s Academy Head of Safeguarding, Head of Operations and Compliance and the Academy Manager.