The Football Family – Stay In The game. Supporting young footballers

WADE ELLIOTT

It is the responsibility of everyone connected with professional football to understand and support the wellbeing of young players released from Academies.

Cheltenham Town FC Head Coach- Former professional footballer

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SCOTT BEVAN

Releasing an Academy player is the worst part of the job. You have empathy and try to show compassion but that's not always enough. We must do more.

Head of Academy Goalkeeping - Birmingham City

WES FOGDEN

I fell out of love with football and how you get treated at times. I just felt unwanted, unappreciated and alone. I needed support, I know others did too.

Player - Havant & Waterlooville, former professional footballer

MARK GAMBLE

Education comes in many facets. The use of mentoring from role models in the game to support personal growth is one initiative having great success.

Education Manager - Formerly Saints Foundation

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Welcome to home of ‘The Football Family‘. Here you will find all the information you need to either ask for our help, or offer your support. Watching the video is a great start point.

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We are a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping the mental health and wellbeing of young footballers released from Academies. Each year over 11,000 players aged between 8-18 years old are released from Academy Football. While many cope admirably and engage in new goals with the support from family and friends, a great many suffer levels of clinical psychological distress. The serious issues impacting young lives revolve around a lack of identity and self-worth, with low self-esteem and confidence at the forefront.

Imagine if you will, being a child with a dream of being a footballer, throughout your childhood being referred to at school by classmates, their parents, and teachers as 'the footballer'. Then spending your formative years training 3-4 times a week at impressive facilities, being educated and supported with a plethora of qualified footballing staff, only for that to stop. The emergence of a sudden change, a new identity and life in the 'real' world awaits. The challenge to guide, support and empathise with this young group is real.

The numbers are quite striking. Over 12,000 boys are playing Academy football across the country per year. Less than 1% will play for the first team. During our first workshop we had 40 released U18's sharing their experiences during group and individual education blocks. The day finished with a discussion on feelings and emotions. Players were asked to use three words that best summaries how they felt in the weeks after being released. The following graphic is the mentimeter diagram of that poll.