An Exploration into the Provision and Delivery of Sport Psychology within Professional Football Academies in England.

Abstract

Sport psychology is increasingly recognised as a vital element of athlete development, enhancing performance, mental resilience, and well-being, particularly in football. The English Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), introduced in 2012, mandated the inclusion of psychological support within youth football academies. However, the full integration of sport psychology into these academies remains a challenge, with several barriers hindering its widespread implementation. This thesis adopts a qualitative, interpretivist approach to explore the current provision of sport psychology in elite youth football academies in England. The study examines the perspectives of key stakeholders, including academy staff, coaches, and players, to identify both the barriers and facilitators of integration. Data was collected through two phases of semi-structured interviews, complemented by an autoethnographic account drawn from five seasons of the researcher’s practice at a Premier League Academy. Study one draws on interviews with sport psychology practitioners across academies, revealing key barriers to integration, including limited coach understanding, resource constraints, and role ambiguity. Study two, involving coaches and support staff, highlights both obstacles and enablers, such as leadership support and a growing appreciation of sport psychology's value. The third phase, an autoethnographic account of the researcher’s applied experience at the Premier League Academy, offers reflective insight into the practical challenges of part-time delivery, exclusion from decision-making processes, and navigating a male-dominated environment. Despite these constraints, the researcher contributed to resilience-based interventions and psychologically informed workshops. Collectively, the findings highlight cultural, structural, and relational barriers to integration, while identifying opportunities to embed psychological support more effectively through improved collaboration, education, and communication.