Player Care and Safeguarding

The Player Care team is responsible for enhancing your son’s journey through the academy and for providing a programme that supports holistic development his football.

Whilst your son is at Wolves Academy there will be lots of opportunities for him to learn new skills, have new experiences and meet lots of new people; the Player Care team will always be on hand to support those experiences and ensure that players make the most of their time here.

These age appropriate experiences range from activities such as staying safe online, mental health, and being part of our Players Parliament. We are keen to hear parents and players views and want that to shape how we move forward to develop.

Our Player Care Strategy is based on the following principles:

Smart Recruitment
We get to know our players and their families before they join us

Inductions
We ensure players have a good induction to the academy, and we start to talk about good endings; from the beginning.

Holistic Development
We invest in our young people.

Communication
We are open and transparent; we are sensitive to timing and context.

Good Endings
All good things come to an end; we acknowledge and celebrate the journey.

Whilst there are many positives about participating in academy football, we recognise that some parts of the academy experience can be stressful for young people and their parents/carers. This is particularly heightened at points of transition and release.

A significant proportion of young people who enter academy football will not have a professional football career and there is a need to help manage their expectations, support their holistic development and prepare them for potential release or indeed for the next part of their journey.

We recognise the important role we play in a young persons’ development alongside the impact that academy football and being released can have on their emotional health and wellbeing. The academy has developed a strategy to support this process concentrating particularly on the following areas:

1. Player Care to be ‘present’ and recognised in all that we do.
2. Supporting parents and families to support the player optimally during their journey, at release, and beyond
3. Facilitating an environment where Emotional Health and Well Being is a high priority for all
4. Embed an Induction and Transition Strategy that benefits all players. From Induction; Journey; Decision; Exit Meeting; Aftercare, Alumni
5. Help equip players to take ownership and be accountable for their own personal development.
6. Develop an awareness of social responsibility and provide opportunities to support