Working as an applied sport psychology practitioner in professional football is a challenging task. Dr Francesca Champ shared her stories from working as a practitioner-researcher and how she has found ways to support youth players in developing a broader identity not exclusively tied to sporting success.
In the UK and elsewhere, becoming a professional footballer is a dream for so many young boys. However, the inevitable fact is that only a very small fraction of the youth players will reach senior-level professional sport.
Therefore, it is necessary to ask about the implications for being involved in the talent development programmes of the young people who don’t “make it”. Can they look back and say that being involved in a talent pathway was an enriching experience, despite not fulfilling their aspirations? Or are they going to look back at it with hurt and hate?
In the exciting conversation with Dr Francesca Champ, we explored the organisational cultures in professional football, the values and meanings circulated in these environments, and the implications these have for young people’s identity development.
What does it mean to be a talented youth footballer? Does it mean that being a footballer is the only thing you can be? This also links back to the podcast with Prof. Kitrina Douglas where she challenged this idea. Unfortunately, Fran is not optimistic that different ways of being are appreciated and valued in football environments. Can applied sport psychologists do something to work towards supporting a culture where broader identities can be expressed and valued?
Part 1 here:
In the second part, we moved to exploring Fran’s experiences and identity as an applied sport psychology practitioner. We discuss the triple challenge of being female, early career practitioner, and working in sport psychology which is still received with suspicion.
Fran also reflects on what makes working as an applied sport psychology practitioner meaningful for her, and the stories of athletes who found their ways in life after being deselected from the talent pathway.
Part 2 here:
Dr Francesca Champ is a lecturer in Psychology in Football at Liverpool John Moores University (UK). She is also an applied sport psychology practitioner having worked with professional footballers (both men and women) in several clubs. Her doctoral research was a practitioner-researcher ethnography in a professional football environment in the UK where she delivered applied sport psychology support over three seasons.
Francesca’s research has focused on psycho-social development and identity in professional football, organisational and cultural sport psychology, applied sport psychology consultancy and mental health in sport. You can read about the findings from her doctoral research in these articles:
An exploration of the experiences of elite youth footballers: The impact of organizational culture
A tale of three seasons: a cultural sport psychology and gender performativity approach to practitioner identity and development in professional football
‘Through the lens of ethnography’: Perceptions, challenges, and experiences of an early career practitioner-researcher in professional football
And remember to follow Fran on Twitter: @fchamp1