Academy Support Manager

The Premier League Youth Department are responsible for the delivery of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), a long term development plan with the aim of; 1) developing More and Better Home Grown Players, capable of playing in the most competitive and compelling football competition in the world; and 2) ensuring positive development outcomes for all Academy Players, regardless of whether they become professionals or not. 

An exciting opportunity to join our team as an Academy Support Manager has become available. The successful candidate will be responsible for working with a designated number of Clubs, supporting them in the delivery of their Academy Performance Plan, providing support for Clubs to ensure the Academy experience is a positive one for all Academy Players.

Who we are

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its Clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 900 million homes in 189 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Handbook as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues. 

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.  

Our hybrid-working model also allows you some variety on your place of work, offering you the chance to work from home on some days each week. Where possible, you will attend the office or site visits in line with our company policy. All staff liaise closely with their line manager to manage their time appropriately and according to their work and team requirements.

Leadership, Management, Operations and Registrations

• Organise an appropriate schedule of visits to an allocated cluster of Clubs (three), to support them in the delivery of their Academy Performance Plan 
• Work with Clubs to ensure full compliance with the Premier League Youth Development Rules 
• Support Clubs with Action Plans received via the Professional Game Academy Audit Company (PGAAC) 
•  Attend Education, Player Care and Multi-disciplinary staff meetings as requested
• Contribute to the workforce development programmes for Academy staff, where required
• Work closely with the Premier League Registrations and Regulatory teams on any registrations or regulatory matters relating to your allocated Clubs
• Lead & deliver Academy Staff Inductions for all new staff in ASM-designated Clubs.

Education, including the Sporting Excellence Professional Apprenticeship

• Monitor the ongoing development and implementation of the full-time and hybrid compensatory education programmes across clubs 
• Work closely with the Premier League Education team and Education Advisors to effectively aid and monitor the educational progression of all Academy Players
• Conduct player review meetings with selected players across Foundation and Youth Development phases 
• Support the Club in the delivery of the SEP Apprenticeship Programme through regular monitoring and support visits
• Conduct 12-weekly reviews with all Scholars/Apprentices at allocated Clubs
• Monitor education progression against academic programmes undertaken by Scholars/Apprentices BTEC’s, A Levels, Functional Skills etc 

Player Care, Safeguarding and Duty of Care

• Working closely with the Premier League Player Care team to support and quality assure Player Care activities, including the Life Skills and personal development curriculum in place for Academy Players across allocated Clubs
• Deliver at Academy Player and Parent Induction sessions in collaboration with Clubs
• Support the Premier League’s Transition programmes for released players 
• Support activities and initiatives identified across the ‘Duty of Care’ focus areas including; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Transition, Player/Parent Voice, Mental and Emotional Well-being, Safeguarding 
• Designated ASM Lead on one of the individual Duty of Care focus areas
• Work closely with the Premier League Safeguarding Support Managers to ensure Clubs comply with Section S of the Premier League Safeguarding standards

Games Programme 

•  Regularly attend Games Programme fixtures for each of your allocated Clubs
• Facilitate and deliver additional Education and Player Care activities to players, parents, and Club staff at Games Programme festivals and tournaments 

Coaching

• Work closely with the Premier League Coaching department to ensure Clubs and their coaching staff are provided with the appropriate support

Elite Performance 

• Work closely with the Premier League Elite Performance team to ensure the appropriate support is provided to Clubs and their staff

• Understanding of education across primary, secondary, further and/or higher education
• Experience working in football, education or one of the Duty of Care focus areas
• High level understanding of pedagogy 
• High level understanding of student-athlete pathways
• Understanding of the Football Academy system or other sporting youth development environments
• Excellent understanding of Safeguarding legislation and good practice
• Track record of managing multi-stakeholder relationships 
• Team player with high emotional intelligence, who seeks and acts on feedback 
• Able to demonstrate high level interpersonal dexterity to work effectively within an interdisciplinary environment 
• Able to synthesise and clearly present decisions with strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Ability to work at weekends and unsociable hours when required.
• Able to act independently on both project-based and analytical tasks 
• Strong competence of working with MS Office (esp. power point, word and excel) 
• Able to work in a high-performance environment and deliver against challenging deadlines 
• Willingness to learn new approaches and adapt to different working styles

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its Clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 900 million homes in 189 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Handbook as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues. 

The Premier League is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.  

Stage 1:

Applied

Stage 2:

Review

Stage 3:

Interview

Stage 4:

Hired