Colchester United and The Player Group have teamed up to support Academy player care at the U's.
Colchester United welcomed The Player Care Group, the leading Player Care consultants and educators, to Florence Park in September for a day of learning and review as part of the Academy’s commitment to supporting its young people on and off the pitch.
The Player Care Group, headed up by former West Ham United FC Head of Player Care Hugo Scheckter, was joined by Sue Parris, Brighton & Hove Albion’s former Head of Player Support, Education and Welfare and Dr Michele Di Mascio, former Head of Player Care at Sunderland AFC, for a day of conversations, reviews and support for staff across the Academy, which was led by group discussions with players from U16 to U21 level.
Following the visit, The Player Care Group produced a comprehensive support to give new Head of Player Care Sean Thacker and the rest of staff some help with direction, strategy and delivery of the Premier League’s EPPP audit around Player Care, as Colchester United look to build a provision to support its young players that’s above and beyond what’s required.
As part of this partnership, Sean Thacker has joined the market leading ‘Certificate in Player Care’ in which he’ll join Player Care staff from across the world to learn about best practice.
Founder and Managing Director of The Player Care Group Hugo Scheckter said: “We’re delighted to work with Colchester United on this project – we met with a number of motivated and empathetic staff who were keen to learn how they can maximise the resources available to best support their players off the pitch."
"We know this new offering will allow current Player Care staff within clubs of all sizes to get access to support & resources they need.”
Colchester United’s Sporting Director Dmitri Halajko said: “I worked with Hugo at West Ham United where he was head of player care, so I already knew first-hand that the level of his work in this area was of the very highest level."
" Therefore, the decision to get expertise from him and his team at The Player Care Group to help us build and improve our Player Care Team at Colchester United was an easy one.
Their first-hand knowledge and experience of what top level player care looks like from first team through to Academy is second to none.
The time that ‘The Player Care Group’ spent at our club has been really valuable to us as they have already identified some key areas for us to improve and supported us in pushing the programme forward.”
The club’s Head of Player Care, Sean Thacker, added: “Having recently moved into a Player Care role following years of being involved in Academy Coaching, it was a terrific opportunity to get experts in Hugo Scheckter, Michele Di Mascio and Sue Parris to help me gain an understanding of what “elite player care” looks like to enable us to start looking into what could be possible here.”
“It was a full-on day which saw a variety of staff and players spend time talking with The Player Care Group, and in a relaxed way rather than like an interview or a grilling.
"This was important for people being honest and open so that Hugo, Michele and Sue could get a true understanding of both the good work that is in place at Colchester United already, but also allowed them to suggest lots of ideas to develop what we are doing and to start other.
“I always feel you get the truest endorsements of something when it’s not asked for and comes up in general conversation instead.
"So, when staff and players brought the chats with Hugo, Michele or Sue up to me without prompting that evening and in the days that followed, it demonstrated that there had been value to the people that matter most of The Player Care Group’s visit.
“This included witnessing first team players Tom Dallison and Marley Marshall Miranda catch up with Sue having known her and benefitted from her support in their times at Brighton & Hove Albion a few years ago.
“With the feedback that followed from The Player Care Group and the subsequent conversations, it will help us as a department and in time through a whole-club approach to consolidate some of our work and begin to expand and start to develop other areas of player care.”
The Player Care Group provides specialised support, review, education & staff recruitment within Player Care to professional clubs around the world. For more information please go to www.playercaregroup.co.uk or email contact@playercaregroup.co.uk.