England Women's Talent Pathway Holistic Player Support MentorThe FA

The Talent Futures Programme will provide specific and focused support for the most talented girls aged 13-16 that are subject to barriers to inclusion, through a dedicated residential camp programme. The focus will be on providing holistic education based on individual player needs, supporting their performance and development.  The project will help to bridge the gap in opportunity for players, outside of established Academy environments, and/or who face barriers to inclusion.

Mentors will provide holistic guidance and support to talented young female footballers in a residential camp environment, focusing on personal development, wellbeing, and life skills to use on and off the pitch. This role aims to empower players to maximise their potential both as individuals and as footballers, ensuring a positive, safe, and inclusive environment.

This is a casual contract with an initial end date of 30th June 2027. It is anticipated that there will be up to 10 days of work per season.

We expect interviews will be held in mid-September.

What will you do?

Holistic Player Support:

• Act as a trusted mentor and role model, offering guidance on holistic development and safeguarding support to compliment ongoing work by FA staff with key players.
• Support players to develop their resilience, self-confidence, and a growth mindset.
• Support players to develop their self-awareness, ability to reflect and express themselves on an off the pitch and sharing feedback with the wider team.
• Support and encourage healthy lifestyle habits to prepare players for performance environments.

Wellbeing & Safeguarding:

• Support the Camp Safeguarding Lead by ensuring the welfare of all participants, identifying and responding to any wellbeing or safeguarding concerns appropriately during camp using relevant processes.
• Collaborate with camp staff to create a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment with a proactive commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Personal Development:

• Facilitate workshops or informal sessions on leadership, communication, mental skills, and life skills relevant to young players/athletes.
• Support players to develop self-management tools and set personal goals.

Relationship Building:

• Foster strong, positive relationships with players, parents/guardians, and staff to support player experience.
• Supporting coaching staff in understanding the holistic needs of players to help maximize performance.

Camp Environment Contribution:

• Participate in team meetings and planning sessions to integrate holistic support into pre and daily camp activities.
• Offer feedback on program content and suggest enhancements to the off-pitch support structure.

General:

• Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and well-being can be maintained.
• As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, successful candidates will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role. Casual work is conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory DBS check result, which will be fairly considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with legislation and government guidance.

What Are We Looking For?

Essential for the role:

Knowledge

• Strong understanding of barriers faced by young people from diverse backgrounds in talent pathways
• Understanding of the women's game and talent pathways for young female players
• Strong understanding of Player Welfare and Safeguarding policy and practices in Sport

Experience

• Experience of working with talented young people who have faced barriers
• Experience of supporting talented young players in high-performance environments through coaching or mentoring
• Experience in delivering individual and group sessions to support player progression
• Experience working with local partners and stakeholders to engage historically under-represented groups
• High level people development skills and experience
• Ability to influence and build positive working relationships 
• Ability to demonstrate working within elite football / sports environments and with an MDT

Technical Skills

• Ability to use MS Office to keep up to date records for Player Monitoring and Documentation
• Excellent communication, listening, and interpersonal skills as well as Empathy, patience, and ability to build trust quickly

Beneficial to have:

Knowledge

• Qualification/Background in Sports Psychology and/or Youth Development

Experience

• An awareness of physical, medical and psychosocial demands for female athletes
• Awareness of Education Pathways and Transitions for young female players – dual career pathways
• Background in playing and/or coaching in professional sporting environment.
• Experience in a camp or residential environment.

Technical Skills

• Basic Project Management skills including the use and analysis of data