Mindset Over Everything: Why Mental Health Is Non-Negotiable in Our Work

We talk a lot about pressing triggers, rotations, build-up patterns.

But let’s be honest: if a young person is struggling with stress, anxiety, family pressure, low confidence, or burnout, football alone won’t fix it.

That’s why mindset and mental health are now baked into our plans, not just side conversations.

In London, this looks like:

• Coaches being trained to notice when a player isn’t themselves

• Sessions that include time for check-ins, not just drills

• Referrals and signposting where needed

In California, we’ve brought in Coach Avalon to lead a bolt-on Mindset & Mindfulness programme for private training clients. That means:

• 1:1 or small-group mindset sessions

• Simple frameworks for resilience, confidence and self-talk

• Parents understanding that mental performance is part of athletic performance

Within staff teams, we’re also trying to get ahead of coach burnout.

Private sessions, academy duties, travel, family life – it all adds up. So we’re building:

• Regular pulse check-ins for coaches

• Caps/guardrails around number of weekly sessions

• Spaces where staff can say, “I’m tired” without being punished for it

We don’t want to be another football organisation that squeezes everything out of people and then replaces them when they crash.

We want to be a place where:

• Performance is high

• Standards are serious

• But people’s minds and bodies are respected

Football is intense. Life is intense.

We’re trying to give our players and staff tools to handle both.