Nutrition is a vital tool that athletes need to utilise in order to not only maximise their performance but to look after their wellbeing too. On this week's episode Antonio had the privilege of being joined by an expert in the field and got a crash course in all things nutrition. Our guest this week Mikaela, has not only completed an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Sports Nutrition, but has also worked as an intern nutritionist at Getafe CF and is currently the Academy Performance...

This week Antonio and Brad had the pleasure of being joined by Ex Aberdeen F.C. and Sunderland A.F.C. footballer Russell Anderson. During this episode Russell reflects on his career covering topics such how he dealt with setbacks, travelling to play in Europe, representing his country, moving to Sunderland for a spell and what football has taught him. Additionally, Russell has an incredible foundation which he created that focuses on improving the lives of children in socially deprived...

On this episode we get the chance to speak to Stirling Uni FC striker and Cammy Mckinley. Cammy, like many of our guests, played academy football as a teenager but was unfortunately released before U17 level. Despite this setback, Cammy didn't sulk and worked hard in the gym and on the pitch throughout his undergraduate degree, progressing from the 5th team to the 1st team in 4 years. As the top scorer, Cammy is an asset in a team that has played televised Scottish Cup matches against Dundee...

In this episode, Toni and Brad get the chance to chat to Lucas Capalbo, multi - award winning coach and lecturer in sport psychology and coaching at London Metropolitan University. Hailing from Brazil, the land of Joga Bonito, Lucas has had quite the career so far. As a coach, he has been a head coach in Sweden (Malmo), Italy (Milan), and London and an assistant coach in USA (Michigan). On his academic journey he has picked up a BSc in Sport Sciences from Mackenzie University (Brazil) a dual...

Unfortunately Antonio was not able to attend this week's recording (which Brad wasn't salty about at all...) however this was made up for by yet another fantastic guest. This week Brad was joined by UEFA C licensed and full time coach at Bromley FC George Orchard. George offers a fantastic look into his journey through the academy system and some of the struggles he experienced. From balancing school and football to utilising relationships built in academy football there is loads for a young...

Our latest episode is with Tom Gardiner, who is the performance psychologist and player care coordinator at a WSL club. Toni and Brad shared a supervisor with Tom over the past year or so and he has offered plenty of advice on navigating a career in the world of sport psychology and football. It was great to catch up and chat about key psychological components of player support in academy football, like identity, dealing with pressure and offering support for players through parents. We also...

This week we get the chance to pick the brains of 'that wellbeing guy' Richard Simpson. Richard is a lecturer in sport psychology at Leeds Trinity University and an associate lecturer with The Open University. Richard completed his PhD at Leeds Beckett University with his research expertise and focus sitting within psychological well-being among sport performers. Richard is interested in individual and collective understandings of psychological well-being and how such knowledge can benefit...

This week Brad and Toni had the pleasure of being joined by fellow Sport and Exercise Psychologist in training Louise Paul. Don't let the "in training" part fool you, Louise has worked with a range of athletes (even some tradies) and some National Governing bodies. This week we gain insight into how a programme gears up for an Olympics, the similarities and differences between supporting male and female athletes and of course the key to confidence. Make sure you tune in for what is another...

Our latest guest is Rory Winters, a man who has faced many setbacks and challenges throughout his life. The odds may have been stacked against him but Rory has taken each challenge head on and carved out a successful career in football. In the first half of the pod, Rory goes into detail on some of the challenges he, and many others around the country, faced as a youth player. We discuss how challenge is connected to wellbeing / psychology and how these had a knock on effect on future events...

This week we are joined by the man with many hats - director, Dad coach and ex professional footballer - Graham Robertson. When we first met Graham we knew that he was going to be an excellent guest and to no surprise, he delivered. Graham reflects back on his own career as a youth and how today's academy set up compares to that of his era. We go on to discuss how this shaped his career in professional football, where he achieved success at both Raith Rovers and Milwall. We discuss what...

This week Antonio had the pleasure of being joined by Natascia Bernardi. Natascia is the current Girls Academy Manager at Kinetic Foundation, U12 Head Coach for QPR and U16 Assistant coach for London Football Talent Centre. She has been on a journey of her own that started from Bologna, Italy where she was born and fell in love with football. Her experience includes Regional Referee for 12 years in Italy, BA in Psychology at The University of Bologna, an MSc in Sport Psychology at Lund...

We have wanted to chat to a student - athlete on the podcast for a while and are grateful to have had the chance to learn more about this dynamic through guest Conor Doan. Like so many, Conor was released from an academy set up in his late teens. Thankfully, he was given an opportunity to play full time football with the University of Stirling 1st team whilst studying there. After completing his undergraduate, Conor signed for Bonnyrigg Rose whilst completing his MSc in Psychology of Sport at...

In our second episode of season 2 we were joined by Anthony Cato. With Anthony being an ex academy footballer with experience competing as a semi professional footballer and currently working as transitions officer and careers lead at League Football Education. It is no surprise that this episode is full of incredible in-depth discussions around not just the struggles footballers face but how they can be supported to tackle these challenges. Throughout this episode Anthony gives fantastic...

In our first episode of season 2 we had the privilege of chatting to Dr Michael Malone. Brad first met Michael in his 4th year of university, when he worked under Michael on a project at Dundee United Community Trust. Michael discusses many of the projects DUCT have been doing over the years and their connection to wellbeing and mental health in the community. We also get to discuss Micheal's PhD research which focuses on shared understanding and shared mental models - this might sound...

Hello and welcome back to the young player wellbeing podcast! And no, it is not just our jingle that has changed! This season Brad and Toni have the privilege of speaking to experts in the world of sport about all things wellbeing, athlete development and of course sport psychology. In this season, we have a stacked line-up of guests, including a doctor in sport psychology, an experienced UEFA licensed coach, a student – athlete and a sports agent. The guests we’ve got on have experience...

We got the chance to chat to East Kilbride FC first team coach Blair Munn. As a youth player, Blair had the privilege of playing for Rangers and Falkirk as well as representing Scotland. Like many, Blair was released but has still managed to pave out a successful career in football. It's evident from this episode that Blair has taken a lot from his playing days, taking so many skills he picked up as a player into his new role as a coach. Brad goes a bit Si Ferry (Blair's colleague at East...

On this episode we're delighted to have sport psychologist Alban Dickson join us. Alban currently works for an SPFL club, with both the men's and women's team. We get to pick Alban's brains and learn more about how applying acceptance and commitment therapy (or ACT) can benefit athletes. Alban does a great job of breaking down ACT and provides some tips for our players to consider. We chat about different sport psychology approaches and how they often interact with one another. Although, we...

Around the country young players will currently be enjoying their off - season or (not) enjoying their pre - season. We thought this would be a good time to share some insight into how players can use this time to their advantage. We focus on what young players should be accountable for during this time and the best ways to mentally recharge before a new season gets underway. As always, we draw upon our own experiences around this topic and some goals we have set for ourselves moving forward....

This week we pick the brains of Lucy Boyce who provides some amazing insight into psychology in football. Lucy spent the past season working at West Ham as a performance psychology intern and at Gillingham as a lead academy psychologist. Chatting to Lucy, it was clear how knowledgeable and passionate she is about sport psychology and is likely the reason she has been so effective in both her roles. This passion and knowledge may have came from her experience as a former elite athlete herself,...

Do not worry, I (brad obviously) have returned from Vietnam to facilitate all of your wellbeing podcast needs. In this episode, we provide an overview of our first season working in Scottish football as part of the young player wellbeing academy (formally programme) designed by Care Visions. We share our thoughts on what we thought the programme would involve before the season started, as well as our first thoughts on how wellbeing and sport psychology were viewed in Scottish football (before...

In this week's episode we challenge you to keep count of all the times we use the words 'group' or 'identity'! Identity is a theme that has been brought up consistently during previous episodes and notably by our guests as well. This is a topic that is crucial in both sport and our lives in general. Therefore, we thought that it was about time we spent an episode explaining identity and why it is so crucial that young players focus on developing their identities. (0:00) Intro (0:53)...

In this week's episode we are joined by Strength and Conditioning coach Lucas Forrester. Lucas has a vast amount of experience supporting athletes, helping them develop and improve their performance. During this episode we have some fantastic conversations around Mindfulness (again!), pushing comfort zones, developing our identity, trusting the process and much more! Want to find out more or get in touch? You can contact us on our instagram @YPW_Podcast. (0:00) Podcast intro (0:48)...

In this week's episode we are joined by Wycombe Wanderers Midfielder David Wheeler. David started out at Brighton’s academy in his hometown then played in non-league while studying sports science at Brunel University and while he is currently at Wycombe he has had stints with Exeter City, Portsmouth, MK Dons and QPR. Alongside being a regular starter in the Wycombe side David has also completed a Masters in Sport Psychology and is an advocate for the importance of providing psychological...

Join us on this week's episode where we have a very special and specialised guest on the show discussing all thing's injury. Bradley Steedman has worked with Dundee United, Rangers and now currently Burnley as a physiotherapist. On the episode Bradley shares his expert knowledge with us while also allowing for key insights into how full time academy footballers recover from injury. We hope you enjoy listening and be sure to message us on our brand new instagram channel "ypw_podcast" if you...

This week Antonio and Brad had the absolute pleasure of having Ryan Stirton on as a guest for the podcast. During this episode, Ryan shares his experiences from the elite youth football world and the challenges he faced. Additionally, as an online performance lifestyle coach working with semi professional footballers he offered some fantastic advice to young players in relation to strength training and improving their performance. Tune in to find out more! If you haven't already, please...