Player Wellbeing Executive in Manchester

The Player Wellbeing Executive will work within the PFA Player Wellbeing Department, providing emotional and mental health support to union members across the professional game. The postholder will deliver early intervention support, triage, risk assessment, case management and referral coordination, ensuring members access the most appropriate support at the right time. The role involves extensive travel to professional football clubs and requires an individual who understands elite performance environments and can build trusted relationships with players and key club stakeholders. The postholder will be responsible for developing strong working links with clubs across the Premier League, EFL and WSL, supporting wellbeing engagement and improving access to services. This role requires a self‑motivated professional who can work independently, manage a remote caseload effectively, and contribute to service development and reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide confidential emotional and mental health support to PFA members, including direct counselling support where appropriate.
• Act as a first point of contact for members, families, club staff and internal colleagues, responding in a professional, calm and timely manner.
• Deliver triage and assessment, identifying presenting issues and determining appropriate support pathways.
• Manage ongoing casework, ensuring consistent follow‑up and continuity of support.
• Coordinate referrals to external providers and PFA partner organisations, ensuring members receive timely and appropriate specialist support.
• Respond to members presenting in crisis, undertaking risk assessment, safeguarding actions and safety planning where required.
• Maintain accurate case notes and reporting information in line with GDPR and PFA clinical governance requirements.
• Build strong relationships with clubs across the Premier League, EFL and WSL to strengthen referral pathways and increase engagement with PFA wellbeing support.
• Deliver presentations, workshops and wellbeing outreach activity at clubs and training grounds, including drop‑in support sessions where required.
• Support members engaged in PFA residential programmes, including visits and ongoing aftercare coordination.
• Contribute to internal departmental development, sharing insight and supporting improvements to wellbeing provision, systems and resources.
• Support the collection and maintenance of data to contribute to departmental reporting, service evaluation and impact monitoring.

Essential Skills and Requirements

• Qualified to a minimum of Level 4 Diploma in Counselling (or equivalent).
• Registered with a recognised professional body (e.g. HCPC, BACP, UKCP, NCPS or equivalent).
• Minimum 2 years’ post‑qualification counselling experience delivering therapeutic support.
• Experience working with elite athletes and/or within a high‑performance sporting environment.
• Good understanding of mental health presentations including anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, addiction and associated disorders.
• Ability to provide short‑term structured support and counselling interventions within professional competence and scope of practice.
• Proven ability to make appropriate referrals and coordinate care with external providers and specialist services.
• Confident communicator, able to produce clear written case updates and deliver information professionally to a range of audiences.
• Comfortable delivering presentations and workshops within elite environments.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, travel schedules and a varied caseload.
• Competence in data input, reporting, and supporting the development of systems for monitoring service delivery and impact.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism and commitment to confidentiality and ethical practice.
• Commitment to ongoing CPD and maintaining clinical supervision in line with client contact.
• Must be based in the South (London region) with the ability to travel regularly to clubs across the South.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Desirable

• Experience working in professional football (Premier League, EFL, WSL) or within club‑based environments.
• Experience delivering wellbeing programmes, psychoeducation and structured outreach initiatives.
• Experience using case management platforms or CRM systems and producing service reports.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding practice in sport and multi‑agency working.
• Ability to speak another of the 5 FIFA languages (French, German, Spanish, Portuguese).

Person Specification

• Ability to build trust and credibility quickly with professional footballers and key stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with a calm, empathetic and non‑judgemental approach.
• Sound professional judgement when managing sensitive, complex or high‑risk situations.
• Ability to work autonomously while remaining connected to a wider multidisciplinary team.
• Strong organisational and time‑management skills, with the ability to balance travel, casework and competing priorities.
• Resilience, adaptability and professionalism within a fast‑paced, high‑performance environment.
• Commitment to ethical practice, continuous learning and delivering a high‑quality member service.

The PFA is an equal opportunities employer. Our employment policies for recruitment ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re‑assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Satisfactory documentary evidence of your eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with current legislative requirements will be requested. As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe environment, you will need to complete an enhanced DBS check for this role.