Purpose
To drive the vision of the academy through strategic planning, operational management and good leadership of people.
Providing leadership to all areas of the academy so that it can deliver well-rounded, footballers into the professional game.
Accountabilities
Below are the areas of responsibility that Academy Managers area accountable for. KPIs and behavioural objectives for individuals within the role should be set in relation to these areas. No more than seven objectives should exist at any one time.
The Academy Manager is accountable for:
A clear vision and supporting strategy for the Academy
The Academy strategy is translated into clear objectives which are cascaded down and bought into at all levels.
The alignment of the Academy’s Playing and Coaching Philosophy with the Club’s philosophy
Owns the Academy’s Playing and Coaching Philosophy ensuring is it understood and adopted throughout the Academy.
An operational plan/ performance plan to deliver the strategic objectives
Takes ownership and drives the operational plan/Academy performance plan through others.
Financial performance of the Academy
Has responsibility for the day-to-day financial management of the Academy
Identifying and managing change effectively
Manages changes in strategy or process effectively (implemented quickly and effectively without resistance).
Management of Academy staff
Academy staff know what is required of them and are well-managed to achieve their goals.
Academy staff report satisfaction levels reported as high
Player progression through the system
To ensure the academy achieves its goals in relation to player outcomes.
Expectations to players as footballers and individuals
Expectations around player experience are met or exceeded
The Academy’s reputation within the club and the Academy environment (other sporting/external environments)
The Academy Manager is regarded as the key leadership figure and influencer within the Club structure.
Activities
The following activities are those things that are essential to performing the role well. They may not represent everything that an Academy Manager does.
A clear vision and supporting strategy for the Academy
Plan future Academy strategy
Activities include:
An operational plan/ performance plan to deliver the strategic objectives
Manage the creation and implementation an operational plan that reflects the strategy and vision.
Activities include:
- Builds operational / performance plans based on Academy KPI outputs and EPPP requirements in consultation with Department Heads
- Agrees KPIs with all Department Heads
- Asks Departmental Heads to produce plans to meet KPI targets in their areas
- Review all plans to ensure alignment to achieve Academy KPIs
- Review and interpret all (management) information/ reports supplied by all Departmental Heads to assess progress and feed back into operational planning
- Monitors Departmental progress towards KPIs adapt plans as necessary
- Monitor audit metrics between audits to check progress/ ensure standards are met
Financial performance of the Academy
Manage the financial operations of the business:
Activities include:
- Produces a business case for the Academy budget to present to the CEO & General Manager
- Cascade budgets to Departmental Heads and gives clear budget targets
- Asks for regular management reporting in relation to budget spent/ outstanding from all departments
- Check departments meet their budgetary targets
- Monitors and adjust focus of overall spend as required
- Calculate and monitor value add from players (as Club assets)
Identifying and managing change effectively
Manage change proactively:
Activities include:
- Looks for opportunities to make improvement through changing how things are done
- A change management plan is developed whenever significant change is required (covering target groups, stakeholders & change agents)
- A communication plan is developed prior to implementing change
- Change is implemented systematically in line with plans and reviewed regularly/adapted as required
Management of Academy staff
Performance manage Department Heads.
Activities include:
- Review the organisational structure of the Academy to ensure that it supports the vision and strategic plan
- Write Role Profiles / checks and updates Role Profiles, of all Academy staff to ensure they will enable the role holder to deliver relevant KPIs
- Implement suitable performance management processes and communicates this across the Academy
- Ensure that others are performance managing their staff appropriately
- Agree clear objectives with team (Department Heads)
- Provide regular feedback to Department Heads
- Hold regular 1:1 conversations with team
- Ensure all direct reports have Development Action Plans
- Be available to team - open-door philosophy or clear articulation of when they can have ad hoc conversations
- Diagnose and manage underperformance
Recruit suitable people into the Academy:
Activities include:
- Lead on recruitment for all Departmental Managers
- Advise/ offer support for recruitment to other key posts (Lead Phase coaches etc.)
- Contribute to recruitment decision for direct reports to Departmental Managers– discuss needs with managers, take part in interviews, offer thoughts
- Create a succession plan for the academy
- Speak to Department Managers to understand their long-term aspirations
Player progression through the system
Monitor progress and adapt plans:
Activities include:
- Monitors player progression through Head of Coaching/ Lead Phase coach (possibly self in older age-groups)
- Meets with the Technical Board to discuss players (informed by LPCs)
- Discuss changes to individual/ group player strategy
- Have a method to track players who leave to identify where do they go
The expectations set to players as footballers and individuals
Deliver expected ‘service’ to players and their families:
Activities include:
- Produce ‘Player Charter’ to outline the Club’s way of working with players
- Negotiate individual contracts directly or through agents
- Create Education & Welfare Standards with Education & Welfare Department
- Quality assure that education and welfare and player care promises are delivered
- Monitor player & parent satisfaction and adapt way of working as necessary
- Develop a strategy to help players who are leaving the club
The Academy’s reputation within the club and the Academy environment (other sporting/external environments)
Manage relationships internally and externally:
Activities include:
- Ensure regular contact with CEO & General Manager – ad hoc and formal
- Create and maintain relationships with 1st Team Manager & Staff
- Watch games/ training so that visible to parents and available to chat
- Regularly spend time with coaches and players
- Maintain relationships with schools, local universities etc.
- Develop a strategy for managing parents including how parent’s evenings are run
- Hold ‘team building’/ ‘away days’ with Department Heads to gain greater cohesion and shared direction within the Academy leadership team – take responsibility for creating an elite learning and development environment
- Proactively manages the reputation of the Academy to the wider Club and at external events
Work Relationships
The Academy Manager needs to build relationships with the following:
Internally:
CEO/General manager: to ensure that the Academy is represented on the football agenda at board level
MDT: Heads of department – to gain buy-in and to ensure a sense of team so that they work together in order to innovate and move the academy forward as a unit.
Head of Coaching: ultimate strategic responsibility for coaching. Need to understand development priorities and stay informed regarding coaching achievements.
Lead Phase Coaches: so they feel valued and buy-in to/ support the vision and strategy.
Coaches: Part Time & Full Time so they feel valued.
First team staff: to assist with creating a pathway for players.
Parents: so they are aware of the degree to which the Academy values them/ their children and so that they have a senior individual that they can raise concerns with if necessary.
Players: So they see the Academy Manager as someone who values them as people.
Externally:
Premier League: as ‘advisor’/ central body
EFL: as ‘advisor’/ central body
LFE: related to education
FA: as the governing body of the sport
Universities / colleges: who can help with research etc.
Academies in other Clubs: people in similar roles in other Clubs – share information and learning
Performance Directors in other elite sporting environments: people in similar roles in other sports – share information and learning
Intermediaries: as influential over player decisions to stay at or leave a Club