Walsall Football Club are pleased to confirm the appointment of Tom Lister-Jones as Head of Academy Player Care.
In his role, Tom will support the holistic development of players, families, and staff. The Academy Player Care Officer will work on the personal development of young people as both a person and a player.
Tom, who is a qualified social worker, is hoping to provide a good support network within the academy and he’s looking forward to getting to work in his new position.
“I’m really excited to join the Club,” he said.
“The aim of my role is to support everything outside of football so if any of the players or parents have any social issues, something going on within the Club, I’m there to help them and try to resolve those issues for them.
“I feel like it’s a really important role, there’s a big emphasis on it at the moment.
“It’s not only when players are with the Club, it’s also looking at the aftercare and their journeys after that as well.
“I can’t wait to properly start. Everyone has been really welcoming and I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into it.”
Bearing in my mind all the press about Barry Bennell its not hard to see why this role is important.
Lots of kids don’t make the grade and that rejection can be devastating to a young person who has just had their dreams shattered. I guess he will be there to pick up the pieces.
I believe that if a child is unhappy at home it will affect whatever he does outside of the home, a happy person is a more productive one.
This appointment is a good move by the club.
So what is it? In all seriousness I think it’s a great appointment. Not up to speed with our competition, but is this a common position at this level? Are we early adopters or following the trend here?
Think this is a great appointment. In colleges there are often staff available to offer this kind of support where young people are thrown together in groups and there can be lots of health issues / emotional issues, even bullying or harassment. Maz Kouyhar experienced some of this when he was at the club and let’s not forget about our former Director of Football (allegedly). Kids are sometimes pulled away from home, their family, friends and support network into a competitive environment with a lot of pressure and a high risk of failure. Walsall FC get some things wrong, but they get a lot of things right. Best of luck to Tom.
