The unique role of an Academy parent

It is that mentality – to develop all young Reds as people – which is fundamental to the Academy strategy, a regularly fine-tuned document shared with staff internally and shown in Lifeblood: Developing People. It proudly states: ‘We are the lifeblood of the club.’ It’s a philosophy founded on a history of successful youth development, one which acknowledges how all staff are ‘following in the footsteps of great players and staff’ and so have a ‘responsibility to act as guardians to the Manchester United culture, spirit, values and playing style.’ 

The ultimate goal of any academy is clearly to nurture young talents who will become regular first-team players and help the club win trophies. But such a lofty objective is far removed from the day-to-day realities of youth development, whereas ‘developing people’, as the third Lifeblood film is titled, is central.

“It’s not about focusing on the person ahead of the footballer,” explains Nick Cox, Director of Academy. “I just don’t believe you can separate the two. If you really want a young footballer to reach his full potential, you’ve got to nurture the whole person. A really well-rounded personality working hard at developing their character is going to be a better performer and sportsman. 

“But we are also really open that [only] a small number of our players are going to go on to be players here. But all will go on to be a member of their community and society, so we have a duty to consider how this experience nurtures more than just the footballer. Players will leave here having gone hard after achieving excellence on the pitch. But we want that pursuit of excellence to bring about an amazing amount of personal growth so they leave thinking, ‘that was a really brilliant part of my childhood, I’m better for it and it was an education I couldn’t have accessed anywhere else in the world.’”

Lifeblood shows how that education is unique. It’s not just about formal schooling – with older boys attending Ashton-on-Mersey or Manchester Grammar School and later taking GCSEs, A-levels, BTecs and other qualifications – but about social, cultural and vocational learning. This includes workshops or courses on safe driving, mental health, social media, career planning, resilience, drug abuse or cooking. 

In the episode Developing People, our latest Academy graduate, Toby Collyer, is shown learning how to properly cook a steak, for example. But this education also involves travel to the far reaches of the globe, and incredible experiences, whether that be dragon-boat racing in Hong Kong, climbing mountains, putting on community football camps or learning how to appropriately represent the club while on tour. 

This revolves around the core focus: football. And every parent is understandably hoping that their son will become the next United star. “We’re no different as coaches,” Cox explains. “What we’re really fortunate to have is a group of parents that are very understanding. It’s difficult in such a competitive environment. But we know parents are an integral part of a young person’s journey. We want them to help the kids maximise the opportunity, and so we spend a lot of time devising workshops for parents as well.”

The most recent of these workshops was just a fortnight ago. United’s staff believe they are the only top-tier academy in England to host an annual ‘Parents’ Conference’. Parents and guardians are welcomed to Old Trafford and listen to speakers who explain how best to support their child through the Academy journey. Cox speaks to them, but this year’s highlight was a talk from Kobbie Mainoo’s father, Felix, on how his family approached the journey. His main advice to parents was to trust the process and the staff responsible for the players’ development. He explained his view that the Academy is a learning environment just like a school; that it’s a place aiming to develop the individual over a long period, not immediately.

That understanding from parents is evident in Lifeblood. Two fathers watching an Under-16s game at Carrington – whose sons are now playing in this season’s in-form Under-18s side – discuss how they view the ethos of United’s Academy.

“It’s about keeping your feet on the ground,” says Kevin Armer, father of centre-back Dan. “And it’s about making sure it’s a welcoming environment. The other great thing about United is that they want you to try and take that player on. They want you to take the extra touch, to play a ridiculous pass. It’s just a great way to bring the best out of you, because you’re not going to get berated from the sidelines by your coach if you make a mistake. And so we are, as parents, very laid back. We let the kids play and just try and let the coaches do the coaching. They know better.”

Ryan Mills, dad of defender Albert, agrees. “Obviously it’s elitist in the sense that they want the best people, they want people to progress, to do well,” he says, “but actually they create a friendly atmosphere that is conducive to people coming here and enjoying it. 

“It doesn’t feel too high pressure. The kids enjoy their football. To some extent, for Albert, I think it feels like he’s actually playing for his local team. It’s not necessarily like that at all academies. I think some of them do feel a little bit more professional, perhaps too early.” 

There’s certainly a buzz at Carrington on a Saturday morning as several teams are in action at once. And it makes obvious that the annual Parents’ Conference is far from a one-off interaction between staff and adults. 

Martin Drury, who led the Under-16s until this summer when he became first-team coach at West Bromwich Albion, explains this. “What’s great in particular about United is I’ve seen the relationships that are built with the parents of these players,” he says. “The parents are the ones that can give you a great insight into understanding their children. You can’t just think we can find it all out as staff ourselves.” 

Simultaneously, staff recognise their responsibility to keep parents in the loop. “I have children myself and one of them is playing in a [different] academy,” continues Drury. “So my wife will ask, ‘Why is he playing here [in a certain position]?’ And I know from our work here that, in the short term, it might look a bit peculiar as to why players are playing in a certain position but it might really link to something we see as a super strength of theirs, or an area of development that we want to focus on, whether that be leadership, tactical, technical or physical. It’s up to us to help and support parents, to reassure them of what that process is, and be clear and concise.”

This is communicated in regular meetings to discuss an individual’s Athletic Development Plan, into which everyone involved in a player’s journey can input feedback. It’s mapped out for every six-12 weeks and revisited regularly. “Our head of player development for that age group will keep the parent engaged in that,” says Cox. “They explain to parents: ‘this is what we do, and this is why.’” 

Famous examples of particularly different journeys include Jesse Lingard, who played down an age group because, athletically, he wasn’t ready to show his quality yet. And there’s Scott McTominay, who hardly played in his scholarship years due to rapid growth, a topic covered in detail in Lifeblood: Innovation, the second film in the series, where McTominay gives his tuppence on a parents’ role. 

“My dad put very little pressure on me to play for Man United,” he says. “He just said, ‘you enjoy it, you have a good time, I’ll take you three or four times a week, no problem – my time is your time’. A lot of parents are – as every father and mother are – always super invested in how their child is getting on but sometimes you have to leave things to the experts. They’ve seen every case multiple times over and they know how to manage situations like that.” 

While McTominay urged parents to follow his dad’s example, not every player will have such supportive parents or guardians, and the Academy is aware of that. The offering of psychological support has grown greatly in the last decade and there’s a constant awareness that the Academy has to be welcoming and a safe space. “Some of our players have got great support networks away from here,” Cox says. “But the beauty of football is it takes boys and girls from all corners of society and some might not have positive role models in their lives. 

“When they come here, they’re doing something they love, they’ve got purpose, they might have a role model – a coach, a member of staff or an older player – and they have some discipline, structure and boundaries. We want to teach them to be great footballers, but also to take ownership for their own learning, to be accountable for their own behaviours and to be set up for life. We want good people because we think it underpins great performance.”