The FA · free preview
Football Psychology and Player Welfare
The 5Cs, confidence and control, communication and team talks, pressure and mental health, and the welfare of professional players.
£250 (an in-game price — FA runs no standalone psychology course today) · Built on the 5Cs psychology pathway (formerly FA Psychology Levels 1–5) and the welfare and safeguarding courses
Free lesson · The 5Cs
Where this course comes from
From roughly 2008 to 2017, The FA ran a five-level Psychology for Football pathway. It was built on the 5Cs — Commitment, Communication, Concentration, Control and Confidence — developed with a leading university sport psychologist as the psychological backbone of its coach education. The 5Cs fill the psychological corner of the four-corner player-development model (technical/tactical, physical, psychological, social). Note: five Cs inside a four-corner model, not a “five-corner model”.
| Level | What it was |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Online and self-paced, about £25: young players’ developmental needs, how children learn skills, motivation. It was the first online qualification of its kind. |
| Levels 2–3 | National courses applying the 5Cs: environment, communication, confidence-building. |
| Level 4 | Residential, multi-day, for the professional and academy game; portfolio assessment. |
| Level 5 | By application: mentors, coach developers and psychologists. |
The standalone pathway has been discontinued. There is no equivalent standalone psychology qualification in the current catalogue: the content now sits inside the UEFA C, B and A diplomas, the national playing philosophy, webinars and free resources. For a deeper route, a postgraduate certificate in football psychology, emotional intelligence and leadership runs through the the PFA Business School with a university: 10 months, about £5,900 plus VAT, with a £2,000 grant for members.
Source: Specialist & support roles reference · FA "Psychology for Football" Pathway
The syllabus: 5 modules, 20 lessons
- 1
The 5Cs
- Where this course comes from free preview
- Psychology as a coaching discipline
- Commitment: why players keep working
- Motivation, goals and a united squad
- 2
Confidence, concentration and control
- Concentration: attention to the right cues
- Control: emotions and arousal
- Confidence: belief that is built, not wished for
- Imagery: rehearsing in the mind
- 3
Communication and team talks
Pitch practical Give the team talk the moment needs.
- Communication on the pitch
- Feedback that builds players
- Leaders in the dressing room
- The team talk the moment needs
- 4
Pressure, resilience and mental health
- Training players to handle pressure
- Resilience after mistakes and defeats
- Mental health: support, signs and referral
- The transitions that hit hardest
- 5
Player welfare in the professional game
- Welfare comes first, even in a first team
- Responding to a disclosure or concern
- Boundaries, culture and digital rules
- Adult players: duty of care and support