The Psychological Impact of Being Released from Football Academies

This blog was published on the BPS website and can be found here: https://www.bps.org.uk/blog/psychological-impact-being-released-football-academies

The BPS is calling on the FA, Premier League, and EFL to join forces and provide funding for psychologists for clubs lower down the football pyramid. Here, BPS member Danny Morley takes an in-depth look at the psychological impact that being released has on young footballers.

Becoming a professional footballer remains a dream for many young people in the UK. Yet the reality is stark: only around 0.5% of academy players in England progress to the professional level. Every year, hundreds of young people are released from academies, often after spending most of their childhoods in the system. How are these young people affected?

Why it hurts so much: A Psychological Lens

Although I never played in an academy myself, leaving semi-professional football at 20 gave me an insight into the emotional impact of stepping away from football. For my Master's research to become a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist, I explored the experiences of former academy players through a psychotherapy lens. Their accounts echoed my own feelings, though on a more significant level. A few themes appeared consistently:

• Loss of identity: Athletes in particular develop very robust identities around their sport, which allows them to centre their lives around performance. The loss of this can be devastating and leave significant questions such as "who am I without football?".

• Loss of worth: Similarly many academy footballers have their worth tied completely to their performance as a footballer. Some describe constantly being praised when playing well and people wanting to associate with them, and the opposite when things went wrong. This is a by-product of a heavily performance-focussed environment; when this is taken away it can leave individuals feeling like a failure.

• Loss of attachments: Football provides a secure base, and also a structure through training and matches that cannot be recreated outside the football sphere. Alongside this many friendships are formed in these environments that no longer serve the same purpose without football. The competitive environments they experience in the academy also avoid the ability to be vulnerable, often leaving them feeling that they can't ask for support in the real world. 

  
  

  

  Football gave me some of my happiest memories but it hurt when I left it behind. I definitely lost a sense of who I was.

  
  

The Current Landscape and What Needs to Change

For many, the distress of release is shaped not just by what happened, but how it happened. Although professional clubs are required to have in-house psychologists, these roles often sit within performance departments rather than therapeutic provision. Its clear the human behind the footballer needs more attention when hearing these experiences:

"I was told I wasn't good enough"

"I didn't even get an opportunity to sit down with the coach and get an explanation"

"I didn't get any support after"

"It came out of nowhere"

"It was like losing a family member"

For children who have spent the majority of their formative years in an academy, the messages received at the point of release can expand far beyond football. The way they are spoken to, the explanations they are given, and the manner in which the process is handled all shape how they understand themselves during a crucial stage of identity development. Without support, these young people carry forward negative beliefs that can influence their lives long after leaving the sport. Following release, there needs to be a safe space where individuals can process what has happened and begin to understand their experiences. This includes supporting them to recognise and express feelings of shame, grief, anger and confusion (emotions that are often silenced in competitive sporting environments).

Therapeutically, this early period is an opportunity to help them develop coping strategies, stabilise their self-esteem, and begin setting goals for life beyond football. Young people in general are not often taught these skills, more so in a high performance environment. Rebuilding identity is a central part of this work too. Many released players have lived with a singular sense of purpose for years, and the sudden absence of football can leave them feeling directionless. Helping them explore wider values, interests and strengths can support a more resilient sense of self, one that is not dependent on performance or external evaluation. A clear, compassionate process is needed both before and during deselection to prepare players for the high likelihood of transition, something often avoided in academy cultures. Honest yet sensitive conversations can reduce the shock and support families in understanding what to expect. Coaches and parents can also benefit from education about communication, ensuring that young people do not internalise messages of inadequacy or failure. Positive, balanced language during these conversations can make a significant difference in how a player interprets and carries the message forward.

One of the most challenging elements is that any support offered (if any) typically comes from the club responsible for the distress. Unsurprisingly, many are reluctant to engage. Independent support (framed as 'transitional support' rather than 'therapy') may offer a more accessible pathway. Release from an academy is not simply a career setback; it is often an identity crisis at a formative life stage. With greater psychological awareness and more compassionate structures, football can play a significant role in supporting young people through this transition and helping them develop meaningful futures beyond the game.

See a few snapshots of my journey in football below...

On a tour of Wales, I managed to score and win against a Welsh Third Division team. I was fortunate enough to play against a few academies such as Nottingham Forest and FC Copenhagen (who we beat!). The latter was in a tournament in Netherlands. I was never quite good enough to be in an academy in hindsight but I scored a lot of goals for my school and Saturday youth team. I was a goal poacher in the mould of Gary Lineker...

Under 16s League winners. The best team I ever played in. I scored a hatful in those purple gloves...I resorted to wearing them in the warmer months too!

I loved the step up to men's football and I played the whole of my first season in the first team at 17 against men sometimes twice my age. I had some really good games, and good memories too. It was a low semi-professional level, but by 20 I had given it up. Most of my friends who I grew up with had given up playing by this time and I was often sat on a bench towards the end (of course I would say unfairly). I became very burnt out by football and no longer loved it the same.

I still do wonder what would have happened if I had have carried on playing, the chances are I would have moved a league or two above but I doubt I would be a psychotherapist. I certainly would never have made a living from football!

I got to play at St George's Park before England even did! They needed a team to test England's training pitch when the ground was set, and we were lucky enough to play Burton Albion Under 19s in a friendly. Lionel Messi has since played there, I guess you could say he has followed in my footsteps.