Supporting the development of players through the academy system at Wolves can come in different shapes and forms.
Whether that’s with their performance on the pitch or progression in other areas off it, the player care department has a handle on the day-to-day programme for the youngsters rising through the ranks at Compton Park. Welfare and wellbeing of the players is paramount for the player care team, who are there to support every need throughout the journey.
Player care officer, Rhondell Stabana, has been at Wolves since October 2021 and after originally starting with the under-12s to under-16s, now manages the under-15s to under-18s and his role also stretches as far as the under-21s at times. Based in the academy building at Compton, Stabana’s support for the players covers a broad and wide-ranging number of areas, all with the prime aim of ensuring they become well-rounded young men who are able to thrive inside and outside of football.
Speaking on the pre-season tour in Bratislava, Stabana has given an overview of his role and how a typical day could look, the current key focuses for the player care team, how first-team scholars are supported in transitioning into their first job and how trips away are utilised to provide different experiences.
On an overview of his role
“Player care looks at the welfare and wellbeing of the players. We’re here to make sure they have a good journey and transition well throughout their time at the academy, that they enjoy themselves, have a good experience and one they can look back on with pride.
“When they leave, whether that’s graduating through the system or exiting through release, that we support them through those transitions and work with them to become well-rounded lads who can thrive in and out of football.”
On his average day at work
“I don’t really have an average day! We develop the life skills programme, so we’re coordinating booking people in whether that’s externally or ourselves.
“We bounce between supporting any safeguarding issues, supporting new players coming in and finding them accommodation and with the younger ages, finding them host families – we support with all of that and manage that.
“It’s general player support really, but that includes a lot and it’s very broad. Whatever players need for support and to get their voices heard through the academy is something we promote.
“On trips and tours, we support with the organisation of them and the delivery of them too. We make sure the players get the best out of it and that’s on and off the field. A lot of my role at the moment is the off-the-field side to make sure that’s all coming together and we’re all educating the players as we go to produce well-rounded young men.”
On key focuses at the moment
“At the moment, especially while we’re on tour, we’re looking at having a bit of a life skills audit. We’re trying to get a bit out of the players to find out what they’re good at, what they’re not so good at, what their interests are outside of football and then pulling that together from a life skills perspective to see what we can help develop.
“There are lads here who can’t cook so it’s how we support them in trying to find cooking lessons but also, what can we do in-house to develop their skillset.
“Eventually, some of these lads will go out on loan so it’s about helping them develop off-the-field so they can survive in and out of football.
“In football that would look like a loan, moving to their own place and us supporting their transition into that and making sure they have the skills to look after themselves while they’re there, but also keeping in touch with us. Out of football, what does that look like to move into a university dorm for the first time and have they got all the skills to look after themselves personally?
“With mental health and wellbeing, we’re trying to understand what triggers they might have and what are some good strategies to support their mental health and wellbeing, especially in a tough environment like football, the world and society.
“A few of the lads were talking about what their role was in society and how they can contribute. We’ve had a chat with some of the scholars about how they’d like to get involved with the Wolves Foundation and maybe do some long-term volunteering.
“For me, it’s about helping us understand the player better so that we can look to personalise their support. That looks different for every boy.”
On supporting the scholars
“We try and take it all the way down to the simple parts at times. It’s the first time they’ve got a job – for a lot of them it’s their first job.
“Even the small things like getting your first pay slip and budgeting the money that you’re getting. It’s a massive transition and the first step of becoming independent and an adult.
“It’s balancing all of that and helping them navigate the football journey whilst helping the staff understand that they’re still 16 to 18 years olds at the end of the day. That means that they’re going to make mistakes and they’re going to have to learn quickly – it’s how we support their learning.
“Even the nuances of how to deal with coaches, how to take criticism, how to show up on time and show the right attitude when you get to sessions. It can be the little finer things as well.”
On this summer’s pre-season trip
“It’s been really good. We came here last year so it’s been a good chance to return to the same place, we’re familiar with it and we know what we’re getting.
“It’s just how the lads react to the programme really. It’s been an intense one and it’s been quite well-packed.
“We went kayaking down the Danube the other day and it was good to see that the lads were just being kids and were able to relax in the environment as well.”
On still having to get work done on tour
“They’ve still got education and player care sessions that they’re doing and they need to get involved in. Despite some of the boys moaning, it’s normal work and the only change is working with the 16s who haven’t been in a full-time programme before.
“We’ve been supporting them in that space to make sure they’re ok while they’re getting involved in quite an intense programme. We’re making sure they’ve got enough breaks and have time to reset because it can be quite intense, even when we’re doing the socials and the games in the evening.”
On supporting the staff
“It’s supporting the staff as well. As player care we sit in the middle of players and staff and it’s a difficult position to be in, but we try and navigate by making sure the players voices are heard but then equally supporting the staff in relating to the players and communicating.
“We’re not on-field coaches so we don’t affect the football, but we can help the lads learn how to navigate the nuances in the football environment.”
On different experiences away on tour
“It’s hard for the younger lads because they’re used to going on tours and it being enjoyable. They’re getting to the tournament and they want to win but, actually, it’s all about experiences.
“On the flip side, a pre-season tour is more heavily focused on work, it’s more intense, you’re trying to get to a level which will set you up for the rest of the season.
“The feeling is very different so it’s supporting the lads to make sure they understand that and finding those spaces where they can chill out. This year we’ve introduced the players room and both age groups have had outdoor excursions.
“The 21s went go-karting with Lindsey (Parkes) and the 18s went Kayaking down the Danube. It’s about finding those spaces to give them a new experience and quite a lot of them wouldn’t have done that before – they probably haven’t been on a river before.
“Part of our role is also to create those experiences and, whilst we’re off-site, we’ve got a really good opportunity to hit those. Some lads can’t even swim so we’re helping them to learn how to swim in the pool, so it’s about taking advantage of the new environment to hit everyone’s objectives – that’s from a football perspective and an off-field perspective.”
On the player care department
“This is the first time we’ve had two player care on a tour. Me and Lindsey are working with the 18s and 21s.
“As a whole there’s five of us and the difference in our department compared to most clubs is that we’re one department. We flow straight through to the first-team.
“Lisa (Hollis) is our head of player care, Lindsey predominantly picks up first-team stuff but also 21s, I’m 15s to 18s, Natalie (Scates) is 9s to 12s and then Will (Houghton) is doing a lot of the loan stuff in supporting our loan players and then also the alumni and lads transitioning out of the programme.
“As a whole we’ve got a really good spread and probably better than most. That allows us to transition players really well and from person-to-person.
“We’ve got lads who are in the 18s who are dropping into first-team training, dropping into 21s training and moving between the groups. That allows us to have eyes on and support that transition really easily because we’ve got player care in all avenues who will support slightly differently, but the core of it is still the same.”
