Academy Player Care Manager (U9-U16)

Arsenal Football Club; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

Holiday entitlement and family leave

Learning and development programmes

Ticketing priority for matches

Health and wellbeing benefits

Employee networking and ED&I activity

Job summary

Arsenal Football Club is seeking an Academy Player Care Manager (U9-U16) to join the Academy Operations team, focusing on the wellbeing, development and academy experience of young players. You will work with players, parents, schools and host families to provide tailored support across U9–U16.

You will lead player care programmes, support transitions through the academy pathway and ensure families receive guidance at every stage. A DBS check and safeguarding training are part of the role.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting children, young people and families.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication with diverse contacts.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Knowledge of safeguarding practices.
• Understanding of youth football development and academy operations.
• Proficient IT skills and accurate record-keeping.
• Caring, proactive and trustworthy approach.

Responsibilities

• Support our young players and families - build positive relationships, acting as a key contact.
• Lead player development programmes - coordinate the Academy Transition Strategy and Lifelong Learner Programme.
• Manage the Host Family Programme - recruit, support and maintain relationships with host families.
• Promote player wellbeing - support wellbeing initiatives and appropriate support.
• Maintain player care records - ensure accuracy and confidentiality while supporting reporting.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders - work with Academy staff, families and external organisations.
• Coordinate inductions and transitions - support transitions and annual induction activities.
• Support Academy events and wider initiatives - contribute to tours, tournaments and projects.

Skills

Welfare support

Stakeholder management

Multidisciplinary teams

Organisational skills

Safeguarding knowledge

Football development knowledge

IT skills

Trustworthy & caring

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

The Role

We're looking for an Academy Player Care Manager (U9-U16) to join our Academy Operations team and play an important role in supporting the wellbeing, development and Academy experience of our young players. Working closely with players, parents, schools, host families and multidisciplinary colleagues, you'll provide individual player care support across the Under 9 to Under 16 age groups while helping to create a challenging and caring environment. You'll lead key player care programmes, support successful transitions through the Academy pathway, and ensure players and families receive the guidance and support they need at every stage of their development. You'll contribute to creating a positive and supportive environment where young players can thrive and develop both on and off the pitch.

Who we are

We are one of the most famous clubs in world football, with a rich heritage and history of success – read more about our history, here. Beyond that, we are passionate about our local community and, behind the scenes, we have a wide variety of opportunities and career paths for all. We have a very defined purpose: to act for a winning team, culture and community. We achieve this by ensuring we are courageous in the pursuit of progress, we champion our community and each other, and that we do the right thing (even when no one is looking).

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We therefore require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.

Your day-to-day

• Support our young players and families - you’ll build positive relationships with players and parents, providing tailored support and acting as a key point of contact when required
• Lead player development programmes - you will coordinate and deliver the Academy Transition Strategy and Lifelong Learner Programme, providing engaging life skills and personal development opportunities
• Manage the Host Family Programme - you’ll recruit, support and maintain relationships with host families, coordinating placements and ensuring a positive experience for players
• Promote player wellbeing - you will support wellbeing initiatives, coordinate appropriate support and contribute to an environment that enables players to flourish
• Maintain player care records - you’ll ensure information is accurate, organised and managed confidentially while supporting wider reporting requirements
• Collaborate with key stakeholders - you will work closely with Academy staff, families and external organisations to support player development and resolve issues effectively
• Coordinate inductions and transitions - you’ll support players and families through key Academy transitions and deliver annual induction activities
• Support Academy events and wider initiatives - you’ll contribute to tours, tournaments and wider player care projects across the Academy

Position of Trust

As someone in a position of trust role involving regular, direct contact with children or vulnerable adults you will be expected to uphold high standards of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual, physical, or emotional harm. This role requires you to keep updated with both Club and FA Safeguarding training and education.

What we are looking for

• Experience supporting children, young people and families - you can demonstrate a track record of providing welfare-focused support and building trusted relationships
• Outstanding stakeholder management skills - you’re able to communicate effectively and build positive relationships with a range of internal and external contacts
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams - you’re comfortable collaborating with colleagues from different departments to achieve shared objectives
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills - you can manage programmes, maintain records and balance competing priorities effectively
• Knowledge of safeguarding practices - you understand the importance of safeguarding policies, procedures and responsibilities when working with young people
• An understanding of the football development environment - you ideally hold knowledge of the youth development frameworks and Academy operations
• Confident IT skills - you’re comfortable using Microsoft 365 and maintaining accurate administrative records
• A caring, proactive and trustworthy approach - you build trust quickly, handle sensitive matters with discretion and positively contribute to team culture

Why choose us

At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service
• Great internal learning and development programmes
• A flexible hybrid working model
• Priority access to apply for match tickets
• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package
• A leading Employee Assistance Programme
• Great discounts with some of our Partners
• An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks

Discover why ‘Our Gunners’ are proud to be part of our team - view their stories here.

Arsenal for Everyone

Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to the same Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch.

Disability Confident Leader

We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application. If you are likely to meet the definition of being a ‘disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme - please indicate this in your application form below.

Application Closing Date

Sunday 15th November 2026

Please note: we reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later. Updates on the status of your application will be sent via email, please routinely check your spam and junk folders, as occasionally emails sent via the Teamtailor platform will find themselves there. Good luck!