LALIGA is driving the professionalisation of youth academy psychology departments by hosting its first specialist forum

On 16 and 17 June, LALIGA held the 1st LALIGA Youth Academy Psychology Forum at its headquarters in Madrid, a pioneering event that brought together more than 60 professionals from 38 LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION clubs with the aim of sharing knowledge, methodologies and common challenges relating to the holistic development of young footballers.

The initiative forms part of Phase 2 of the National Youth Academy Plan, which seeks to continue raising the quality standards of training in Spanish professional football. In this context, the development of psychology departments constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of the youth academy certification process promoted in collaboration with AENOR.

The certification includes specific indicators relating to the implementation of systems for the protection and comprehensive care of minors, the existence of child protection protocols, cross-functional coordination between the psychology and youth academy departments, the development of dual-career programmes combining academic and sporting training, mental health initiatives, and projects to prevent bullying and violence.

The forum also highlighted the progress made by clubs in recent years. Whilst during the first phase of the National Youth Academy Plan one of the main questions was whether or not clubs had a psychologist within their structure, the focus is now on defining and consolidating increasingly sophisticated intervention models.

“Just a few years ago, we were asking clubs whether they had a psychologist in their youth setup. Today, the conversation is completely different: we are discussing intervention models, integration into the sporting structure, the planning of psychological programmes and the comprehensive protection of players. This shift demonstrates the enormous maturity that Spanish youth football is achieving,” said José Ángel García, psychologist and Football Projects Manager at LALIGA.

Over the two days, two main areas of work were addressed. On the one hand, all aspects related to the wellbeing and comprehensive protection of minors, including the

management of expectations, relationships with the family environment, the prevention of violent behaviour, the treatment of potential addictions, mental health, and the development of academic support and dual-career programmes. On the other hand, the workshop delved into the role played by psychology within the training and competition process, exploring issues such as the integration of psychologists into coaching staff, cognitive training applied to football, neurotraining and the use of biofeedback tools.

These topics reflect one of the distinctive features of the Spanish training model, where decision-making, understanding the game and the footballer’s ability to adapt are essential elements within the teaching and training processes.

“The field of psychology is set to play an increasingly important role within professional youth academies. The aim is not for this field to be seen as merely a ‘problem-solver’; we want it to be recognised as a strategic element for the player’s holistic development and for optimising learning processes and sporting performance,” said Juan Florit, Head of Football Projects at LALIGA.

One of the main outcomes of the meeting was the consolidation of a genuine collective intelligence network amongst the participating clubs. With this aim in mind, LALIGA has launched a Psychology Channel, designed as a permanent space for collaboration where youth academy professionals can share projects, methodologies, research, challenges and best practices.

Furthermore, the organisation has begun to develop a specific consultancy and advisory service to support clubs in implementing and improving their psychological structures, thereby reinforcing the work being carried out as part of the youth academy certification process.

The 1st LALIGA Youth Academy Psychology Forum marks the first step in an ongoing initiative. Over the coming years, LALIGA will continue to promote specialised meetings, knowledge-sharing tools and technical support programmes designed to further strengthen the role of psychology within professional youth academies and consolidate a training model focused on the holistic development of young footballers.