🟢 “We are preparing them as players and as people” — Mackenzie Brown on his new role at Plymouth Argyle’s academy
After leaving his post as a PE teacher to become Head of Player Care at Argyle's academy, Mackenzie Brown talks to us about the key details of his new job. Plus, we round up the midweek games.
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⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
🟢 “We are preparing them as players and as people” — Mackenzie Brown on his new role at Plymouth Argyle’s academy
⚽ Midweek round-up
🔵 SWPL Premier West
📸 IN PICTURES: Mullion 5-2 Truro City reserves
👀 What’s on this weekend
Enjoy. 〓〓
🟢 “We are preparing them as players and as people” — Mackenzie Brown on his new role at Plymouth Argyle’s academy
By Colin Bradbury
It’s been quite the summer for Mackenzie ‘Macca’ Brown.
In May, after seven years managing Millbrook, he made the move to Western League rivals Saltash United. Soon after, he left his post as a PE teacher in Launceston to take up the role of Head of Player Care at the Plymouth Argyle Academy.
Brown, a well-known figure in local football, is the latest Cornish talent to join the Pilgrims’ team, alongside the likes of Paul Rowe who combines managing Wadebridge Town with his role as Head of Cornwall Recruitment and Development for the Championship club.
Speaking to Cornwall Sports Media, Brown said that across the academies at all 92 clubs in the Premier League and EFL it is now mandatory to employ a Head of Player Care. “An academy is an educational setting, and it’s a more pressurised one than most,” Brown explains. “A lot of schools have support for young people but it’s an area that football clubs lacked in previous decades.”
Argyle’s commitment to bringing players up through the academy is clear, with the recent announcement that £21 million would be invested in the Brickfields site in Devonport. The site will be the academy’s new home and will contain, amongst other facilities, classrooms for scholars, changing rooms, a gym, a parents’ lounge and a new, covered, 3G football pitch.
Argyle talk a lot about the importance of the academy to the club, and Brown has seen plenty of evidence to back that up, making this an exciting opportunity for him.
“One hundred per cent the club is putting its money where its mouth is,” he said. “The cash being invested in the new academy facility at Brickfields (£11m of which is coming out of Argyle shareholders’ pockets) could have been spent anywhere in the club. But they have the long-term vision to see that if we can develop our own players it can be a real winner for the club. The academy looks and feel like an important part of the club and its future.”
“If Steven Schumacher wants to have players in his dressing room that have come through the academy, we have to make sure they’re prepared. Being a good player is just a small percentage of that.”
So what role will Brown, as Head of Player Care, have in realising this vision?
“Everyone in an academy setting contributes,” he said. “The ultimate goal of the academy is to produce professional footballers. Performance is a big part of it, and this role contributes to that. It’s my job to make sure that the players are happy off the pitch, because that promotes positive performances on it.”
Brown points out that life inside an academy can bring a lot of pressure.
“The academy environment tests young people like nothing else,” he said. “Nine-, 12-, 14-year-olds in an academy are being challenged in ways that others aren’t. If Steven Schumacher wants to have players in his dressing room that have come through the academy, we have to make sure they’re prepared. Being a good player is just a small percentage of that. Being robust, resilient, being able to handle the pressure is a big part of it.”
Brown summarises simply: “We invite them in to this environment and we must take that responsibility seriously.”
That responsibility falls to a multi-disciplinary team that includes the Head of Player Care, Head of Education, Head of Safeguarding and a Player Liaison Officer that also works with the first team. They also work alongside the on-field coaching staff at the academy.
“We have a holistic view of what is happening in each player’s life — we’ll be aware of how their school and family life is going,” Brown explains.
Working with a player’s family is a big part of the job.
“Parents take the brunt of the pressure at home,” Brown said. “They have to handle their childrens’ expectations. Many parents have never been involved in football before. They’re thrown into a completely new world, so a big element of the role is supporting parents to help their kids through this time in their lives.”
Brown recalls Plymouth Argyle academy manager, Phil Stokes, telling him that: “We’ve got the most amazing academy parents. They transport their children to training several times a week but also all around the country. Being in Plymouth, every game is a long-distance trip. Parents are a vital cog and they have to be as dedicated as the players.”
Another key aspect of the Player Care role is one that most players and parents probably don’t like to think about, and that’s preparation for post-academy life for the majority that will not make it as full-time professionals. Understandably, youngsters that have put their hearts and souls into their dream of becoming a pro can be vulnerable if that aspiration does not turn into reality.
Brown recalls speaking to a player who had been released from another academy at the age of 18 who pointed out the difficulties that come with adjusting to a new way of life:
“He said that he’d had a career before a career, from the age of nine to 18. Getting up early, being at school all day and then basically going to work in the evenings to train and going away at weekends to play. If that doesn’t lead to something, it can be soul-destroying.”
Again, the theme of responsibility comes to the fore.
“We have a responsibility to these young people,” he said. “A large percentage of them don’t make it as professional footballers and they have to be able to look back at their time in an academy and say ‘that added value to my life, those were positive years’ and make sure we prepare them for that. They spend an awfully long time in our care.”
“[Argyle] do what they say they are going to do. There’s an amazing culture at Argyle and hopefully I can contribute to it.”
In terms of what attracted him to the role at Argyle, Brown says that it combines several of his passions — football, working with young people and education. He also felt that it was time for a change.
“I didn’t fall out of love with teaching, but after ten years maybe I was getting a bit stale,” he said. “When I started teaching, I wanted to be the best teacher in the world. Now I want to develop the best player care programme in an academy setting in the world. I want to be part of something in English football where clubs around the world look at it and say that we are world-class operators.”
But Brown feels that his background in education will definitely support his new role: “Maybe my teaching career was an apprenticeship for this.”
The same is true with regard to his broad experience in the non-league game over many years. It could be particularly useful with academy players that fall out of the system at age 18, those that aren’t offered professional contracts, but want to continue playing the game. As the example of Jamie Vardy shows, time spent in non-league does not always mean that the dream of a pro career is over.
So it’s going to be an exciting transition for Brown as he gets used to life at a Championship club’s academy. He recognised the risk involved in leaving his career in education but says that one thing convinced him that it was the right move.
“Phil Stokes called me right after my interview to make sure that I felt I was doing the right thing. That made my decision clear,” he said. “I was going into a player care role, and here was Phil looking out for me in exactly the same way. It sums up the club culture — they do what they say they are going to do. There’s an amazing culture at Argyle and hopefully I can contribute to it.”
🔵 SWPL Premier West
⚽ Bodmin Town 2-0 Sticker
Bodmin Town ended their run of three successive defeats with a two-goal victory over Sticker at Priory Park on Wednesday night.
Ben Waters put the home side in front from the penalty spot midway through the first half, before the same man netted his second of the night shortly before the hour.
⚽ Camelford 0-2 St Austell
St Austell’s perfect start to the campaign continued with a two-goal victory at Camelford on Tuesday night.
Martyn Duff gave Chris Knight’s side a slender half-time lead at Trefrew Park before Adam Carter missed the chance to double the advantage when his penalty was saved.
With the game still in the balance, league leaders Town made sure of the points two minutes from time courtesy of an own goal.
⚽ Launceston 1-2 Holsworthy
Two late goals denied Launceston a share of the spoils as the Clarets slipped to a narrow defeat at the hands of Holsworthy on Tuesday.
Andy Watkins missed the chance to give the hosts the lead at Pennygillam when he missed a penalty, but soon teed up Joe Munday to do just that midway through the second half.
With Launceston seemingly heading towards a second successive victory, the Magpies struck twice in the final ten minutes to snatch all three points and break Clarets hearts.
⚽ Mullion 5-2 Truro City reserves
Jack Noy scored twice as Mullion put five goals past Truro City reserves on Tuesday night to end a run of three successive defeats.
The Seagulls led at the break through Brodie Kemp’s effort before Noy and Dan Greet put Rob Carey’s side three goals up soon after the turnaround.
City hit back with two goals from Ben Shaw, but Noy’s spot-kick and Harry Roberts’ strike secured the points for the home side.
⚽ Wadebridge Town 2-2 Newquay
It was honours even between Wadebridge Town and Newquay as the two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Bodieve Park on Wednesday night.
Cam Turner put the Peppermints in front with a fine free kick from 25 yards before Jacob Rowe got the faintest of touches on Sam Wickins’ cross to level the scores before the break.
Phil Lowry nodded Newquay back in front fewer than two minutes after the turnaround before Cam Bidgood rescued a point for Paul Rowe’s side.
📸 IN PICTURES: Mullion 5-2 Truro City reserves
By Colin Bradbury
Check out our selection of photos from Mullion’s 5-2 victory over Truro City reserves on Tuesday night.
Jack Noy scored a brace for the Seagulls, who also netted through Brodie Kemp, Dan Greet and Harry Roberts, while Ben Shaw scored both of City’s goals.
👀 What’s on this weekend
⚽️ EFL Championship: Saturday, 3pm: Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle.
⚽️ National League South: Saturday, 3pm: Eastbourne Borough v Truro City.
🏆 FA Vase first qualifying round: Saturday, 3pm: Bishop Sutton v Wadebridge Town; Bishops Lydeard v Bude Town; Crediton United v Liskeard Athletic; Dobwalls v St Blazey; Falmouth Town v Honiton Town; Launceston v Callington Town; Saltash United v Radstock Town; Sidmouth v Camelford; St Austell v Bodmin Town.
⚽️ Western League Premier Division: Saturday, 3pm: Helston Athletic v Millbrook; Torpoint Athletic v Ilfracombe Town.
⚽️ South West Peninsula League Premier West: Saturday, 3pm: Holsworthy v Truro City reserves; Newquay v Mullion; Penzance v St Dennis.
We’re back on Friday. See you then!
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