Exclusive: Building Chelsea's sport science & psychology setup (with Tim Harkness) - Part 1 cover art

Exclusive: Building Chelsea's sport science & psychology setup (with Tim Harkness) - Part 1

Exclusive: Building Chelsea's sport science & psychology setup (with Tim Harkness) - Part 1

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 Sometimes, stats really help to paint a picture. Tim Harkness worked at Chelsea for 14 years, between 2009 and 2023, during which time the London club won 14 major trophies. Whilst no-one’s claiming that Tim’s time at the club was as significant as some of the coaches he worked with, from Jose Mourinho to Carlo Ancelotti, it’s also true that sustained sporting success (spanning different coaches, owners and, of course, players) is usually underpinned by sound backroom practices. In this episode of the Mind Room podcast, we look at how Tim helped to build Chelsea’s sport science and psychology setup, what he did to develop relationships with figures like Bruno Demichelis (Chelsea’s former Human Performance Director and founder of AC Milan’s ‘Mind Room’) and why ‘surviving’ as a sport psychologist in elite football is about much more than sport psychology.You can listen to the first part of this two-episode conversation via the audio player above. Part 2, which will focus on the second half of Tim’s tenure at Chelsea, will be available soon on The Mind Room site soon.Key takeaways If you don’t have time to checkout the pod, which I’d definitely recommend doing, here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts on the episode:* Adapt your approach to your surroundings: it sounds like an obvious point, but how many of us (in any walk of life, let alone elite football, where support staff are hired and fired with disheartening regularity) have tried too hard to leave an immediate imprint on an organisation? Tim would have been easily forgiven for experimenting as soon as he arrived at Stamford Bridge, particularly given the backing he received from Bruno Demichelis (Ancelotti’s right-hand man, in many respects), but he realised he was joining a club with an established culture, natural leaders sprinkled throughout the squad and a track record of performing under pressure. So, a chunk of the early part of Tim’s tenure was devoted to relationship building across the organisation, from Ancelotti all the way down to academy coaches and backroom team members.* Being a sport psychologist is not just about sport psychology: during our conversation, Tim tells a tale of taking a first-team team-talk, just prior to a 6-0 win. Despite the victory, he wasn’t invited to address the side in the dressing room again. Whatever the decision was down to, it backs up Tim’s point that the job would be so easy ‘if it was just sport psychology.’ In reality, at a club like Chelsea, it’s as much about responding to unusual requests and slight setbacks (such as the team talk example Tim cites), as it is about holding group workshops and one-on-one sessions.* Stakeholder engagement isn’t just about the first-team: there will be spells during a sport psychologist’s time with a team where they might not be flavour of the month. After enjoying the backing of Bruno Demichelis and establishing a relationship with Carlo Ancelotti, Tim had comparatively little interaction with the Italian’s successor, Andre Villas Boas. Rather than bashing his head against a brick wall, Tim chose to spend time with the academy and loan management teams, developing links with figures like Eddie Newton (who would go on to work as the club’s assistant manager during Roberto Di Matteo’s time in charge). It was a smart strategy, which paid off in spades as Chelsea doubled-down on backing an academy now ranked as one of the best in the world.* Backroom team relationships can be just as important as specialist skills: it was really interesting to hear Tim reference the player relationships he and his backroom team colleagues built, when we discussed the impact of the head coach changes Chelsea made between 2011 and 2013. Tim points out that the managerial flux was in contrast to a relatively settled squad of support staff, who were able to provide incoming coaching teams with invaluable institutional knowledge and understanding of first-team dynamics. It underscores the point that support staff, beyond their specialist skillset, provide value to coaching teams in a range of different ways.Questions?If you have any queries about the newsletter, get in touch by emailing mindroomenquiries@gmail.com.Previous articlesAs a Mind Room Member, you can access all of the website stories - covering everything from AC Milan’s neuroscience lab to the way English rugby teams are embracing ‘shared mental models’ - via the four sections below:* Theory* Practice* Strategy * FeaturesThanks again for reading The Mind Room! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themindroom.substack.com/subscribe
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