29/05/2026
I’ve been working on something called the FMHA Player Passport, and the more I sit with it, the more obvious the problem feels.
Most clubs already know important things about their players. Not in a formal way. Not always written down. But someone knows. A parent/carer/guardian (PCG) has mentioned that their child struggles when plans change. A coach has worked out that shouting instructions across the pitch makes things worse. A team manager knows a player needs a few minutes after a difficult half. Someone else knows that public praise is embarrassing for them, not motivating. Another adult knows they’re brilliant once they’ve had time to understand what’s being asked.
The issue is where all that knowledge lives.
Usually it’s scattered. A bit in someone’s head, a bit in a WhatsApp message, a bit from a conversation in the car park, a bit remembered by one coach who happens to “get” the player. That works until it doesn’t. The coach leaves, the player moves age group, a PCG has to explain everything again, or something happens on match day and everyone realises nobody has the same picture.
That’s what the Player Passport is trying to fix.
Not by turning every child into a file. That would be awful. And not by asking PCGs to complete some cold, medical-style form that makes football feel like a referral pathway. The point is much more practical than that. It gives PCGs and carers a way to share what helps their child enjoy football, communicate well, handle pressure, manage match days, and feel understood. Then the club welfare lead reviews it before anything becomes official or coach-facing.
That review step matters. A PCG’s answers shouldn’t just drop straight into a coach’s hands without someone sensible checking what should be shared, what should stay restricted, and what needs a conversation. Coaches need the practical bit, not the whole backstory.
So the product creates two things from one passport: the full record for the right people in the club, and a shorter coach snapshot that can actually be read before training or a game. How to communicate. What helps. What to avoid. Match-day things to know. What to do if the player becomes overwhelmed.
That’s the bit I care about most. If a coach can’t read it quickly and support the player better, then it’s just another nice-looking admin tool pretending to be progress.
We’re still testing it with fictional data only, because anything involving young people’s information has to be handled properly before it goes live. But the shape feels right.
PCGs know things clubs need to know. Coaches need the right information, not all the information. And players shouldn’t have to rely on one adult remembering one conversation at the right time.
