Sport psychology is often an afterthought in elite football academies—introduced late and the first to be cut. Something added last minute, squeezed between GPS reports and tactics meetings.

This undermines the potential of psychological support and places undue pressure on practitioners thrust into complex environments without adequate backing.

We knew it had to be better. That’s why we built the Sport Psychology Canvas.

This framework isn’t just another model. It’s a context-first working tool, unapologetically practical, and built for the realities of academy life.

The Canvas pushes you to map your environment—power structures, culture, development philosophies—and then design psychology services that are not bare minimum but provide actual impact for people working in those conditions.

We wanted something that practitioners could use on Monday morning. What makes it powerful is its simplicity. The Canvas gives “psychs” a visual, collaborative tool to show their thinking—whether you’re pitching to a head of coaching or aligning with the physio team. It creates space for joined-up conversations and fewer “what do you even do?” moments.

Here are three quick tips for using The Canvas:

1. Map your environment. Who are the power brokers, what are their perceptions of sport psychology, and how are you proactive in your collaboration?

2. Create clear interventions. What is your practitioner philosophy, how does it fit with what you’re asked to do, and how do you get that to the people who need it?

3. Facilitate Collaboration: Use it as a visual tool to foster dialogue among coaches, medical staff, and management, ensuring psychological services are integrated rather than isolated.
Whether you’re embedded, consulting, or somewhere in-between, the Canvas lets you build provision with intent.
Bonus. You can access ready-to-use templates by clicking here!

References:

• Feddersen, N. B., Champ, F., & Littlewood, M. A. (2025). The Sport Psychology Canvas: Designing, adapting, and documenting Sport Psychology provisions in men’s football academies in England. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2024.2446206
• Feddersen, N. B., Champ, F., Sæther, S. A., & Littlewood, M. (2023). Confidentiality and surveillance challenges for psychologists working in men’s football academies in England. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(5), 897-917. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2022.2134506
• Feddersen, N. B., Champ, F., Sæther, S. A., & Littlewood, M. (2023). How psychologists in Men’s English football academies evaluate their working context and adopt an appropriate professional practice framework. The Sport Psychologist, 37(3), 170-178. https://doi.org/10.1123/tsp.2022-0154
• Feddersen, N. B. (2023). Introducing Empowered Consent to Deal With the Current Challenges in Applied Sport Psychology. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2022-0060