The FAW has announced that Dr Ian Mitchell has joined the Cymru National Teams as Head of Performance Psychology.
Mitchell re-joins the FAW having previously worked with the Cymru Men’s National Team and age groups, most notably during the UEFA EURO 2016 where Chris Coleman’s side reached the semi- finals. As well as experience with the FAW, Mitchell worked with Swansea City during their time in the English Premier League and with the FA in England as Head of Performance Psychology for five years.
The new role will entail working with the Cymru Men’s National Team as well as additional responsibilities covering both men’s and women’s pathways and culture across the whole of the FAW. Cymru Head Coach Rob Page welcomed the appointment:
“We are delighted to announce Dr Ian Mitchell as our Head of Performance Psychology, the appointment reflects the ambition of the FAW to ensure we provide the highest possible standards to support our Cymru National Teams’ future success. Ian has extensive experience of working with elite footballers initially fulfilling this role following an extensive period of work as a recognised academic in the field of psychology and I look forward to working with him.”
Mitchell will start working with the FAW with immediate effect and says he is looking forward to the challenge:
“It’s an honour and a privilege to return to the FAW having been involved previously. 2016 was incredible, it was a special group of players and staff with a strong environment both on and off the pitch in terms of a high performing culture. It’s an experience I hope to have again with the current regime. Wales is such a unique country with a great culture and a real sense of belonging and identity, I can’t wait to get started again.”
The appointment aligns with the FAW’s High Performance Strategy, launched during last year’s National Coaches Conference. The FAW’s Chief Football Officer Dr David Adams said:
“We recognise following the launch our high-performance strategy a gap in our capacity to provide psychological support to our men’s and women’s players across all our National Teams and pathways. This area of performance is critical to both individual and team success and Ian has both the knowledge and practical experience to integrate psychological strategies across our teams, we are delighted to welcome Ian back to the FAW.”
