In football, clubs are highly invested in protecting their players — but their support often comes with one limitation: the line between professional and personal life gets blurred. While clubs assign staff to handle logistics and routines, their primary duty is to the employer, not the individual. This leaves many athletes without a trusted, independent figure to manage the realities of life off the pitch.

The Risks of Club-Controlled Assistance

When a personal assistant is employed directly by the club, the player’s privacy can be compromised. Their role may be less about supporting the person and more about reporting back to management. This creates a conflict of interest: the footballer is never fully free to trust or rely on them, especially in moments that require discretion.

I once worked with a high-profile player in the UK whose club had previously assigned him a personal assistant. Instead of supporting his personal needs, her role became one of control. At one point, she even removed his passport to prevent him from traveling on his scheduled rest days. For me, that experience highlighted the dangers of treating adult professionals like children. Athletes deserve autonomy, and their assistants should be allies, not enforcers.

The Role of an Independent Personal Assistant

A true personal assistant is not family, not a friend, and certainly not the club. We are independent professionals whose role is to bring stability, discretion, and empathy to a player’s life. From organizing schedules to managing international travel, from supporting their families to being a quiet presence during difficult times, our job is to make sure athletes can focus on what they do best — performing on the pitch.

Why Clubs Should Encourage It

Encouraging players to have independent personal assistants doesn’t weaken the club’s control — it strengthens the player’s performance. With the right support system, athletes are less distracted, better adapted to new environments, and mentally stronger. In a career as short and intense as football, those small margins make all the difference.

Footballers are not just assets — they are people. And people perform at their best when they feel supported, respected, and understood.