Durham Women FC – competing in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2 – are seeking a Sports Psychologist to work with our professional players.
You’ll support players to ensure they are ready to compete at the highest level.
Please note that this role is offered on a 0.5 FTE basis.
📝 Role Title: Sports Psychologist
👥 Reports to: Head of Football
📍 Location: Maiden Castle, DH1 3SE
💰 Salary: Competitive, dependent upon experience
📅 Closing Date: 5pm on Thursday 25th June
📅 Interview Date: TBC
🔍 About the Role
As Sports Psychologist, you will work with our first team squad to develop adaptability and capability and embed psychological insight into our football programme.
You will deliver one-to-one, small group and whole squad sessions across the season as situations dictate.
🎯 Key Responsibilities
- Enhance performance through applied psychological practice, supporting players and staff to understand and shape their inner experiences and behaviours in ways that serve the demands of the game.
- Develop adaptive capacity, helping individuals and teams build the psychological tools to navigate challenge, uncertainty and high-pressure moments with flexibility and intention.
- Support identity and transition, offering psychologically informed support across key life and career stages for example injury, selection, maternity, careers and retirement.
- Embed psychological insight into the football ecosystem, collaborating with coaches, performance staff and club systems to ensure everyday environments are aligned with psychological principles.
- Safeguard psychological safety and ethical practice, ensuring that all work is inclusive, culturally sensitive and grounded in safe, trust-based relationships.
- Advance the women’s game through psychological leadership, contributing insight, strategy and advocacy to shape a progressive, person-centred, and high-performing future.
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and the successful candidate may be asked to complete other roles and duties to ensure the successful running of the football club.
🧠 What We’re Looking For
Essential:
- MSc in psychology/sport psychology
- British Psychological Society Chartered Status or BASES Accredited (or equivalent)
- Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK or holds membership with an equivalent professional organisation such as the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) in the United States, or relevant national councils in other countries.
- Enhanced DBS (can be completed in post)
- FA Safeguarding Children qualification (can be completed in post)
- Emergency First Aid / FA IFAiF (or equivalent) (can be completed in post)
Desirable:
- PhD in psychology/sport psychology or relevant equivalent
- Qualification in validated psychometric instruments (e.g personality assessments, mental skills
- inventories)
- Experience of women’s high-performance sport and football
- Active engagement in professional development such as participation in conferences,
- workshops and ongoing learning opportunities.
- Qualification in counselling and / or therapeutic techniques, such as:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Preprocessing (EMDR)
Please note that the successful candidate will be required to complete any other qualifications as required by the club or WSL Football.
📧 How to Apply
To apply for this role, send your CV and a Cover Letter explaining your suitability for the role, along with your salary expectations, to info@durhamwfc.co.uk. Please ensure that the subject line of your email is ‘Your Name – Sports Psychologist’.
