“There have been requests where I have thought \u2018that\u2019s a bit odd\u2019 but it\u2019s not about judgement it\u2019s about support. But if it is really genuinely stupid, I will probably tell them that!”<\/p>\n
Having now spent over a decade in the industry, Scheckter has had to contend with burglaries, family health issues and player’s setting off their fire alarms. For a new signing joining from a different country, understanding the finer details of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, or paying council tax, can sometimes be tricky. All of which means Scheckter is on call 24 hours a day and never off duty.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/prostinternational.comwp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/scheckter.86ab998d9ca2534b02f43c593a157cbb.jpg\")
Photo: Southampton FC<\/p><\/div>\n
The actual job of a player care department or a player liaison officer can be difficult to work out for your typical football supporter. Many, even, might not be aware that they exist. Yet, away from the glitz and the glamour of high end professional football and the rollercoaster of a Premier League weekend, they are arguably one of the key, most integral, figures at a club.<\/p>\n
The role of a player liaison officer is still somewhat nebulous. It is an all-encompassing job but one that doesn’t actually have a distinct set of tasks to carry out each day. Perhaps that goes a fair way in explaining why the role had been around for decades, but only in an unofficial capacity. At Aston Villa in 2002, Lorna McLellan was the first individual to be given the official title of a player liaison, rather than be merely viewed as a staff member that just helped out.<\/p>\n
19 years on, football clubs are taking the role more seriously than ever before. Player care departments are being created, welfare and wellbeing officers are being established and students are now going to university wanting to be player liaisons.<\/p>\n
So, it leads us all to the most glaring question; what exactly is a player liaison officer?<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s quite wide-ranging and there\u2019s a lot of different clubs who have different structures and responsibilities,” says Scheckter. “I pretty much see it as covering anything that isn\u2019t football or medical around the first team. It could be player relocation, getting them to do their commercial, marketing, foundation appearances, helping out with first team travel, team communications.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s also about helping players to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. Ensuring their wellbeing is looked after, whether that is family support or other things that are similarly intertwined.\u00a0Some clubs now have travel departments who do all the away games and then player care who don\u2019t travel. Some have player liaisons, who organise it all and travel with the team. That is similar to what I followed.”<\/p>\n
Scheckter first joined Southampton as an intern, while at university. His role involved working with the club’s under-18 squad, before finishing his degree in America. “I then went to work for a club in the States. I was speaking to Les Reed about my career and he said \u2018well, we potentially have this job as a player liaison. Would you like to give it a go?’\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2014 and at the age of 23, Scheckter returned to Southampton and happened to coincide with the club’s whirlwind rise up the Premier League table. Given the relatively young age of Scheckter and the highly-talented, highly-experienced players he would have to work with, forging a mutual respect with those in the dressing room may have been expected to cause tension in years gone by.<\/p>\n
“When I first started at Saints I was younger than most of the players so then that was interesting as well, because I was working with the players potentially ten years older than me. Gaining their respect and making sure they treated me equally, which they did.”<\/p>\n
To make things potentially more daunting for Scheckter, the manager would be one of the most illustrious players of his generation.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/prostinternational.comwp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/koeman.jpg\")
Photo: Southampton FC\/Training Ground Guru<\/p><\/div>\n
“Ronald (Koeman) was my first manager and that was quite a shock because I came from the American second division to the Premier league and managed by one of the greatest players.\u00a0I was pretty green and his presence was just fantastic. You could be a non-football person and walk into a room and just know he was in charge because of his aura and the way he carried himself around. I learned a hell of a lot from him and remain extremely grateful.<\/p>\n
“He wanted that support (from me) and he, along with Les (Reed) identified that need of something to help with the support of players. Ronald was a really big driving force and I became part of his inner circle which I was really grateful for. Being this young kid out of uni and a year later I was part of that inner circle.<\/p>\n
“At the time I didn\u2019t realise take into account how impressive it was for Southampton to be fifth, sixth, seventh every year. I was just like \u2018yeah, of course we will be there.\u2019 Now you\u2019re looking and seeing those days feel quite a long time away.”<\/p>\n
The role of a player liaison officer has long been given vague descriptions from those looking in. One of the main reasons as to why, Scheckter concurs, is the ever increasing scope of the job. Every day is different and that alone comes with its challenges.<\/p>\n
“There wasn\u2019t really a normal day,” laughs Scheckter. “I\u2019d arrive a couple of hours before the players, just to get my day organised. I would then be at breakfast with the team, checking in and saying hello to everyone every morning and then seeing what\u2019s going on with them all individually.<\/p>\n
“I got on with the work when they used to go out to train. That was a quiet time as the players couldn\u2019t be on their phones because they were out training. It was the one time in a day where they can\u2019t actually contact you. Then at lunch, I would give some an update, perhaps take someone to their player appearance if that\u2019s what they are scheduled for.<\/p>\n
“At Southampton I used to travel with the team so I would do every home and away game. This usually meant I would be sorting out tickets for games for player\u2019s friends and families and making sure we had everything arranged for the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
The omnipresent nature of the role meant Scheckter would have to deal with a large number of people and players, all with different personalities and varying character traits.<\/p>\n
“Some players want to have a laugh and a joke. Some want the talk to be very direct. Naturally, you can recognise who wants you to be forceful with them. Others, you can let them lead it. I always say you need to have an approach for every single player and knowing what\u2019s important to them.<\/p>\n
“It might be a chat about their family or the new baby, if that\u2019s what they want to talk about. Even conversations about their dog or their car. For some, it could be that they even want to talk about politics. So trying to find that niche for every person helps when deciding on your mannerisms for each player.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/prostinternational.comwp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/pellegrino.jpg\")
Photo: Southampton FC<\/p><\/div>\n
Scheckter worked closely with not just the players or the coaching staff but families, too. After leaving Southampton to join West Ham in 2018, Scheckter created a 30 page welcome pack for prospective signings. This would include individual photos of each member of staff, a list of approved suppliers such as food caterers for children’s birthday parties. Notes from local school’s headteachers, language lessons and places to park were also comprised.<\/p>\n
“I always tried to identify who that number one person is in each player\u2019s life,” says Scheckter. “It\u2019s often their partners but it could be their mum, dad, brother or friend. I tried to make sure whoever it was, they were part of the journey as well.<\/p>\n
“At Saints we had a partners\u2019 box, where mostly wives and girlfriends could go and watch the game. We tried to make a little community with them. We had a WhatsApp group for them, to be able to talk to each other, we had family events we put on.<\/p>\n
“Events could be something to do with the player\u2019s kids or just the partners themselves. I remember we used to do a drinks night or have some little fun competitions. We would try and mix it up because some players were single. Some players had girlfriends with no kids and others had a couple of them. So it was all about trying to make sure we organised different events for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\n
“At West Ham before COVID, we got pretty close to organising a trip to the zoo, which we were going to put on and take everyone out there on a day off. We were going to let the kids play and get to know each other.”<\/p>\n
When asked what his biggest learning curve had been, particularly in a job that had so few senior figures above him of whom he could heed advice, Scheckter says the value of ensuring the happiness of a player’s family is essential.<\/p>\n
“There were times where I probably got that wrong, especially at the beginning of my career where it was more about taking care of the players. But if that number one person is not happy, not settled or not enjoying it, it\u2019s unlikely it is going to work for that player long term at Southampton.”<\/p>\n
Last year, Scheckter spoke about one particular learning curve. “I had a player at Southampton that I think I got wrong \u2014 I\u2019ve said that to the player. He was a foreign player, his English wasn\u2019t very good but he was quite young, happy-go-lucky, wasn\u2019t really playing but every time I spoke to him he was, \u2018Yeah, good, good, good\u2019. He was hanging out at the training ground, spending time there, and I never thought about his wife.<\/p>\n
“His wife didn\u2019t drive, she was stuck in the apartment, she didn\u2019t understand English, we didn\u2019t have Spanish TV sorted for her, she had no friends, no one to speak to in a small south-coast city.<\/p>\n
“She got so unhappy that she\u2019s refused to stay there. That\u2019s why the player was staying late at the training ground because he\u2019d get home and she would be so wound up by just being locked in all day effectively that she\u2019d explode at him. The club lost out probably on a decent transfer fee because the player was so insistent on leaving.”<\/p>\n
\n