Dr Ian Mitchell, who has previously worked with the Wales and England football teams, is understood to be the early favourite for the Welsh Rugby Union's newly-created head of behavioural performance role.
Mitchell, who is currently head of psychology at Newcastle United, has emerged as a leading contender to switch sports as Dave Reddin continues to reshape the organisation's high-performance department.
Strong frontrunner
Applications are still being accepted for the role and it's understood Mitchell is the strong frontrunner among potential candidates at this stage.
Mitchell is well known to WRU director of rugby Reddin from their time working together at the Football Association, where Mitchell served as head of performance psychology, while Reddin held the role of head of team strategy and performance innovation. He was also a key part of the Wales football team's incredible charge to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman.
Reddin is an admirer of Mitchell's work, with the pair having developed a professional relationship during their time at St George's Park.
Reddin's recruitment trend
Should Mitchell eventually land the role, it would continue a trend of Reddin recruiting trusted figures from previous environments as he looks to transform Welsh rugby's performance culture.
Earlier this year Reddin appointed former Football Association colleague Rhys Long as the WRU's £160,000-a-year technical director - another key appointment as part of the governing body's restructuring of its elite programme. The WRU has not revealed the exact salary for the new role, describing it as competitive.
Role details
The union announced plans to create the new head of behaviour position as part of a significant expansion of its performance support team, with the successful candidate tasked with helping develop world-class behaviours, leadership and culture across the men's and women's national teams as well as the pathway system.
The role extends far beyond traditional sports psychology. According to the job specification, the successful applicant will be responsible for embedding consistent behavioural standards throughout Welsh rugby, supporting coaches and players while developing leadership, resilience and decision-making in high-pressure environments.
Mitchell's background
Mitchell's background appears to fit that brief closely. Before joining Newcastle United as Head of Psychology in 2023, he spent almost five years with the Football Association, where he led performance psychology across England's national teams. During that period he worked with Gareth Southgate's senior men's squad through Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, while also supporting England's wider player development programmes.
Prior to that he held the position of Head of Performance Psychology with the Football Association of Wales, where he oversaw psychology provision across the men's, women's and age-grade teams. He was part of the FAW's wider performance set-up during one of the most successful periods in Welsh football history.
His CV also includes roles with Swansea City, UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport, giving him extensive experience of building high-performance environments across both club and international sport.
Modernisation push
Reddin has made little secret of his desire to modernise Welsh rugby's performance systems since arriving at the WRU, believing that success depends as much on culture and behaviours as technical and physical preparation.
The head of behaviour appointment hire sits within that wider strategy, with the successful candidate expected to influence every level of the elite game rather than work solely with the senior men's side.
