A youth football coach has revealed that he now spends more time addressing mental health issues and toxic online influences than teaching the game. Josh Paul, founder of Fit 4 Football, says the role of a youth coach has shifted dramatically as boys increasingly turn to him for help with problems fueled by social media and damaging stereotypes about masculinity.
The 35-year-old coach from London explained that some boys arrive at training worried, anxious, and lacking confidence after consuming harmful online content. His experience aligns with research commissioned by EE, which found that 42% of boys aged 11 to 16 regularly encounter content telling them to 'man up' or hide their emotions, while 71% say they feel overwhelmed by online pressures.
Football as a Safe Space
The study suggests football is becoming one of the few places where boys feel able to open up. It found that 78% of coaches say a child has confided in them about personal issues unrelated to football, and 95% say supporting children's emotional wellbeing is becoming a bigger part of their role.
“In the last five years, I've been showing up to my sessions as a mentor first, and then a football coach second,” said Josh. “When I first started coaching, a child might turn up upset because they'd fallen out with a friend at school. Now I've got children that don't want to come into training because they've seen something online that has scared them, upset them, or told them they're not good enough.”
He added, “I never considered when I started that coaching would be about more than just football. But when you have worked with a child and when you have seen their face glow up, when they've had some good news, when they've learned a new skill or when you've told them that they're good enough, you then become addicted to that.”
Online Pressures and the Mentor Badge Initiative
Josh says he increasingly deals with pressures that start online, not on the pitch. “When I was 13, if someone popped up on my algorithm who looked quite cool and muscular and told me I needed to go to the gym, I'm probably going to listen to that person,” he said. “The biggest thing I tell children is, ‘You'll be fine. You'll be alright’. Sometimes that's exactly what they need to hear.”
EE has launched a new campaign called Yes Boys ahead of this summer's tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, which kicks off on 11 June. The campaign includes a Mentor Badge initiative aimed at helping parents, coaches, and young people navigate growing up online.
Former England footballer Theo Walcott, a father of two young boys, said, “Now, as a dad, I'm even more aware of the pressures boys face, especially online. Football gives boys a space to express themselves, build resilience and learn from positive role models. That's why Yes Boys is so important in helping the next generation grow with confidence.”
The Influence of Coaches
EE's research also found that 71% of parents whose sons play sport believe a football coach has as much influence — or more — on their son's understanding of masculinity than the internet. Just 14% said online content had a greater impact than a coach.
Professor Ben Hine, Professor of Applied Psychology at the University of West London, commented, “Football may now be one of the few trusted spaces where boys feel emotionally safe. Sport creates a sense of belonging and community that allows boys to open up in ways they might not elsewhere. The fact that so many boys are speaking to coaches shows they are yearning for positive male role models. The challenge is making sure those role models are there.”
Encouraging Volunteers
Both Josh and Professor Hine stressed that volunteers should not be discouraged from getting involved in youth sport. Josh said, “As a coach, you just need to listen and be someone that young people know they can talk to. I'm going to help children not make some of the mistakes that I made.”
Professor Hine added, “You don't need to be a registered therapist to change a child's life. Most of the time it's about providing a safe space, listening without judgement and helping young people feel they belong. As the online world has become stronger, we need to make the offline world stronger too. Thank goodness Josh went into coaching because voices like his are so important.”
He concluded, “Volunteering and making a difference in kids' lives is really infectious. Once you start doing it, it's amazing the difference that we can make. For most of these kids, it's about belonging, it's about interaction, it's about friendship and actually this is the power of football and those other offline spaces to do that. And it's amazing that we've got people like Josh and hopefully other people inspired to come and work with young people more and more because we need it more than ever.”
