Grassroots football talks often about protecting young players. It should. But one question is still too easy to avoid: who is supporting the adults who support the children?

In this episode, the Football Mental Health Alliance looks at the emotional labour carried by volunteer coaches. The late-night parent messages. The selection complaints. The WhatsApp pressure. The safeguarding worries. The quiet conversations with children who are struggling. None of it usually appears in a job description, but all of it lands somewhere.

The episode explores why coach welfare is not a soft extra. It is part of player welfare. When coaches feel abandoned after difficult incidents, clubs lose trusted adults, teams lose continuity, and children lose stable relationships.

We also look at girls' football, female coach retention, parent communication, and the simple structures every grassroots club should have in place before pressure builds: clear complaints routes, parent expectations, welfare contacts for coaches, and regular check-ins.

"That's football" ends the conversation. Better clubs build the systems that make it unnecessary.

For free resources, training and support, visit The Vault from the Football Mental Health Alliance at vault.thefmha.com.