Psychology framework embedded across Academy, Men’s First Team, Women’s Team, Loans and Recruitment
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Newcastle United unveils one of football’s most comprehensive club-wide psychology strategies
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Mindflick’s performance psychometric platform provides a shared language for players, coaches and staff
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Integrated approach helps colleagues to connect more effectively to drive performance and productivity across the club, showcasing how psychology supports people in pressured environments
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Framework impacts performance across nearly 300 people in multiple environments and disciplines
8 July 2026: Newcastle United Football Club is continuing with an organisation-wide strategy in line with the new season, across the Academy through to the Men’s First Team, Women’s First Team, Loans and Recruitment.
Since 2023, Newcastle United Football Club has been pioneering a systemic, club-wide psychological framework designed to resource the entire infrastructure – from the academy through to the first teams, loans, and recruitment. The psychology strategy is the result of years of investment in adaptability and resilience, creating a culture and informed environment that drives performance, rather than reacting to it.
At the heart of the strategy is Mindflick, the world’s first performance psychometric for sporting and organisational teams. Developed by a team of elite performance psychologists and led by Executive Chairman Sir Andrew Strauss, the platform gives players and staff a shared language for understanding how they think, communicate and perform under pressure.
This is believed to be among the most structurally advanced psychology ecosystems in the game. The psychology strategy is built to provide well-resourced environments for individuals to navigate challenges and a shared framework and language for players and staff to show up under pressure. The systemic approach ensures conversations that build reciprocal trust over time and performance between people, not just within them. This announcement from Newcastle United Football Club and Mindflick, shows how a fully integrated system can unlock sustainable high performance across organisations.
Individuals and teams are enabled to better understand one another’s behavioural preferences, adapt their communication in real time and build stronger working relationships across departments. The platform is used across the club to support leadership development, team meetings, collaboration and day-to-day performance.
The strategy spans Newcastle United’s Academy, Men’s First Team, Women’s Team, Loans and Recruitment departments, helping create a consistent psychological framework across nearly 300 people in multiple environments and disciplines.
Dr Ian Mitchell, Head of Psychology at Newcastle United, said:
“Our ambition at the club is to be world class. But we know that to get there takes more than just talent. We believe an enabling performance culture is built on a foundation of resilience, strong relationships and a constant drive to be better. “Mindflick is a key part of our approach. It’s a resource we’ve invested in because it helps us turn that philosophy into real-time, actionable support, and that goes right across our performance areas. At Newcastle United, Mindflick becomes a shared ritual, a focal point that unites. By using a common framework to understand and describe thinking and behaviours, the team reinforces its sense of ‘us’. It supports a collection of people to work cooperatively towards a common goal.”
The club has also released a video success story [Link to be added], produced in association with Mindflick, documenting how the psychology strategy has been implemented across Newcastle United. The film features coaches, psychologists, performance staff, players and leaders discussing how the shared framework has strengthened communication, trust and collaboration throughout the organisation.
Dr Mark Bawden, CEO and Co-founder of Mindflick, said:
“The best organisations don’t treat psychology as a standalone intervention. They integrate it into the way people work together every day. Newcastle United has built a system where players and staff share a common language for understanding themselves and each other, creating stronger relationships, better communication and more adaptable teams.”
“High performance doesn’t come from individuals operating in isolation. It comes from creating an environment where people can build trust, challenge each other constructively and consistently perform together under pressure. We’re showcasing how a fully integrated system can unlock sustainable high performance across an organisation.”
Newcastle United defender Dan Burn said:
“Sometimes you think you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, but actually seeing them on paper and looking at how our group fits together has helped us come together as a leadership group and really focus on where we can improve and how we can help each other.”
The Newcastle United x Mindflick success story video is available to watch now and provides an inside look at one of elite football’s most integrated approaches to performance psychology.