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Utilising the Wise Words & Philosophy Of ITFC Manager Kieran McKenna. To Improve Health & Wellbeing

Updated: Jun 11, 2022



ITFC has always been a community-based club, focused on family and playing football the right way, continuously launching programs through targeted inclusion initiatives, innovative thinking, and opportunities for all. Reaching the hometown of Ipswich and out into local areas.


In Part One we focused on its role in the community, recent programs, and initiatives to showcase the power of football, bringing people together and enjoying a common interest but, also learn about the variety offered and taking some top tips from The Management Team to support us in our efforts to manage our LTHCs and Disabilities*.

You can read it here


In Part Two

In Part two we will look at how Kieran McKenna’s wise words and analytical skills, have been applied to the ITFC Men’s team since taking on the role of the manager in December. How his experience, attention to detail, commitment, drive and incredible work have turned around the performance, results and success of a team struggling to stay afloat before his appointment. Bringing back the positive approach and hope for many. Through definitions, we will explore some of his key concepts with working examples of their effect on the team and club as a whole.


In Part 3

In Part Three we will look at how McKenna’s wise words and analytical skills can be transferred to help us support our LTHCs and Disabilities with a specific focus on Pituitary Conditions and Addison’s Disease. Using the same definitions but in a different context, this is an innovative way to bring the medical world and the sporting world together as one.


In Part 4

In Part Four we will approach the final definitions of Frustration and Disappointment. Acknowledge their role in the equation through the ‘Can’t Win, Don’t Loose’ philosophy, whilst reflecting on strengths and empowerment.


An unlikely source of inspiration for medical health management you might think? This has the power to change lives. The key concept here is to focus on how the two key areas of sport and medical can aid understanding of each other and utilise transferrable skills. These words arise from the mouth of ITFC Manager Kieran McKenna who is arguably one of the most analytical, supportive and positive football managers you could ever wish to work with.


The team around us is essential, but the successful teams then need to come together, recognising that everyone within that bubble is unique, and has an opportunity/feels able to contribute and have their say. Enabling people to have a positive mindset, believe in the science, build on our strengths, increase our confidence, and subsequently allow us to feel empowered. Furthermore enables us to show bravery, increase the intensity, make adaptations and accept frustration and disappointment, whilst also recognising that one-off scenarios such as religious festivals will arise which will require additional and targeted support.


A fantastic article by Training Ground Guru (23 February 2022) will help us out with these sections with reactions and insider quotes from players Wes Burns and Sonne Aluko, who love the new approach of their manager and for different reasons, alongside the club's own EFL I-follow videos and interviews. (https://trainingground.guru/articles/clarity-intensity-and-fun-playing-under-kieran-mckenna-at-ipswich)


How do We Define Mindset, Belief & Confidence?

‘If you refer to someone's mindset, you mean their general attitudes and the way they typically think about things. We have to change people's mindsets and motivate them’.(https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mindset)


The positivity, drive, intensity, mindset, and the ability to analyse, challenge and remain calm, cool, collected and appreciative of his team resonate with what we strive for every day to manage our medical conditions. Mc Kenna is truly one very special and well-educated professional. Tapping into his knowledge can only be a good thing.


McKenna has also been described as approachable, authentic, and empowered by his new players. Aluko suggested that some of this could be down to the 35-year-old's background in Academy football.


‘“The culture’s different from when I was an Academy player to what Academy players are now. You’ve got to be able to relate to the players but also you have to be yourself, you have to be authentic to whatever you are. A player’s going to know if you’re not an authentic manager, so you’ve got to be yourself.”


The state of believing; conviction or acceptance that certain things are true or real. (https://www.yourdictionary.com/belief)


McKenna’s regular interview pre/post-match reports tend to include powerful adjectives such as; teamwork, unique, contribution, mindset, belief, strengths, confidence, empowerment, bravery, intensity adaptation, disappointment and, frustration. No matter what the outcome of the game he still believes in the process he has created and expects the same from his team.


‘The quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future’:(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/confidence)


Defender Donacian explained in one report on Towns Defensive Record that there is a lot of ‘Detail’ highlighting that it’s good but it’s a lot of detail! The players receive every kind of analysis available and are given the tools they need so they can translate that onto the pitch.

How Do Define A Team?

A team is defined as a group of people who perform interdependent tasks to work toward accomplishing a common mission or specific objective’.(Quality Glossary Definition; https://asq.org/quality-resources/teams)


At the heart of the men's first team are; the Head of Analysis, Performance Analysis, Director of Performance, Fitness Coach, Sports Scientist, Physiotherapists, Chef and of course his Assistant Manager. Supported by Club Chairman Mike Ashton and the Board, then the academy teams, the Women’s team, and the Community networks who of course all interlink and share the same access to top-level support. All backed by new owners GameChangers from the US.


What Is The True Meaning Of A Team?

‘A team is composed of members who are dependent on each other, work towards interchangeable achievements, and share common attainments. A team works as a whole together to achieve certain things. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team)


‘After the game against Gillingham a month earlier, a 4-0 win, Burns said: “I think the main thing he’s got us focused on is when we lose the ball and everyone’s immediate reaction. when we lose it high up the pitch, everyone’s reaction - there were three, four, five players all trying to win the ball back straight away and I think that’s the main thing that he’s wanted us to work on.'


So having a team is great but if they don’t pull together it cannot function to its potential.


How Do We Define Bravery?

‘The quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bravery)


The way that coaching sessions are delivered is completely different to many and this is welcomed and celebrated by the squad. Change is always a difficult thing to grasp and can be hard to implement especially with seasoned professionals but not in this situation as Aluko explains;


”His (sessions) flow well, so you won’t do the same thing for 45 minutes, It’ll change and you have to be thinking constantly, switched on in the session, you can’t just coast through.


“With some managers, you know what’s coming on each day and halfway through the season you kind of know that on this day we’re going to be doing this drill. He has a lot of drills, so on the pitch, he’s very good. You can’t work with the very best in the world and not keep them focused.

“They’ll eventually get frustrated, so with us, it’s been brilliant. Sessions are tests - you’ve got to learn something new or he wants you to try something different. Like I say, it’s been fun, I’ve enjoyed it.”


How Do We Define Intensity?

‘The quality or condition of being intense. Great energy, strength, concentration, vehemence, etc., as of activity, thought, or feeling’:(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intensity)


Here it’s an extension of bravery as Intensity is a recurring adjective that the whole club seem to have etched on their brains. Training is to the intensity of a match. Training that way instils faith in themselves that if they can get through training then they can get through a match. However, the balance here is still crucial. Push the players too much and injuries are more likely. Again it comes back to the team's backup staff to limit that risk through careful monitoring. Burns clarifies this;


“We don’t train for particularly long - an hour-and-a-half maybe - and it’s a lot of short and sharp stuff, It’s not massively long in the sense of a day, but for that hour-and-a-half, he does demand high intensity, and everyone concentrating for that whole time. You can see the difference he’s made already.” (In a post from December 2021)


How do We Define Contribution/Vocal Input?

‘The part played by a person or thing in bringing about a result or helping something to advance'. (https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)


‘You say that people are vocal when they speak forcefully about something that they feel strongly about. (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/vocal)


The players also say there has also been great clarity about how McKenna wants the team to play - and how they need to train to achieve this. The manager has described this style as being high press, high possession, and high control.


Aluko added: “He knows what he wants, he knows the style of football he wants to play and he knows how to communicate.”


On the other hand, he expects the players to contribute as well. Burgiss is a top-level defender and was praised in a post-match interview for his contribution. That may not sound unusual, but he sat on the bench and didn’t get a second on the pitch. But he was highlighted for his contribution to training, via ‘unit meetings’ where his thoughts and experience were highly rated.


How do We define Unique?

‘Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics’ (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/unique)


Ramadan is observed by Muslims in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and involves a period of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. During this time Muslims do not consume food or water during daylight hours. So what happens when you are a professional footballer? El-Mizouni discusses this showing how the club has helped him and others through the process by adapting the times that he rests and when he eats meals. Hydration tablets are crucial, as well as training loads and protein supplements. The perfect example of adapting through support mechanisms that enable a player to remain in the team and play safely whilst acknowledging and respecting their wishes to follow their own religious beliefs and traditions.


This squad is a close-knit team. What happens with the team stays with the squad. Although employees at the club, behind-the-scenes staff, the female manager, old players working at the club, and community trust workers are in an invite-only situation. This breeds focus, less distraction, and of course less possibility of those outside being able to pick up and copy what appears from the outside in.


McKenna is still working with essentially what he inherited and of course, he cannot do this alone and we are the same. Trying to apply his key principles to manage difficult and complex health conditions is the goal. We are at the heart of our team and need support to get things right. Everyone knows their role, where they fit, communicating with each other, and working towards the same goals, hopes and dreams to create the right pattern to climb our league standings and progress to the next level. Remember, next week we translate this into the good management of those with LTHCs and Disabilities. So if you are involved in sport then use your skills to learn about health and if you have an LTHC then use this sporting context to support your medical treatment and plans.


Training Ground Guru Articles - Playing under Mc Kenna


El-Mizouni - Ramadam As A Professional Footballer


Janoi Donation - Town’s Defensive Record


*Please remember that these blogs are very real for us. We are on the same journey and it’s tough, slow, and frustrating. Most of the Scenarios we face ourselves. Sometimes we find what we convey helpful but at other times we don’t. However, we include it because everyone's journey is different and we like to have this passionate perseverance to help others as much as possible. To dispose of it all would be a waste and a disservice to our readers.


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