Elite Athlete Perfomance Psychology

I work with Elite Athletes & teams to help maintain & improve high performance at the very top.

Webinar

Join my FREE Elite Athlete, High Performance Webinar where I’ll discuss the major lessons learnt from 25 years working with Elite Athletes.

The invitees include Elite Athletes, Player Agents, Coaches and Managers.

    • The key patterns of athlete success and failures from 14 years and 14 Major trophies as the Head of Psychology, Sports Science & Innovation at Chelsea FC.

    • The major insights from working with the likes of John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard & Petr Cech.

    • The secret to getting the best out of elite athletes with different personalities.

    • What was missed when working with Mohammed Salah and Kevin De Bryne during their Chelsea experience.

    • The key psychological differences that separate athletes at the very top.

    • The one important thing most elite athletes regretfully ignore.

    • How to better cope with the new social media scrutiny and pressure.

    • How to approach career decision making in the face of uncertainty.

    • What it’s like to win multiple Champions Leagues, Premier Leagues, FA Cups and Olympic Golds.

      Plus a Q&A, where you can share your thoughts and ask questions in real time.

Chelsea FC

Head of Psychology & Science (2009-2023)

  • Working alongside managers like José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel during the most successful period in the club's history - winning 3 Premier Leagues, 3x FA Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, and 6 other major trophies.

    ● Involvement with first-team players for over 800 elite matches. 

    ● Co-developed Chelsea Player Loan Programme, and supported Academy and Women’s team.

    ● Designed BlueSprint (load and availability tracking) and BluePoint (data-driven performance decision-making). 

    ● Advised head coaches before and after matches on communication, preparation, and player management. 

    ● Achieved league-best injury prevention outcomes, including the lowest Premier League injury rate in 2021 with highest match load in Europe and winning Champions League. 

Saudi Pro League

Head of Sporting Affairs (2023-25)

  • ● Built a Director-Level Team.

    ● Led strategic medical, fitness, analysis and data projects across 18 clubs.

    ● Designed and implemented processes for three transfer windows. 

Saudi Arabia National Football Team

Team Psychologist (2018)

  • Looking after the staff and players during the Fifa 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Dehli Capitals Cricket Club

Perfomance Consultant (2018)

  • Optimising psychological frameworks for the club within the Indian Cricket Premier League.

Psychology and Data

My role is to help Elite Sports Organisations, Athletes & Teams become even better, connecting Psychological Insight and Communication with Science and Data.

  • Building and optimising the data infrastructure that gives coaches and staff the right information at the right moment - without adding complexity or workload.

  • Understanding why people perform, what breaks them, and what keeps them sharp - applied to individual athletes and the collective dynamics of squads and staff groups.

  • Creating the environment where great staff stay great under sustained pressure - connected, accountable, and performing in the margins that decide seasons.

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Book

10 Rules for Talking is a practical guide for navigating difficult conversations in an increasingly divided world. In an age of instant opinion and rising polarisation, the ability to keep dialogue constructive has never mattered more.

Drawing on real-world experience from high-pressure environments where communication carries real consequences, Tim Harkness distils ten clear principles for talking with people who don’t share your views - without escalating conflict or shutting conversations down.

This is not a book about winning arguments.
It is about keeping conversations moving forward.

Buy Now