Take Care of Your Health, Ex-Bournemouth Coach Advises Young Football Managers

Former Bournemouth manager Tony Pulis has urged football managers to take their health and fitness seriously. He warned that the job can seriously impact both physical and mental health.

According to BBC Sport on Friday, Pulis shared this advice after Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany had a health scare. He said this incident shows the risks that come with managing a football team.

Kompany collapsed at Bayern Munich’s training ground. Doctors found that he had meningeal irritation, which is an inflammation of the protective layer around the brain and spinal cord.

Pulis, who started his managerial career at Bournemouth in 1992, said he only realized the job's demands after he became a manager. Before that, he worked as a player and coach.

Looking back at his early days as a manager, he admitted that he did not pay enough attention to his health while focusing on running the club. "In the early days, my management of myself personally was really poor," he said.

He explained that his busy schedule often led him to eat unhealthy meals while traveling to scout players. "At that time I would be driving up and down the motorway to watch players, trying to find a fish and chip shop or fuelled only by a half-time pie or a sandwich from a local shop," he recalled.

Pulis said that the pressure to deliver results also affected his health, especially when his teams were not performing well and he faced more criticism.

But a chat with an Australian triathlete before he left Bournemouth in 1994 changed how he viewed fitness. The athlete told him that the job was harming his health and that the stress could lead to serious issues.

Pulis decided to make exercise a priority in his next managerial role. "I came to the conclusion that in my next job, if I got one, I would dedicate myself to a more manageable lifestyle and put my own fitness first," he said.

He started exercising early every morning before breakfast. This routine allowed him to focus on his football duties for the rest of the day.

While managing Gillingham in 1999, Pulis ran his first London Marathon. This was just the beginning of his charity challenges. He also cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and rowed from Tower Bridge to the Eiffel Tower.

Pulis said regular exercise helped him handle stress and improved his sleep patterns. He also stressed the importance of family time for a healthy balance between work and personal life.

He reserved Sundays for family, calling it an important way to take a break from football. "That was how I relaxed and that day with them became a release valve which was an important part of my routine," he said.

Pulis also shared that he avoided reading media reports about himself and his teams, whether they were good or bad. Instead, he relied on trusted coaching staff for support.

He encouraged young managers to develop similar habits. He warned that ignoring personal health can be dangerous due to the constant pressure of the job. "You have to maintain your enthusiasm for looking after yourself, because this is the time when you will need it the most. Under the constant stress you will put yourself under, it is dangerous not to," he said.

The former manager acknowledged that support for football coaches has improved over the years. He mentioned the League Managers’ Association’s ‘Fit To Manage’ program, which offers regular health check-ups. He also noted that club medical teams now pay more attention to the health of coaching staff.

Pulis, however, pointed out that football management can still feel lonely, even with the added support. He said the help available to managers today is much better than when he started his career.