Hi, I’m Joe Fuggle, and I have been involved in high-level sports for 10+ years. Despite representing Great Britain and being one of the top UK athletes in my sport, I still struggled to balance everything and experienced sport-related mental health issues that ultimately forced me out of athletics. 

At the time, there was no online guidance to help struggling athletes like me, so I decided to create something. The Athlete Place was born, a platform designed to speak and relate to athletes themselves. 

But it didn't end there...

Joe Fuggle, Founder of The Athlete Place.

When I was ‘making it’ as a successful young athlete, my mum, Caroline, tried to do all she could to help me achieve my dreams and to ensure my happiness and success, both on and off the track. Obviously, she wanted to do what was best for me, especially regarding performance, but despite searching, she found very little relevant information to help someone like her, the parent of an athlete. She had no choice but to rely on guesswork, intuition and her own relatively basic knowledge of sport. 

Looking back, we know that she got a few things wrong (not many, but definitely a few!), but this was entirely due to a lack of guidance. We've often wondered how different it could have been and how far I could have gone if that information had been available…

Our story demonstrated that:

• Parental intuition and basic knowledge can only benefit athletes so far.
  
  
• If their dream is 'to make it', whether that's to the next level or the very top, and you want to help, you're likely to need at least some guidance. 
  
  
• No matter how competent, parents don’t know what they don’t know…

Joe & Caroline circa 2016

There’s no doubt that, with better-informed parents behind them, kids are more likely to enjoy their sport, participate for longer, and, importantly, have a greater chance of success. We, therefore, passionately believe that parent-specific guidance has been the missing link for optimal athlete support. To address this shortfall, we created a sister site specifically for those of you who want to go the extra mile, The Athlete Parent Place. 

Our content is relevant and relatable, using information, experiences, and guidance from our extensive network of elite sportsmen and women, parents who have already 'been there', and subject experts. It has been designed to provide a better understanding of the many factors that can impact both athlete performance and wellbeing, enabling parents to support their athletes in more effective and meaningful ways. Importantly, we also showcase the many factors that can affect parents themselves during their athlete’s time in sport.

We are excited to see how this new approach to athlete support will impact the next generation of young athletes across all sports.

Best wishes,

If you want to go the extra mile to help your child achieve their sporting dreams, The Athlete Parent Place has created something just for you. 

We've teamed up with experts, professional athletes, and parents who have already 'been there' to create The Ultimate Guide To Athlete Parenting, where you can access guidance on nutrition, sleep, psychology, and much more. Why not take a look?

We've also created The Athlete Place, just for your athlete... click here.