A WIRRAL football coach has revealed the fascinating story of how he went from playing kickabouts in Rock Ferry to working for one of Spanish soccer's biggest clubs.

Kris O'Hare, 35, is employed at La Liga giants Villarreal CF in a unique coach and psychology role at the club's Academy where he works specifically with the U17s and U19s. 

"At Villarreal CF, I’m fortunate to be part of a club that values development at every level, from the academy to the senior teams," said Kris. 

"My role involves working closely with players and coaches to integrate a holistic approach to development — one that includes not only technical training but also cognitive development on pitch.

"Villarreal’s emphasis on nurturing young talent means we place a huge importance on psychological resilience and ensuring players are equipped to handle the demands of modern football."

(Image: Villareal CF) It's been quite a journey for Kris from Wirral to eastern Spain with his footballing career also taking in a stint working on Asia. 

"I grew up in Rock Ferry and I spent most of my childhood as a latchkey child, playing outside the house from dusk till dawn, usually football with friends against the nearest wall we could find that had a phone box we could use as a post," he said.

"I wasn´t a particularly good footballer, but my childhood situation meant that due to financial reasons, I wasn´t able to join a team until around 13.

"However, despite that, I always loved playing with friends and can say that some of my best memories as a child were the ability to escape my homelife by simply kicking a ball."

The world of coaching opened up for Kris when he took the brave move to work in China. 

"I have always had opinions about football since a young age, wondering why and how players would move in certain ways and how coaches would make such obvious mistakes," he said. 

"I started volunteering at university and then when I moved to China after university it opened up a whole new universe. Coaching in Asia developed my communication skills, as I didn´t speak Chinese, Japanese or Korean. It helped me understand how to get a message across without just words so I got very good at creating codes, drawing out training beforehand.

"I moved to China with 50 euros in my back pocket, a one-way flight and the promise of a job.

"I would not advise anyone to follow my lead! Around that time football was being heavily invested in by the government, I was lucky and spoke to the right person, was hired, trained at a decent academy.

"What I didn´t grasp was just how important it was to find a place that would force a person to grow, mature and develop. Working there expanded my understanding of how different environments shape both player mentality and tactical approaches, which further solidified my belief in the psychological side of coaching."

(Image: Villareal CF)

Still regarded as a relatively new field, port psychology combines psychology, mental health and mental well-being to support individuals to improve their focus, increase their confidence, develop coping strategies and achieve the right zone to perform.

"I think I first started appreciating the psychological part of football when in other nations, those small margins now became huge gaps, as the tactics and technique were lower, the psychological part was much more important," said Kris. 

"The shame is that when we talk about psychology, people think emotional control or mental resilience, not in-game intelligence, creating controllers, training players to manipulate the opponents tactically. All of this is psychology. Yet its hugely understudied and misunderstood.

"It’s a massively untapped resource still at this point. Football is around 20 years behind other sports, the cognitive focus that I put upon preparing for game day with practical on field use, is still very rarely seen within football. You would be surprised how agricultural football still is."

Davide Ancelotti, son of legendary coach Carlo and assistant to his father at Real Madrid has said that "in the future, every player will have their own psychologist" and Kris believes more and more clubs will begin to take the process more seriously. 

"The benefits are multifaceted," said Kris. "A psychological approach helps players manage pressure, adapt tactically and technically to the opponent, and improves focus and decision-making. It also enhances team dynamics, as players learn to communicate better and trust each other more.

"Ultimately, it leads to more consistent performances on the pitch, but also creates a healthier environment for players to thrive both professionally and personally.

"The truth is that Spain shows its ability to produce intelligent, grounded, well rounded and adaptable players again and again. Yet for some reason, most other countries in Europe tend to take their own route. Strange yet true. A silly example but I´ve had contractors from the US government talk to me about my PhD before anyone from other countries, and my PhD is about cognitive training in football. The world of football can be quite strange at times."

As for the future, it feels like Europe could be Kris' oyster with more and more opportunities to transfer his skills in other countries. 

"Well I have to say that I am very happy where I am," he added. "But if anyone knows Rafa Benitez then tell him I would love to work with a coach like him, to continue learning at the next level!

"The world of football is a lot about luck and contacts so who knows where I will be in the future. A country like Denmark would be incredible, however I am currently working at one of the top academies in Europe, there is no rush."