Dr. Neal Bowes (PhD) has over 25 years-experience of performance at the highest level as a player, educator, business owner and provider of performance psychology support. He has built an extensive and impressive track record of success both in the UK and USA for his ability to change performance at all levels.

 

Dr. Bowes is an expert in developing young athletes, many of whom have gone on to compete at US college, national, professional & Olympic level. He has worked with over 1,000 young athletes with example performance successes including: international selection for major events, national level selection, professional contracts, scholarship/selection to top USA colleges, transition from junior national to senior national teams, & recovery from major injuries to return to pre-injury performance levels. He ensures each athlete has the foundations, processes and psychological skillsets to reach their potential in a sustainable way both in and out of the sports arena. Athletes in his care report high satisfaction with the care and investment they receive and feel that he “gets it”.

 

Dr. Bowes founded a the highly successful sports performance consultancy SPG, Inc in the USA which became the ‘go to‘ provider for young athletes in the competitive DC. Metro area. He has also been employed on several World Class Performance Programmes in the UK as the lead psychologist for National U16 teams and provided on-site support at European tournaments.

 

Dr. Bowes has also made a significant impact on young peoples experiences in sport.  He has been a long-term advocate for better practice and integration of performance psychology in youth sports provision. He has written national level guidelines for long-term athlete development (LTAD), integrated cultural change, provided full programme provision in academies & schools, and developed CPD programs for sports organisations, schools and academies in the UK & USA. The CARE™ learning approach, developed from his doctoral research, has been integrated into sports, PE and coaching programmes and benefited over 500,000 children to date. He is also the co-founder and COO of The 2050 Sports Project dedicated to bringing sustainable positive change in youth sports.

 

Dr. Bowes gained his PhD. from the University of Bristol and holds masters and undergraduate degrees from the University of Warwick. He was a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) for 15 years and previously a British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences (BASES) Accredited Sport Psychologist. He is a qualified teacher, qualified coach, and former national level coach educator with over 25 years experience in educational and coaching settings. His former high level playing experience in football gives him an excellent insight into the demands of high-level sport. As a dad of twins boys he also has excellent insights into the realities of being a parent.

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Dr. Bowes is a popular speaker and has appeared in leading publications and media outlets such as BBC, NBC and CNN news.

 

In his own words…

“Equipping young athletes with the right psychological foundations and skillsets at the right ages is critical to performance success and good mental health. Most people wait until it’s too late. I’m passionate about bringing a proactive approach and challenging the myths and poor practices that limit young people performance and their experiences. I’m known for bringing real changes to performance, the care and investment I make in athletes, and truly understanding the challenges young athletes face. I’m equally passionate about educating and equipping parents and those who teach/coach young athletes with the knowledge, practices and principles to foster these skills. We need to do a much better job than we currently do.”