Helping footballers excel at the top of their game

Psychologists can help individual players and teams to overcome some of the challenges they face, and their role may be crucial in the build-up to, and the time spent during, a sports tournament. 

The role of sport psychology within football is evolving, and the perception of it being deficits-based and only of use when there's a problem is slowly changing. 

While full integration might lag a little behind our colleagues in other sport sciences, like physiotherapy, the last few years has seen greater integration of sport psychology within professional football at club and international level.

Gearing up for major tournaments

In preparation for sporting championships, the work of a sport psychologist will begin long before the event begins. Team Denmark offers fascinating insights into how they gear up for major events, including the psychological interventions delivered and the theories underpinning these. 

As their approach shows, psychologists will often work at group level, with players and coaches, to foster an environment that promotes psychological safety and a cohesive team.

They may also contribute towards developing clear social and leadership roles, which can help younger players who may be at their first tournament better integrate into the team.

Sport psychologists can also help to define what target behaviours (in training or on the pitch) look like and ensure that these are consistent with the team's values, goals, and roles. 

Alongside work with the wider team, psychologists may also look to work with players at an individual level prior to the tournament – this is salient for those players heading to their first major competitive fixture. 

Psychologists can explore ways in which players may draw on their support networks despite feelings of isolation. Much of the work may be non-performance related and, therefore, it's crucial to see the person as well as the player.   

Creating an environment where teams can flourish

During the tournament itself, sport psychology may offer further insights into the creation of social environments which can help teams to flourish, as well as targeted work on specific goals.

For example, England openly shared the role Pippa Grange played at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, during which the team ended its run of five straight defeats in penalty shootouts, and players spoke candidly about the benefits of working with a psychologist.

This was one of the first examples that I recall the role of a sport psychologist in football being so publicised; however, not every association is so open about how they use sport psychology, indeed if at all. 

This poses an ongoing challenge faced by the profession, particularly when we are looking to normalise our services. Sport psychology is not just for the striker having a confidence crisis in front of goal. 

International tournaments involve travel and teams will be based in exclusive camps, a sterile environment with very little outside interference. In practice, for players this means time away from family and friends and access to their usual support networks. For some younger players in their national squad, this will be the first lengthy period away from their loved ones. 

Even players who have experienced the previous European Championships (2021) will face something different – the last event was pan-European with many teams basing themselves close to, or in, their own country – and was played under Covid restrictions. 

Paradoxically, success in tournaments will further this isolation and feeling cut-off from usual sources of support. In recent tournaments, England manager Gareth Southgate has used psychology to create a fun and positive atmosphere between games and training, as well as further opportunities for team bonding. 

Reducing time spent alone in bedrooms and increasing bonding opportunities in downtime between training and games can help foster greater connectedness, a key ingredient for successful teams. 

Creating such a vibrant environment will be crucial for any nation that wants to achieve European success this summer.   

Penalty points

An, almost, inevitable component of a knock-out tournament is the penalty shootout. We don't need to delve too far into the archives to find examples – and for fans of England, the heartache – that accompanies it. 

Research in this area helps us unpick some of the processes and behaviours that footballers experience on the penalty spot and can then be used to inform training.

Commentators often refer to penalty shootouts as a lottery but those who succeed in them are unlikely to buy a lottery ticket. Research shows us that rather than being in it to win it, buying a lottery ticket diminishes feelings of control and increases feelings of anxiety. 

Instead, the successful takers will take their time to place the ball and take a couple of seconds after the referee has blown their whistle before moving to take their penalty. 

The ball nestles in the net and an anxious crowd celebrates. The successful kicker will join in with the celebrations – even mid shootout – doing so increases feelings of confidence and control. Therefore, coaches and psychologists will encourage their players to celebrate within a penalty shootout as they look to get the edge over their opponents. 

Looking ahead

As psychology plays an ever-larger part in elite football and opportunities for sport psychologists in this area grow, it's important that we continue to work with our colleagues, internationally, to ensure that those providing support to teams are qualified and registered with the relevant regulator. Doing so will create psychologically safe environments, facilitating players and teams in the sport to flourish. 

This year's European champions may not directly employ a psychologist – but their success will likely be underpinned by embracing psychological principles. And, as we look ahead to future tournaments, I hope that we will have further normalised the role of psychologists within the sport and that they will be fully embedded members of the football support staff. 

About the author

Dr Alex Oliver is a lecturer in applied psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. Midway through his practitioner training, Alex has provided consultancy within professional football and in both men's and women's youth development settings. 

X: @DrAlexOliver