Helping top footballers manage pressures in the sport

Playing in major tournaments, such as Euro 2024 currently taking place in Germany, is a regular part of being an international-level footballer. With the evolution of competition formats and a growing appetite for live sport, the psychological demands and effects on those called upon to represent their nation are increasing.

England's 20-year-old Jude Bellingham is one high-profile player recently highlighted by the world player's union – Fifpro – as an example of a player being 'overworked', already having played more than four times the number of minutes in his career than David Beckham at the same age.

Outcomes include reduced recovery time between club and country commitments, with greater time spent travelling between fixtures leading to sleep disruption (Field et al., 2021; Nédélec et al., 2015). Fixture congestion can also result in less available time for family or non-football socialisation. As we celebrate and champion these achievements, are there risks for those playing the sport?

Impact of fixtures overload

The nature of an international call-up continues to hold a prestige, an almost irresistible duty in the relatively short career of an elite football player. Naturally, such duties carry a psychological impact. A risk of burnout arises from this potential physical exhaustion, alongside a sense of sport devaluation and a perceived reduction in accomplishments.

To achieve such high standards, football players must strive towards success typically hallmarked by national representation. The 2023 Ballon d'Or Féminin winner, Aitana Bonmati, is often depicted as a perfectionist, self-confessed and by others. This striving for success often brings with it the less helpful side of perfectionism. These concerns (even a fear of failure) can breed a reduction in appreciating one's achievements, feelings of cynicism, even resentment towards the sport. 

As a young player progresses through their age bands – from under-16s to under-17s and so forth – their standards are constantly being raised. When supporting young players, it is important to buffer perfectionistic tendencies with social support or psychological principles to protect against risks of burnout.

The competition for selection

As a young prospect progresses through these international ranks, they will find themselves competing for selection against peers of a similar birth year, as is often the tradition in football.

However, at the brink of reaching a senior squad, these narrow criteria suddenly dissolve and a player finds themselves jostling for a place against players who could be 20 years their senior. In Germany this summer, Lamine Yamal will hope to celebrate his 17th birthday with Spain reaching the competition's final, perhaps appearing alongside 38-year-old teammate Jesús Navas! 

The previous strategies used to contend for selection – "just work harder" – and to manage related setbacks – "just play well in the next match" – are no longer as applicable as players reach senior squads. Jack Grealish will need to innovate his approach to stake a claim in returning to the England squad; simply "working harder" is unlikely to cut it alone.

Managing the pressures

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy – or Training – (ACT) is one technique which continues to be utilised in elite sport settings (Hayes & Strosahl, 2004; Henriksen, Hansen & Larsen, 2020). It's three central tenets can support football players to manage the pressures and risks associated with international-level competition, and to perform consistently at their best. 

Being open (capturing the processes of acceptance and defusion) helps players notice their thinking and act flexibly in the presence of competitive pressures, doubts, or concerns. This may protect against unwanted perfectionistic tendencies that arise or mitigate any worries of non-selection. 

Being aware (spanning contact with the present moment and recognising the self as context) recognises how an international footballer's thinking can be skewed into the past or future, a common effect of those high standards we set for ourselves. 

Being active (identifying values and demonstrating committed action) completes the picture by fostering consistency, guiding players to recognise what is important to them and represent those qualities on and off the pitch.

 A profound illustration of a player demonstrating their values is Simon Kjær's composed and compassionate response during teammate Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest at Euro 2020. Acting in line with our values shouldn't compromise performance either, as Denmark progressed on to the semi-finals.

An objective of ACT in sport is to live a fulfilling life, even in the presence of unwanted internal experiences (White et al., 2021). In a fast-paced context such as Euro 2024, ACT skills may support players as they move from fixture to fixture. 

The principles can be embedded at major tournaments through helpful mnemonics like the 3Rs: recognise, release, refocus (Hansen & Haberl, 2020). In my own work, values can be powerful for players to re-ignite any sense of diminished motivation, confidence, or focus. A simple exercise depicting two arrows promotes recognising arising thoughts and actions when either moving towards accomplishments (perfectionistic strivings) or away from falling short (perfectionistic concerns).

Rewarding work

Working with international-level football players can be an immensely rewarding challenge, perhaps even an aspiration, for many applied sport and exercise psychologists. ACT continues to offer new ways of coming to terms with the unique context, demands, and risks associated with such elite athletes. 

This summer, look out for the players who take challenges in their stride (being open), always perform in the moment (being present), and represent their true selves (being active); those may be the ones who go all the way.
 

About the author

Alban Dickson is a chartered sport & exercise psychologist registered with the HCPC. He works as a performance psychologist at a professional football club in addition to completing a PhD in psychosocial development of young footballers at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a member of the BPS Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology, having previously occupied various roles on the DSEP committee.

References:

Field, A., Harper, L. D., Chrismas, B. C., Fowler, P. M., McCall, A., Paul, D. J., ... & Taylor, L. (2021). The use of recovery strategies in professional soccer: a worldwide survey. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(12), 1804-1815.

Nédélec, M., Halson, S., Abaidia, A. E., Ahmaidi, S., & Dupont, G. (2015). Stress, Sleep and Recovery in Elite Soccer: A Critical Review of the Literature. Sports Medicine 45(10), 1387–1400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0358-z

Hayes, S. C., & Strosahl, K. D. (2004). A Practical Guide to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New York: Springer.

Henriksen, K., Hansen, J., & Larsen, C. H. (Eds.) (2020). Mindfulness and Acceptance in Sport: How to help athletes perform and thrive under pressure. (1st ed.) Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429435232

White, R., Bethell, A., Charnock, L., Leckey, S. & Penpraze, V. (2021). Acceptance and Commitment Approaches for Athletes' Wellbeing and Performance: The Flexible Mind. Palgrave McMillan 10.1007/978-3-030-64942-5.

Hansen, J., & Haberl, P. (2019). Helping athletes be present when performing under pressure. In Mindfulness and Acceptance in Sport (pp. 47-58). Routledge.