Footballers' experiences of mental skills training and counselling

Abstract

The study explored footballers’ experiences of Mental Skills Training (MST) and Counselling. In the world of sport, the overemphasis on performance has at times come at the hefty cost of the athletes’ wellbeing. For this reason, the study also explored the challenges footballers face to access MST and Counselling. Since the research explored footballers’ experiences, a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was deemed the most appropriate for this research. Semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were used with all seven of the adult male participants. The findings suggest that the participant-footballers face a number of unique challenges throughout their career and consider support to be pivotal for their success in the industry. Participants identified parental and institutional support as key sources for support. With regard to their experience in counselling, participants narrated that they experienced a safe and reliable space and that the therapeutic relationship extended beyond football related issues. However the participants also remarked that counselling is time consuming and that therapists sometimes fail to meet expectations. With regards to MST, participants said that they can be: self-taught, a direct and hands on approach, practised whilst injured and a first point of contact with other services. On the other hand, participants remarked that MST lack in game context and should be better tailored for the individual. Moreover, the participants shared differed views on their expectations of the provision of these services. Whilst some acknowledged that they are compatible and should be delivered by the same person, others felt that they are different and should be separated. Furthermore, the participants identified stigma, difficulty to trust, fear of betrayal and the perceptions of others as possible challenges for footballers accessing MST and counselling. Recommendations as elicited from the data include further research with more diverse populations and greater sample sizes, the training of counsellors in sport psychology and their participation in sporting contexts and that of developing working relationships with kindred professions. An amendment to national policy which incorporates mental and social wellbeing of athletes as priority for sporting institutions was also recommended.