Football Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
Football is not just a physical game, but also an emotional one. Given that players are usually in peak physical condition, it is the emotional field that is one of the key tools for managers, coaches and psychologists to help players develop the best version of themselves and also for teams to achieve the best performance. Throughout this course, we will explore questions such as:
- Are emotions related to player and team performance?
- How can emotional management improve the performance of players and teams?
- How does a lack of cohesion affect team performance, and how can we address it?
- What strategies can we use to motivate players and teams?
Working from a practical perspective, we will analyse all the emotional conflicts that often arise during a season, such as emotional challenges of players (ego, fear, frustration and empathy), lack of team cohesion, mental approach to matches and fatigue. The Certificate in Football Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership will help students to develop their leadership skills in football and to encourage their players and team to achieve better results.
The PFA Business School and its faculty of top experts in Football Psychology, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership have designed the following programme as the most specialised football leadership programme for coaches and managers.
Course Co-Director: Tim Harkness
Course Co-Director: Lee Richardson
With special contribution from Drewe Broughton:
Co-directors
Course Objectives and Target Audience
Course Content
Understanding the Psychological scene for players
The psychological approach to the player:
- Variables that affect player performance
- How the brain works: System 1 and 2
- How emotion works: PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment)
- Mental Strength VS Mental Health
How the psychological approach can be crucial to success in football
Understanding the fundamentals of emotional intelligence
What defines emotional intelligence?
- Relationship skills
- Values system and social awareness
- Communication skills
- Self awareness, self management and resilience
Appling EI with Players: Identify and managing emotions
- Personality and its ways of expressing itself
- Attitude, persistence and perseverance
- Fear & control
- Ego, performance
- Vulnerability vs invincibility
- Trust & belief
- Authenticity. The I AM
- Empathy, the key to unlocking potential
- Sweat & courage
Methodology for working with players from a psychological perspective
- The interview with the player
- Building trust
- Key questions
- Feedback and working with mistakes
Connect with the new generation of players
- Characteristics of the new generation
- Their concept of hierarchy
- Managing attitude
Motivational strategies for players
- Working with focus, motivation and confidence
Variables affecting group performance
Analysing the psychological state of the team
- The team cohesion
- Level of trust between members
- Identification of team conflicts
- How the team behaves
- Level of motivation
Build team culture
- Defining our own team purpose, value system, role models, standards, attitude and behaviours
- Balance individual desire for success with sacrifice to create team purpose
Psychological conflict management in teams
- Starting the season with new players in the team
- Managing team cohesion conflicts
- Managing team EGO conflicts
- Building an international team: the diversity perspective
Team motivation strategies (0,75 month)
- The different motivating climates
- Types and style of motivating
- Individual vs team motivation strategy
- Facing team conflicts
- Motivate a team that has been winning or losing for too long
- Increase the team's commitment to the goal
- Stressed and overloaded team
- Problems that may arise when motivating
Analyse psychological approach to the match
- Psychological strengths and weaknesses that affect to the team’s performance
- False / right assumptions
Match motivation strategies
- Facing a key match (derby, final or playing to survive)
- Working on mental strength
- Playing against a higher/lower ranked team
- Home and away matches
- How to be prepared to play against different game styles
- Build a purpose for each game and create stories that motivate players
- Psychological approach to face a penalty
Variables affecting group performance during the season
Season psychological challenges
- Setting up a team culture
- Prevention of mental exhaustion
- Wellbeing
- Working on mental health
- When the team is in a position where it will neither win nor lose at the end of the season
- Create a purpose for the season and keep the players committed to it
- Pressure of promotion / relegation
- Team conflict management
- Creation and management of the Coaching Staff
- Feedback and communication skills: before, during and after the matches
- Negotiation and influence
- Managing difficult conversations
- Leadership