Daraine Luton, Freelance Writer
DOWNSWELL
THE JAMAICA Football Federation (JFF) and a group of mental health professionals have come together and decided that football is not just played on the field by players trying to get the ball into each other's net.
Both parties, more so the health professionals, say the mentality of players is of utmost importance to performance and decided to partner the JFF in implementing a Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP).
A release from the JFF on Monday said that PEP which kicks off this week with the Under-20's currently training for the World Youth Tournament final round qualifiers will incorporate a number of psychological strategies that will include individual and group counselling, motivational strategies, management of the pressures of competition, management of success and failure, conflict resolution, anger management, management of peer pressure, techniques to promote team harmony, techniques to promote self discipline on and off the field, and facilitating personal responsibility and responsibility to team and country.
The release further stated thatPEP, which will be conducted by mental health professionals volunteering their services to the JFF, will form a core component of the youth-based development programme being undertaken by the JFF.
However, as JFF press officer Earl Bailey pointed out, it is not confined to any age group.
WORKING WITH ALL TEAMS
"They will be working with all the teams but right now they will be concentrating on those players in training the Under 20's preparing for the World Youth Tournament final round qualifiers in Honduras next year and also the senior team that is the Digicel Cup."
Commenting on the importance of PEP, consultant psychiatrist Dr. Wendell Abel, one of the volunteers, said:
"The reality is that we have not been placing enough emphasis on the psychological side of our athletes, especially our footballers.
PURE TALENT
"We have basically relied on pure talent of these individuals but there is also the need to ensure that they are mentally equipped to deal with success as well as failures, understand the demands of the sport and demonstrate a level of discipline and responsibility to country," Abel added.
Similarly, national coach Wendell Downswell, who is in charge of the Under-20's, has welcomed the PEP with wide open arms.
"It will play a very significant role in our preparation. It is good to be physical, good to be tactical but even better to be mentally ready," Downswell pointed out.
He added: "When one considers how difficult it is to play on the international scene I can only see the programme as a positive one. I am really looking forward to reap the benefits from it and am sure the players are looking forward to it also."
