The Role of the Sports Psychologist in Football and NTC Challenge at the AIS

Broadcast on the Australian Community Radio Network, 2xxfm, 98.3mhz on Tuesday, 26 Januray 2010 and podcast around the world!

This program covers the FFA NTC Challenge and we examine the role of the SPorts Phsycologist in sport - not just elite sport. The ASC provides a neat synopsis of this expert contribution to sports performance. Our interview this week is with Paul Penna, a very experienced sports psychologist. Why don’t we see more of their professional contribution in clubs, the Premier League, Capital Football’s HPP just to name two football opportunities?

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The FFA NTC Challenge is underway and ACTAS is participating. It’s a terrific football treat this early in the year, its tense and there is plenty of football talented to amaze. This is the first activity for the FFA as it will be the first consolidated football competition in the a pivotal age group (15-16 years), in which we will see how well the New National Curriculum has been implemented. The games are tense and the coaching staff under a lot of technical scrutiny by the FFA’s Technical Development Committee. How will ACTAS be rated in this competition. Early games indicate that it seems unlikely to be scoring too many “Technical Points” for its style of play. Football West and South Australia are early standout performers, but that’s not a surprise. If it the new curriculum is not evident in the manner and style of play at this age, there is real cause for concern, early days or not! Hope they publish the full points scores for each team by game, so that we can see what the FFA thinks is happening at ACTAS and elsewhere. More to follow on this important football development event.

The interview this week is with Paul Penna, a very experienced sports psychologist. Why don’t we see more of their professional contribution in clubs, the Premier League, Capital Football’s HPP just to name few football opportunities? You don’t have to be an elite player to benefit from the integration of a sports psychologist into your football team’s efforts this season. Paul Penna has seem most of what there is to see where elite sports persons are concerned, he is practical and insightful. In this first part of his interview, he sets the scene and note his favourite saying when advising athletes of sports and levels – “swim in your lane”!