Liverpool’s Mo Salah says the mental visualisation work he does each day is a key part of his success.

Chris Wood, former Cambridge player, current All Whites Captain and Nottingham Forrest Striker, also uses visualisation techniques.

Auckland FC’s Francis de Vries credits developing mental skills as helping his performance on the football field, as well as finding confidence in himself, giving him more resilience, and helping him to treat other people better.

Resilience, leadership, teamwork, confidence, communication….. are all often promoted as benefits of sport, but they are traditionally seen as by-products of playing and training, rather than skills that are deliberately taught.

Football in New Zealand is generally focused on physical ability, tactical understanding, and technical skills. Training sessions typically take place on the pitch, with indoor sessions (when it’s raining) focussed on tactics.

That's starting to change, with some clubs starting to include mental skills training as a part of player development programmes.

What is ‘mental skills’ training?

It's important to understand the difference between mental skills coaches and psychologists. 

Psychologists can diagnose and treat mental health conditions, like anxiety or depression, while Mental Skills coaches focus on performance improvement through specific techniques. 

When we are talking about mental skills training, it can include:

• Goal Setting – Setting and working toward realistic targets.

• Visualisation – Mentally rehearsing success and decision-making.

• Self-Talk – Using positive thoughts to boost confidence and manage pressure.

• Breathing & Relaxation – Staying calm under stress.

• Focus Training – Improving concentration during matches.

• Resilience – Learning to recover from mistakes.

The professional shift 

Professional football has slowly integrated mental health support over the years. In the 1990s, Arsène Wenger introduced sports psychology at Arsenal, while Sir Alex Ferguson worked with sports psychologist Bill Beswick at Manchester United. At the time, clubs were less likely to openly discuss this support due to stigma around mental health.

Today, many professional clubs around the world employ full-time psychologists, with psychological support increasingly viewed as an essential component of player development and performance at the professional level.

Media pressure for professional players is nothing new. In the 1990s, players like David Beckham faced intense scrutiny in the media with tabloid headlines, constant paparazzi attention, and public criticism that could be brutal and unrelenting.

Social media has only made this feedback more immediate and direct, and given every fan a platform to comment.

In New Zealand, the Wellington Phoenix employ a psychologist to work with both the first team and academy players. Auckland FC has a mental performance coach. Other clubs are investing in this area as well.

Erik Panzer

Mental Skills with youth players

Francis de Vries has founded a mental skills coaching business, HeadStart Coaching, in Auckland, to support youth athletes to develop mental skills for success. 

In Hamilton, Erik Panzer is a mental performance coach, who brings both playing experience and a background in psychology to his work with individuals, clubs and school teams.

"There has to be a purpose behind what you're doing," he explains. "Teenagers who've been playing since they were young kids may not have thought about their 'why'. It's very different to be playing football because parents are pushing you, to playing because your mates play, to playing because you always have, compared to playing from an internal love of the game."

He talks about the influence of social media — especially instagram, tik tok and snapchat — leading to external motivations driving some players (the money, cars, life and prestige of a premier league player), and how these are not sustainable drivers when things get harder.

Panzer has had a football career that’s taken him all over the world, including a football scholarship to university in the US, where he completed an undergraduate degree in psychology, to playing professionally and semi-professionally in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. He believes his experience helps young athletes, especially footballers,  relate to him. 

"Kids won’t listen to their parents, but I’ll say the same thing their parents have been saying for years, and suddenly, they hear it," he says.

He works in both group sessions and with individuals, with his work focusing on identity & purpose, behaviour, and performance.

Developing purpose and identity

Panzer works with football players young athletes to help them understand who they are, and why they play their sport. He encourages them to think beyond external influences, such as parental expectations or the lure of professional contracts, and find internal motivation for their game.

"If you have a clear identity and purpose, it will drive your behaviour," he explains. "If your purpose is to become a professional, that will shape how you train. If your purpose is to be the best teammate, that will guide your actions."

Behaviour changes are a result of athletes aligning their training and competition approach with their identity and purpose. This might include:

• Developing structured pre-training and competition routines to enhance consistency and focus.

• Implementing mental strategies to manage pressure, stay present, and navigate challenges.

• Utilising breathing techniques to regulate emotions, improve focus, and reset in key moments.

By integrating these practices, athletes create habits that support both their performance, and personal growth.

As players gain a deeper understanding of their identity, they can intentionally modify behaviours, leading to meaningful improvements in performance.

When mental skills training helps

Mental skills training can particularly help players who:

• Experience performance anxiety before games

• Doubt their abilities

• Struggle to handle mistakes

• Lose focus during matches

• Play too cautiously due to fear of failure

• React negatively to setbacks

• Compare themselves constantly to others

Keeping players in the game

Panzer sees some players quitting football at 18 years old when they haven’t landed a spot in the first team at their club. 

He believes mental skills training starting in the teenage years can help develop motivation through a love of the game and encourage more players to stay involved in football longer. 

For parents, he has a simple piece of advice: let players fail.

"For example - if they’re not getting minutes, don’t change teams. Let them struggle, but be there to support them when they do."

He stresses that mental skills training isn’t just for players who are struggling now, but can benefit all players, in football and in life. 

"Football, as with life, isn't always smooth sailing. If young people can learn to fail, reflect and grow through sports, it gives them a greater chance at developing skills to cope in similar situations further in sport and in life" he says. 

For more information:

The Podcast ‘Talking Performance’ has a range of guests with topics including mental skills

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/talking-performance/id1511434243

New Zealand Rugby have some valuable resources on their website Mind. Set. Engage.

The site was created to help players, coaches, support staff and families in the rugby community to support their own wellbeing and that of others.

Podcast ‘The Athlete Development Show’ has some guests and episodes that discuss mental skills

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-athlete-development-show/id1156301534

HeadStart Coaching – Francis de Vries

Panzer Performance – Erik Panzer

Mo Salah talks about Visualisation

https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/interview-mohamed-salah-shares-secrets-behind-his-elite-mindset

https://www.instagram.com/zitoofitness/reel/DCIjVGbRQeo/

Auckland FC Game plan for mental performance

https://aucklandfc.co.nz/news/auckland-fcs-game-plan-for-mental-performance/

Article added: Thursday 20 February 2025