For mental health issues in sport but also in society in general they discussed the Christos Sotirakopoulos by Mark Adamula to News Bulletin 247.
THE mental health officer (Mental health) in FA, at English Federationtalked about the problems that a scientist is called upon to face with the specific specialty on the Island, the development that exists in relation to the recent past in such matters and how science treats athletes.
“Many times we think of a sports organization, but forget about those who support the protagonists. The FA is a large organisation, with over 950 people as employees, who also need support. Times are hard. Yes, we are also there for the people, the workers, of the Federation. As in every company there is accounting and marketing, so there is this department. Wembley is owned by the FA, which undertakes to host concerts or events, in addition to sporting events”, was his first placement.
For the pressure on athleteshe said: “In recent years it is something that has improved, we see it more humanely. Always the athletes who have reached this point, they have had pressure with transfers, with their national teams or the competitions they have participated in, they have been under a lot of pressure. A team’s environment, or ecosystem, has a tremendous impact if something small changes in a team or organization. It has an impact on the rest. This has improved a bit. Indirectly the mental health side has been helped by the pandemic as there is greater understanding.
More people are now comfortable talking about it and there’s no tendency to apologize, there’s no shame, and people are a little bit more comfortable. We hear “mental health” and suddenly our breath is taken away, we click, there is this “ouch”. If we said pure health, we would accept it more easily. Because we live in a world that is angelic in social media, the mental health part is also important, I see it from football with the clubs and national teams, who have trainers, nutritionists and other specialties, who work every day for the players or other people in general.
A football player, many times, is isolated when he is injured and his friends are out, socializing with each other, and the injured one is left alone. It is one of the best opportunities, for me, to get on the adjacent treadmill or bike, and have a conversation with him. Many times you go out for coffee with an athlete, do something more human, and talk about some things that are not so everyday. It is good to have our ears and eyes open, when a fellow human being speaks to us, a colleague, and from the moment he does something like this and externalizes it, it is an “odyssey” for him, who makes a great effort».
For the efforts made by foreign federations, like the EPO, with the days and the next day of a football player: “I’ve talked to a number of retired players, discussing the transition, and there’s an expression that “an athlete dies twice”, because they stop their sport and then die biologically. It is important to work with athletes, that they have interests outside of sports. When you feed a young athlete only his sport, you are not doing him any good. When he has other interests, you develop him as a person. When you put in 100% of your energy and effort, what can you expect from him next?».
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
