1st Regional Development Soccer Conference Held – Demi Talk on Player Mental Health

With the opening event in the large auditorium of the Department of Regional and Economic Development of the Agricultural University of Athens, which is based in Amfissa, the work of the 1st Regional Development Football Conference “The future is played on our own field” (February 23-25) began, with subject to the development of professional and amateur football.

The “present” was given by the Executive Director of EPO, Iakovos Philippoussis, the president of EPS Fokidas Fanis Angelou, members of the Board of Directors. of the EPS of Fokida, the Deputy Governor of Fokida Giorgos Delimouzos, the Mayor of Delphi Panagiotis Tagalis, the technical director of the National Teams Kostas Konstantinidis and the technical director of training of the EPO, Kostas Tsanas.

For his part, the president of the EPO, Panagiotis Baltakos underlined the value of such conferences by stressing: “It is the duty of EPO to deal with the development of football and amateur football. It is a key pillar for the football federation, just as our National Teams are also a key pillar, but in order to have good national teams, football and footballers must be developed properly from the grassroots. This conference is an innovation, a pioneer, and I encourage others to follow it, to take similar initiatives and hold similar conferences.”

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In addition to the development of football, the conference also discussed issue of players’ mental health.

Through a riveting speech, the 2004 European Champion and ambassador of the EPO football and mental health program, Demis Nikolaidis, the Athletic Director of PAE AEK Academy and former international footballer, Ilias Kyriakidiswith journalist Stefanos Avramidis as the main presenter of the panel, discussed the effect of football on players’ mental healthas well as analyzed, scientifically and experientially, the various benefits that sport offers as a means of mental strengthening and well-being to each athlete.

With his statements, Nikolaidis emphasized that: “Everything went as it should at the EURO, all the guys who played gave everything and despite my injury I enjoyed it to the highest degree.

It is a sensitive and critical part of the mental health of athletes both in action and after the end of their career. Now there are psychologists in the groups and you work more on this part. We all need psychotherapy to learn about ourselves better and to better face and manage our failures.”

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At the end of the speeches, the executive director of EPO, Iakovos Philippousis and the technical director of the National Teams, Kostas Konstantinidis presented a jersey of the National Team to little football friend Yiannis Papastephanakis, who attended the opening of the conference.