Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s steadfast commitment towards ensuring the success of Asian teams on the world’s biggest stages was further underlined when it conducted the AFC Emotions in Football Online Session on Tuesday.
Chaired by AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, the virtual session was attended by 125 representatives from 39 Member Associations (MAs) and featuring a line-up of experts such as Education 4 Peace Founder and Director Mark Milton and Qatar Aspire Academy’s Head of Football Neurophysiology Maria Ruiz de Ona.
Launched in December 2021, the AFC Emotions in Football Project examines how emotions can affect the performances of players and their personal well-being.
Using the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ as a reference point, the coach educators discussed several practical topics which can be included in MA Coach Education courses, and examined various teaching methods which can be used to deliver the subject.
Major highlights include informative dialogues discussing some of the integral tenets of the programme, such as managing disharmony in dressing rooms, conducting half-time talks when trailing, overcoming disappointment and handling anger on the pitch.
The participants also walked away with fresh insights from a coach’s perspective, which included practical tips on how to interact with players for optimal performance, strategies for handling the delicate situation of dropping star players and techniques for managing a lack of concentration during crucial matches.
Before the event concluded, the attendees engaged in an interactive question-and-answer session that allowed them to not only share best practices and processes from their own organisations, but also to gain different perspectives from their peers’ experiences.
“It is highly important to always remember that in many matches, it is not tactical and technical brilliance that determine the outcome of the game, but it often comes down to having an emotional edge,” said Roxburgh.
“The behaviour and mentality of players are dependent on several factors which makes it essential for us to treat emotions as a tool – not something that needs to be hidden, but managed. Hence, it is imperative to include the topic of Emotions in Football in coach educational courses across our MAs, to ensure the holistic development of not just our players but also coaches.”
