Football Psychology

Louise Ellis, is a leading BASES Accredited Sport & Exercise Scientist CSci (Psychology Support) who works with professional footballers from youth level, as young as 6 to full international, clients include premiership players and those who have represented England, Paraguay  and Argentina at full International level. She has also provided consultancy at  Liverpool Football Club; Championship club, Wolverhampton Wanderers and with International Futebol De Salao coaches. Louise provides face-to-face and online performance support to professional footballers in the UK and online support to professional footballers  in other Countries, she has worked with players online from Canada and the USA.

In 2008 Louise first approached the Professional Footballers’ Association about the importance of increasing sports psychology and mental health awareness to their members.   Many players know that sports psychology addresses performance areas such as confidence, concentration and coping under pressure,  however, in one article produced for the PFA Louise focused her attention on the psychological responses to injury, loss and how stress, low mood state and depression can impact upon healing process or recovery from performance. Read the full article here.

Louise also provides confidential player support (Preparation, Performance and Recovery from performance or injury) at the Bridgewater Hosptial, Manchester, please visit the Bridgewater Hosptial page on this site for more information.

Louise offers a range of intuitive performance consultancy and guidance from a mind, body and spirit perspective to facilitate potential in the football and performance environment, for example:

• Support and intuitive guidance to support the player with transition into retirement
• Performance enhancement: integrating a range of sport science & sport psychology principles into the individual footballer’s training schedule and also at team level.
• Injury management, personal development & well being – holistic support to facilitate the healing and recovery process. See Mind, body, spirit and recovery from performance (and Louise’s blog).
• Improving anxiety control – anxiety and stress can bring about changes in the body and mind.
• Biofeedback and neurofeedback training and monitoring (monitoring and supporting recovery with muscular tension, stress, respiration rates, HR and brain states)
• Pre-match preparation & effective use of psychological skills.
• Post match coping strategies.
• Removing performance blocks / Effective use of stress management techniques.
• Improving concentration skills prior to and during a game.
• Managing emotional changes during a match and surrounding training.
• Monitoring and tracking throughout the season.

Louise can schedule the above via a combination of individual work, team sessions, small group sessions, and work with coaches to ensure their players adopt a range of individualised performance strategies surrounding and during performance. Using and applying these approaches and tools enables players to take control of how they apply their mind to body and provides a sense of self-belief and empowerment.

If you are a footballer who is interested in this performance area but are disadvantaged because your club does not have a strong structure in place or if you are a manager considering this sport science area please contact Louise for an assured confidential discussion.

Louise has worked with players representing  Liverpool Football Club, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, England Youth to Full senior level,  Preston North End, Bradford City, Queen of the South, Motherwell, Semi Professional level, Bristol City Academy, Manchester City / Everton / Liverpool Academy players. Players in the Canadian leagues.