The Everyday Therapeutic: Where Football and Therapy Meet

This is the first of a series of brief articles reflecting upon the way that things that people do in their everyday lives might be therapeutic, or intersect with the world of therapy somehow. Within these posts, slightly tenuous links are followed and, at times, creative license is used to make some links to therapeutic theory.

This post reflects upon the place of that football (soccer, if you must) has in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the nation - here I am mainly talking about the UK, as that’s where I am based, but I am sure there is a lot of transferability to other countries (and other sports).

Therapeutic wins

Let’s start by reflecting upon the bits we commonly view as good about football for society. In many countries, it is the most popular and most watched sport around. The influence of football teams and their players is huge, with individuals becoming role models and football careers being the thing of dreams for many children as they grow up. So, how can it be good for us? The world of health sometimes talks of the bio-psycho-social model of support, and football, to me, fits well within this frame. I’ll briefly consider each element of this model in turn below.

• The Bio

Taking part and playing can keep us fit and healthy. I probably don’t really need to add any more here, but it is important to acknowledge that physical activity is associated with so many health benefits (including mental health).

• The Psycho

The psychological benefits are a little more nuanced. In many ways, the world of football becomes a microcosm of the world in which we live, with the trials and tribulations, successes and failures, playing out in a more contained way on the pitch. With this in mind, for many, it is a way of learning about how people engage with others in the world. The French existential philosopher Albert Camus is reported to have said:

‘Everything I know about morality and the obligations of men, I owe it to football’

In addition to writing award winning novels, Camus was said to be a pretty good goalkeeper. As a member of the goalkeepers’ union myself (not a real union, but I did play in goal a lot) Camus’s words resonate with me greatly. As a child, I got up early to play football before school, played football at school, went to football clubs after school and talked about football with friends or played football management computer games in the bits in between. There wasn’t a great deal more for me to do in Crewe at that time and, well, I enjoyed it. As a consequence however, I learnt a lot about myself in different groups and different situations. I experienced winning and losing with friends. I felt cheated, joy, relieved, sad, angry and, when I heard the crack associated with my team mate breaking his leg in a tough challenge, pretty sick. It provided a playing field for both learning about football and how to respond to the different things that life threw at me. I am sure that, whilst by no means universal, many others can identify similar experiences in there childhood.

• The Social

As is probably evident, the bio-psycho-social elements mentioned above are not really separate from one another. Much of what I have already mentioned happens in a social situation. Football teams are social. Going to watch a football game in a pub or within the ground is a social activity. It provides a forum for bringing people together, and team allegiances can provide common ground between people with no other commonalities. The Brazilian footballer, Robinho, said:

‘The language of football is universal. You don't need to speak the local lingo in order to be able to communicate with a ball’

For me, both as a child and an adult, I have certainly experienced this to be true.

Increasingly, mental health and wellbeing is becoming an issue talked about by professional bodies such as the Football Association (FA). For instance, the Time to Change campaign run by the FA aims to raise awareness of the difficulties people face and highlight the roles that football can have in promoting positive mental health. In the countries where football stands head and shoulders above other sports in terms of popularity, its potential to be a force for good (however people interpret that) is great. Within the UK, this is probably most evident in recent years within the way that teams ‘take the knee’ before matches to highlight their opposition to racism and the work of my fellow Mancunian, Marcus Rashford. His work, outside of his day job as a footballer, to highlight the great inequalities that children face in society is nothing more than incredible. He stated,

‘These children matter. These children are the future of this country. They are not just another statistic. And, for as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine.’

Marcus Rashford Mural in Manchester

Therapeutic losses

To contrast the above, it is important to also acknowledge that the influence of football is not always positive. I grew up watching football during the 1980s and its influence was certainly mixed. Football was freely available on one of the four or five channels that were available on TV. Well, the national league and cup matches were anyway. The English teams were not allowed to play European matches as, from 1985, English clubs were banned for five years from European competitions. This followed the tragic Heysel Stadium disaster, in which violence between English and Italian fans led to the death of 39 people and hundreds of people getting injured. Undeniably, football can be divisive, and this was one of many instances in which fans faced up to one another. With such instances in mind, unlike its potential for supporting the spreading of positive messages, it is evident that football can also raise passions and lead individuals to engage in tribal battles that can end up in violence. Whilst there are those who enjoy the adrenaline rushes associated with such battles, the growth of football hooliganism is certainly not a high point of the history of football.

On a more individual level, the role of footballers themselves can be questionable. Whilst there are numerous footballers who use their platform to spread positive messages, not all are role models that we would want to see influencing our children. For instance, it is not uncommon for footballers to make the news for committing crimes and, whilst I don’t intend to focus upon individuals here, such crimes have included illegal gambling, driving whilst drunk or without licenses, and rape. Such serious crimes leave long lasting legacies, most notably on the people who have been directly hurt as a consequence. In addition, the ripples of such events also extend beyond those directly involved, to those who have admired and supported these players over the years - I am sure I am not the only parent who has had to explain to their young child that a footballer is not playing as they have been accused of seriously hurting others. The world of football can therefore be a gateway into unanticipated territories as a consequence.

A lost football

Football and therapy

Now, if we move from considering the way that football and footballers can have positive and negative social impacts, there are some more direct ways that football and therapy connect.

The language of football

Language, common to football, can be seen within the therapy room. This is no more noticeable than with the discussion of ‘goals’ for therapy. The term ‘goals’ is one that is both hated and loved by therapists. For some, it can be overly business like - goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Bound (SMART Goals) are equally at home in an office as they are in the therapy room. Others, however, believe that all therapy has a goal (maybe transferring it for terms like ‘purpose’ however) and see bringing this to the fore as a means for those seeking support to be in the driving seat of therapy - notably goal consensus is reported to be an important element of successful therapy. Further, this perspective is central to recent thinking expressed in pluralistic approaches of therapy that believe that one size of therapy does not fit all (if you are interested in reading more about this head here).

A Chapter from the Handbook of Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy

Taking this a step further, some therapists proactively make use of the language of football in their work. For instance, it might be that discussions about football can be used to help develop a rapport with a young person finding it difficult to engage in a school-based counselling session. Such work might also lead to the development of a language for therapy going forward, with some individuals finding the use of football as a metaphor in therapy to be helpful. Within such an approach, people might attack problems, bolster their defence, or develop strategies to achieve their goals. It’s not for everyone, but, for some, it can be helpful.

Football therapy

A very niche area has been the development of football therapy groups. Such groups have developed in numerous countries as a means of bringing people together who have been struggling with their mental health. These have include refugee groups, those who are vulnerably housed and much more. Currently, many of these groups have targeted men, but, as football becomes increasingly popular with women, the currency of this type of work extends in its use. Instead of using football as a metaphor, these groups refocus the therapeutic work and put football in the foreground by getting individuals to actually play football. In recent years, I have volunteered to support one such group and found it challenged the traditional frame of therapy that I had been taught (essentially sitting in chairs). It has also made me consider how conservative therapists’ ways of making services accessible can be.

Whilst I won’t go into this work in any detail here (I have written a chapter in an open access book about it which will be released in September - I will signpost people to it if interested when it is released), two points I would raise are:

1. Football therapy is truly a bio-psycho-social approach (as described above) of therapy.

2. Football therapy varies in how it is structured and works. Whilst the project I worked on had a trained therapist linked to it, not all do. With this in mind, the way that groups interpret the ‘therapy’ bit can vary.

Therapy for footballers

And finally, let’s not forget the world of professional football. Whether it be the players in the academies that act as feeders for the professional teams, or the elite players themselves, no one is exempt from the challenges that life throws at us.

• The academy system

The academy system is pretty brutal. It might be viewed as a dog eat dog process in which only the strongest survive. I’m sure language of this kind is probably applied to encourage the enormous amounts of effort and commitment to succeed in the process. But, even though this may be the case, it does not take away from the fact that the people in the system are children, young people and young adults. They give their all and, ultimately, a tiny percentage of individuals finally make a career professionally. Those that do, have the potential to earn clubs millions of pounds in competition victories, merchandise, or their sale to other clubs. They have the potential to make dreams come true, but, more often than that, individuals do not succeed and are discarded without support. Whilst some clubs are seemingly taking more responsibility, the broader system clearly needs to allocate more resources to support individuals who eventually leave the process with nothing. Ollie Twizell, a doctoral student I have been working with, has recently been examining how best to integrate such support into these systems.

• Elite footballers

Elite footballers are not immune from difficulties. Young men and women are often thrust into the limelight with very little preparation for what lies ahead. For some, this becomes overwhelming and the struggles become disabling whilst working as footballers. For others, the difficulties they encounter can follow them into retirement from the game - which often comes quite early in life for many. The therapeutic provision for elite footballers is however varied. Whilst most clubs have psychologists on hand, these are often sports psychologists and not necessarily trained therapeutically. Arguably, footballers have the financial resources to find their own support, but without appropriate guidance and support about what is available, individuals may not get it.

In addition to the players, it is important to also remember the impact upon the families and children of elite sports professionals (often publicity chastised by the press). Whilst there are clearly many benefits associated with professional sports, it is not free from challenge. For instance, individuals might be expected to move around from country to country at relatively short notice. Another of my current doctoral students (Phoebe Welcome) is currently examining this area and finding there to be similar experiences to those in military families who have to travel around a lot for their work. Once again, the support from the clubs who rely upon this system is however very varied.

They think it’s all over….

But, before it is over, it is important to pull things together. Football and footballers have the potential to change peoples’ lives. It can be therapeutic. Its language can be used to make therapy more accessible. And, it can be used as a creative means of therapy in itself. The football world would arguably benefit from further engagement with the world of therapy however. Football is such big business, as with any other industry, the mental health and wellbeing of its employees should not be shuffled to one side. To end with some words from the US international football player, Megan Rapinoe:

‘This is my charge to everyone. We have to be better. We have to love more. Hate less. We’ve got to listen more and talk less’

That seems like apt advice for the world of football when considering its relationships to the mental health and wellbeing of those who play, watch or take part in other ways.