043 Thriving in Professional Football

This episode is helpful for young footballers, parents and coaches where former professional footballer Jamie Forrester’s shares his thoughts on how to thrive in professional football.  Today, we chat about playing overseas, training and playing with big names stars at such as Gordon Strachan and Gary McAllister in a successful Leeds United team.  The challenges of moving clubs, settling in, hitting the ground running, dealing with managers are other features of this episode.   Key Learning Points: It was very intense, playing in Auxerre’s academy and it helped technically and tactically develop Jamie’s game. I was so fortunate to play with some top, top players such as David Rocastle and Scott Sellars that really escalated my development. Football opens you up to experiences that you have to back yourself and you have to prove that you're good enough to be there, both from a football perspective but also socially. You really do have to try and make an impact as soon as you can because you don't get too many chances when you’re a young player. From all of the people that I've ever worked with, Gordon Strachan was the biggest influence on my game. The mindset of a young 18-year-old is very different from an experienced pro. As I became more experienced, going to different clubs, in new dressing rooms, it became easier as I was always quite a confident person socially. Although it is a team sport, an individual mindset is needed to do well. When you’re older you realize that the manager is a human being, and then you tailor your approach.  They just want somebody they can trust, so I’d always look to be the guy that they could put their trust in. If I was out of the team now, I would be proactive in finding reasons why I'm not playing from the manager. Connect with Jamie Forrester LinkedIn The Sports Business Club Website  The Football Family Website Connect with David Charlton Download THE FOCUSED ATHLETE CHECKLIST Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN Other Podcasts to Help You Football or Soccer Podcasts Podcast Ep02: Steve Judge – How to Deal with Adversity Podcast Ep27: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers Podcast Ep41: Paul McGee - How to Develop Interpersonal Confidence