Mental health is important for Banyana
IT’S one thing to lose out on World Cup selection, but it’s another to see the dollar signs disappearing before your eyes.
Banyana Banyana will be playing in the World Cup for the second time, but never before have the players struck it so rich at the global showpiece.
Just over a month ago, Fifa announced that every player in every one of the 32 squads will be paid R570 000. Never before have women been paid so much money and from that point onwards every player saw the dollar signs before their eyes.
Safa, in their wisdom, foresaw saw that players would be devastated if they failed to make the World Cup squad and as such called on a sports psychologist to support the players.
Before Friday’s World Cup squad announcement, Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said it was important for the players to have professional support.
“We have a psychologist in camp working with the players because no matter what I say and how I say it, I am putting someone’s dreams on pause. That would be the most difficult thing, but it has to be done,” Ellis said.
Some time ago, sports psychologist Dr Koketjo Tsebe was roped in to cater to the team’s mental needs.
“My role in the team is to assist coach Desiree to achieve her goal, to focus on mental health aspects to meet the needs of the team mentally,” said Tsebe.
“Tapping into aspects like team cohesion and catering to specific individual needs. The team is made up of individuals, they also have their own goals that they want to achieve.
“We tap into different psychological variables that are important and I think one of the most key aspects is mental toughness, the ability for them to keep going regardless of how difficult it is.
“We have to rope in the aspect of confidence. It’s normal to feel anxious ahead of a global competition. How do you regulate, how do you manage that? You will be mindful despite difficulties or while doing very well, to assist to maintain individual or team peak performance.”
Banyana’s first game will be against Sweden in Wellington, New Zealand, on July 23. Afterwards, they will face Argentina in Dunedin on July 28, while their last group game is against Italy in Wellington on August 2.
The African champions will be one of four nations from the continent at the global showpiece alongside Zambia, Morocco and Nigeria.