Get Your Head in the Game

An exploration of football and mental health

Dominic Stevenson

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Paperback

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English

Watkins Publishing
08 December 2020

Social groups: clubs & societies; Mental health services; Sports & outdoor recreation

Get Your Head in the Game is the first book to tackle the issue of mental health and its relationship with the most popular sport in the world, football.

Get Your Head in the Game is the first book to tackle the issue of mental health and its relationship with the most popular sport in the world, football.

Football is more than just a sport; the pitch reveals emotion in the extreme, from the glory of goals, the thrill of comradeship, the rollercoaster of club loyalty, through to the immense pressure of expectation, fear of injury, and crushing defeat. Fans, players, managers, coaches, and even those new to the sport can't help but be swept up by the drama at the heart of the beautiful game. But when players at the peak of their physical fitness commit suicide, or poor mental health derails careers, there can still be a stunned silence in the community, a lack of connection.

In Get Your Head in the Game, Dominic Stevenson, a writer, player, coach, and lifelong football obsessive, interviews a diverse cross-section of characters in the football world, from fans to managers, from players at the start of their careers to retired veterans, women's football stars, international celebrities, refugee footballers and mental health professionals. Football is more than just a sport. The pitch reveals emotion in the extreme- from the glory of goals, the rollercoaster of club loyalty, through to the immense pressure of expectation, fear of injury, and crushing defeat. Fans, players, managers, coaches and even those new to the sport can't help but be swept up by the drama of the beautiful game.

But when players at the peak of their physical fitness commit suicide, or poor mental health derails careers, there can still be a stunned silence in the community, a lack of connection.

Dominic Stevenson, a writer, player, coach and lifelong football obsessive, interviews a diverse cross-section of characters in the football world to try to understand this lost connection between the sport and the mind.

This book contains contributions from internationally renowned players such as Sam Hutchinson, Chris Kirkland, Ella Masar, John Harkes and Iffy Onoura. From voices at top clubs around the globe including Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and DC United, to the stories of smaller clubs and unsung heroes behind the scenes, Dominic reveals personal battles both on and off the pitch, touching on anxiety, depression, discrimination, trauma, identity and recovery.

By: Dominic Stevenson
Imprint: Watkins Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 0th New edition
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 135mm,
ISBN: 9781786784353
ISBN 10: 1786784351
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 08 December 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dominic Stevenson is a writer, professional communicator and an academy football coach at League Two and Lowland League football teams in Scotland. He has trained alongside international football coaches, and as a youth player, he captained teams to play across Europe and in Asia. He provides communications support for the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA), and he is the PR Manager for the Yorkshire International Football Association.

Reviews for Get Your Head in the Game: An exploration of football and mental health

A heartfelt, poignant and thoughtful work on a topic that truly matters. - Daniel Gray, author of Saturday, 3pm A must-read for fans of the beautiful game - Nancy Frostick, The Athletic Brilliant and important - Doug Johnstone, author of The Jump Emotionally intelligent, devastatingly real and carefully constructed Get Your Head in The Game is an absolute must read. - Hannah Albery, host of the Mind Matters podcast