Many footballers are institutionalised – this shutdown will be tough

Sport gives meaning to those involved in the game and coronavirus has taken that away, says Gary Bloom

One of the things you realise when working with elite athletes is that many define themselves by what they do. With that in mind, I foresee this shutdown being extremely challenging for a huge number of people in football.

This is not just a problem in sport but society in general, and maybe is more applicable to men than women. But if a footballer is not playing, and will not be for several months, then who are they? Many find it hard to see themselves as husbands, sons, fathers or friends. For them, the next few weeks are going to be stressful and I have already begun to see an upturn in the number of referrals to see me.

Part of the issue is that many footballers are institutionalised in the everyday camaraderie that a club offer. One player I work with admitted that the thought of not seeing the “lads” every day and enjoying all the “banter” would be detrimental to his mental health. “Don’t tell the club, but I’d play for nothing,” he told me.

He is back home now, many miles away both geographically and emotionally from the “lads”, and I know he is concerned about what the future may hold.

That player is certainly not alone. I am part of a well-being WhatsApp group for players and athletes around the country and last week one individual posted a picture of his garden tools with the caption: “I’m not sure I can put up with this any longer.”

Many in the game will sympathise with the sentiment. My job is to help vulnerable young men and the coaching staff make sense of the world – but there is not much sense in current events. Sport gives meaning to those involved in the game. Each week at a club is measured out by training schedules, video analysis, strength and conditioning work, recovery from injury to get back to first-team football, scouting work, negotiations with contracts and agents.

In normal circumstances, psychologists would describe football clubs as “VUCA” – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Well, things are definitely VUCA right now and, from a psychological point of view, that is concerning because the one thing we cannot bear is uncertainty.

One of the greatest advances on the London Underground in the past hundred years, for example, has been the overhanging platform signs that tell commuters how long until the next train. Knowing how long we need to wait gives us a sense of comfort that keeps us from behaviours motivated by anxiety and fear.

In football, that sense of certainty is provided by the rhythm of matches and seasons, and at present that does not exist. Instead, coaches and players are sitting at home, wondering what the future holds. Some may have contracts that expire on June 30, another cause of concern, while more are employed by clubs who must be worrying about their futures and whether they can survive this crisis.

That impacts on your day-to-day life. Training from home is fine if there is an end goal in sight. That motivation can change if your next fixture might be a month, two months, three months or even six months away.

This is also a potential issue for fans, with so many using football as an emotional safety valve. I was at Kenilworth Road this season and was taken aback by a man in his sixties who spent the 90 minutes hurling abuse at all and sundry before, at the final whistle, turning round and saying: “Good game that.”

I would argue that match was a form of therapy for a man who wanted to safely let off steam. My concern is where that anger and frustration goes without football.

Another issue is that many of us find refuge in idle thoughts regarding our team, and that escapism is strongly ingrained for most people. Again, without those distractions, life becomes more difficult – and at the moment that is clearly an issue.

This is something fans, players and coaches are going to have to get used to. We are living in difficult times and the lack of football will have a huge impact on all manner of people.

Gary Bloom is a clinical sports psychotherapist