University of Staffordshire's Performing Under Pressure Podcast

In this special bonus episode, we introduce two local guests who have recently appeared on the ITV show 'My Mum, Your Dad'. Conducted just prior to the show, which is available now on ITVX, father Andy Pearce and daughter Izzy Pearce describe the challenges they face as members of the public who are catapulted onto national TV in front of watching millions.

Andy is a successful businessman in the property domain and has worked with numerous international footballers during his career, and we reflect on what he has learnt from those experiences. Izzy outlines the psychological support provided to contestants on shows like 'My Mum, Your Dad', and speaks about her coping mechanisms for appearing on national TV. 

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Professor Marc Jones is an expert in stress on health, wellbeing and performance in individuals and organisations at Manchester Metropolitan University. Formerly a colleague of co-host Professor Matt Slater at the University of Staffordshire, Marc has been hugely influential in developing theories that explain the confluence of psychology and physiology in performing under pressure.

Indeed, the Theory of Challenge and Threat States in Athletes forms part of our conversation in this episode and we explore some of the factors that may influence challenge and threat responses, such as social support.

We ask Marc to explain the characteristics of effective practice in sport psychology and then move on to discussing how leaders and organisations can contribute to effective performance under pressure. On an individual level, Marc also explains the utility of imagery in facilitating performance under pressure.

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In this special international edition recorded in Porto, Dr Paul Mansell and Beatriz Gandra speak to Matilde Fidalgo about her perceptions of performing under pressure in the highest level of women's football.

Matilde announced her retirement from football this month and has had a stellar career representing teams such as Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Braga, Manchester City, Real Betis and FC Famalicao. She also represented Portugal, winning 48 caps which included playing at Euro 2017.

We explore the feelings associated with retirement and career transitions and also delve into how Matilde prepared to perform well in her career. Nutrition is highly important to her, and Matilde explains how she used nutrition to fuel her performance. Matilde tells us about how she would support herself in situations of pressure, such as in reacting to mistakes in a helpful way, and she explains what effective leadership should like like in this context.

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Dave Lawrence is able to speak about performing under pressure from his myriad of experiences in football. In a career spanning 27 years to date, Dave has been Head of Sport for The Albion Foundation, the first ever Director of Women’s Football at WBA FC, Head of Football for University of Wolverhampton, Head Coach for University of Birmingham Women, an FA Mentor and former FA Coach Educator. Dave was also a FIFA registered agent and now works for the Football Association of Wales.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of being prepared to show vulnerability to demonstrate a human side, the importance of 'what - if' planning and asking yourself the question of 'what does this player need today?'. Dave also suggests the importance of being an inch wide but a mile deep when it comes to knowledge and also preparing for performance under pressure by allowing players the chance to develop this skill in ecologically valid settings.

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Chris Casper began his career in football at Manchester United under the watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson and made his debut for the first team in 1994. He has also represented England at U18 and U21 levels, AFC Bournemouth, Swindon Town and Reading before retiring due to a serious knee injury aged 24. He is now Director at Football at League Two Salford City having also experienced club management at Team Bath and Bury.

In this episode, Chris tells Dr Paul Mansell and Professor Matt Slater what he learned from his time at Manchester United, and he goes into detail as to how he used visualisation ahead of an important game away at Tottenham Hotspur. Indeed, preparation is a theme that crops up frequently during the conversation, and Chris explains how he now utilises this to help him perform in the pressurised role as a leader in football.

We discuss creating a culture in an organisation, and Chris reveals what he hopes people would say about the culture he has created at Salford City.

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Dr Amber Mosewich is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada. In this exclusive interview with Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Katie Sparks, Amber explains the role of self-compassion in wellbeing and performance in sport. Amber is one of the world's leading experts in this growing and evidence-based field, and the content that she shares also shines a light on how we might utilise self-compassion theory and strategies as a part of our daily lives.

In particular, Amber describes the three pillars of self-compassion and offers an explanation as to how self-criticism can be detrimental to wellbeing and performance. Amber provides some thoughts as how quickly self-compassion skills can develop and on why scepticism may exist towards self-compassion. We also discuss how organisations can promote a self-compassionate culture.

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Karl Colley began his professional football career with his hometown club Sheffield Wednesday and subsequently signed for Newcastle United and Sheffield United before playing at Non-League level for teams including Halifax Town and Goole.

In this episode, Karl speaks at length about the need to offer psychological support to young players and how this needs to be much more than just a box-ticking exercise. In discussion with Dr Paul Mansell and guest co-host Jake Jervis, Karl describes how leaders can play a crucial role in fostering the positive development of young players.

Karl is very open and honest about the struggles he faced in his career, such as a gambling addiction and poor mental health, and now, Karl shares his desire to use his experiences to help others.

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Mark O'Brien made his debut for Derby County in the Championship aged 16 and went on to make nearly 200 career appearances for Motherwell, Luton Town, Southport and Newport County.

The former Republic of Ireland youth international retired aged 27 having had open heart surgery and in this episode, Mark tells Dr Paul Mansell and Dr Joe Dixon about how he dealt with this life-threatening situation.

Since retiring, Mark is now a member of staff at Newport County and is passionate about supporting the development of young players. Reflecting on his own playing career, Mark describes the importance of routine and the need for taking personal responsibility. Mark describes experiencing pre-match nerves in the form of vomiting prior to kick-off and the role of perspective in helping individuals perform under pressure.

This episode was recorded via Microsoft Teams.

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Current vice-captain of League Two Walsall FC, striker Jamille Matt has made over 400 appearances in his career and has represented clubs including Forest Green, Newport County, Fleetwood Town and Kidderminster Harriers. In this unique episode, Jamille joined regular host Dr Paul Mansell and guest co-hosts Jake Jervis and Sam Winnall in the studio to discuss performance under pressure. The added dynamic of two recently retired professional footballers made for a detailed and honest conversation, such as the best way to prepare for a Wembley final. A focus of this episode was on leadership given Jamille's experience and he provided some useful practical advice as to how a leader can get the best out of their players, such as through empowerment. The use of self-criticism was also discussed by the quartet. 

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In this episode, Emma Quinn joined Dr Paul Mansell and Laura Jackson in the studio to discuss performing under pressure from the angle of female health. Emma is a PhD student at Loughborough University and has recently delivered psychological skills interventions with the England Amputee Football Association.

Speaking from her experiences in competing in karate to a high level as well as reflecting on her applied work, Emma spoke in detail about her perceptions of performing under pressure, and she shares some of the strategies that she has found to be impactful when working with athletes. However, the main focus of this conversation was to learn more about the role of menstruation in sport and exercise and how this might influence performing under pressure.

Coaches, teachers, leaders and practitioners alike will no doubt be able to learn from Emma's evidence-based approach to this topic as Emma provides some practical tips on how to aid female athletes' health, wellbeing and performance.

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