Spurs Blogsville

The Complex Demands Of A Footballers’ Life. No Time For Spurs Players To Relax.

|

Football – The Easy Life?

The season is almost over and it’s nearly time for the players to think about re-energising. Or is it? Most of our major players are Internationals and will be involved in the World Cup. They won’t get time to re-energise before that starts. When the World Cup ends it will be time to prepare for the next season. They won’t get time to re-energise before that starts either. Without a period of quiet reflection and relaxation it is difficult to see how players can recuperate from an arduous season and motivate themselves for a new campaign.

How much football can a body take without a partial or complete breakdown, or a loss of form? It’s probably at times like this that the obscene amount of money that the top players receive for plying their trade actually makes sense.

Football is just a part of the players’ lives. They have family, friends, and a social life, albeit restricted by the demands of being a professional footballer. The secret to a contented life is to strike the right balance between all of the things that matter to us. This is what safe-guards our mental health and promotes a sense of well-being which, in turn, allows us to do what we do, as well as we can. It’s the same for all of us.

Our International players have families and friends. How do the demands of football affect these relationships when they are unable to devote enough time to enjoy and sustain them. How many of us with more ‘normal’ lives could tolerate such ‘work’ demands at the expense of our personal needs?

The reality is that, despite coming to the end of an extremely demanding season, they will not enjoy any kind of break for another twelve months …. at least. No matter how much a person enjoys playing football that must seem to be a very daunting prospect …. and one that is almost impossible to manage!

Perhaps, whilst we get irate and become overly critical of a miss-placed pass, missed goal opportunity, or down a player for two or three poor games in a row, we should remember the complex demands on their lives and that they are simply trying to do the best they can … and entertain US!

Share this article