– I have spoken to several players who do not want to go to their clubs when they are struggling with something. Rather, they want an objective source to talk to where they have full discretion. It is important for them that the club and the support apparatus do not have full control over what is happening, says Dag Sørum to news. He is among Norway’s best-known sports psychologists and has worked with top athletes for 23 years. He himself estimates that he has between five and ten serious conversations with athletes in the course of a week. And although new figures show that there is an increased focus on mental health, he is clear that football still has a long way to go. He tells of several players who feel ashamed to talk about mental challenges and do not want to tell the club for fear of sporting consequences. André Sødlund can relate to that. – Afraid of being judged The former Sandefjord and Odd striker recently shared his strong story with news. Then he described football as a “macho industry”. Sødlund, who retired as a 25-year-old, was one of those who feared for his place on the team if he talked about his challenges. – It is difficult. It is not very common to talk about, he told news, and added: – One is very afraid of being judged. Football is seen as a macho industry, if you are weak and struggle with this or that, you will not be able to stand up to adversity. But it’s not about that. This is an illness that should be treated like a knee injury. WANT MORE FOCUS: André Sødlund has been through some tough times. He would like the mental health provision in Norwegian football to be even better. Photo: VEGARD WIVESTAD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN NORWAY There are several themes that recur when the athletes have an appointment with Sørum. Periods of injury, approaching the end of a career or someone struggling after changing clubs. But sometimes it is far more serious, such as eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. The common feature, regardless of the degree of seriousness, is that the players are concerned about the consequences if the coach finds out what is going on. Sørum says that players have told him that they feel they get a “scratch in the paint” if they open up about challenges. PSYCHOLOGIST: Dag Sørum has many years behind him as a sports psychologist. He collaborates with Niso. Photo: Private – They fear for their place in the team. There are probably many coaches who fear that the player can become a kind of burden in pressure situations if you don’t have a good enough psyche. But it’s usually not about that at all. It could be that someone is struggling at home or can’t sleep at night, says Sørum. – Getting mapped and working with these things does not mean that you fail in situations on the pitch, he adds. He believes that there is still a lot of shame associated with struggling mentally as a footballer, and that it is therefore taboo to talk about it. Just what Sødlund was into. Fear of consequences It is not necessarily “just” about fear of losing your place on the team, says sports director in Lillestrøm, Simon Mesfin. – The players go on intermediate contracts. It is natural for them to think that they have put themselves in an extremely bad situation if they tell you that they are struggling with something, for example if you are approaching the end of a contract. There is a lot to think about, and there are many “consequences” to consider. SPORTS MANAGER: Lillestrøm’s Simon Mesfin. Photo: Audun Braastad / NTB These consequences can be both financial and sporting, he points out. Mesfin himself experiences that many Norwegian clubs are now working to create a safe environment for their athletes, and the numbers show that the arrow is pointing in the right direction. As news wrote last week, several players in recent years have experienced an increased focus on mental health in Norwegian clubs. But Mesfin is clear that the goal is not quite there yet, despite the improvement. He himself says that he has both first-hand and second-hand information that players refuse to open up about the fact that they are having a hard time. – It is natural that they are afraid of the team selection if they say they have “a weakness”, he says, and underlines: – It is up to us as coaches and managers to make it possible for the players to dare, wish and want come to us with both big and small problems or challenges in life. KNEW HIMSELF ALONE: André Sødlund thought he was going to live in the youth space as a professional soccer player. It didn’t turn out that way. Photo: Mats Torbergsen / NTB – Worte more serious Sørum is clear that the fear of opening up about their problems does not apply to everyone and that there is no concern when it comes to mental health in football. – There are, of course, large individual differences. I have heard players say that they have spoken to the coach and both received a good chat and follow-up. I see a lot of both, he says. He draws, like Mesfin, the verdict on the contractual situation players are in. – I ask everyone who comes to me why they started the sport they play. The answer is often because it’s fun, it’s fun to be part of a team, to have camaraderie and feel together. To win and lose together. And the idea itself and the foundation are still there, but football has become far more serious. You have, in a way, painted yourself into a corner: – You depend on football to make money. In order to become professional players, they have put all their eggs in one basket, missed out on education and are therefore very vulnerable to injury or being left out of the team. In any case, many people experience a “use and throw away mentality”, he says. MEANS A LOT: Football means a lot – to a lot of people. The uphill climbs can be enormous. The same applies to the downturns. Here, Martin Ødegaard despairs after 3-3 games against Southampton. Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP André Sødlund believes the club can – and must – do even more. – I think it must be part of the financial aspect of the club, that it is something that is prioritized on the same level as a physical trainer. If the mental health is not in place, the body does not work either.
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