🎙️ Go Football Podcast – Episode 38: The Mental Game 🧠⚽

Welcome to Episode 38 of the Go Football Podcast with your host Steve, where we dive into one of the most important — and often overlooked — areas of player development: the mental side of grassroots football.

While coaching sessions often focus on passing, shooting, or tactical shape, the truth is that mindset plays a massive role in how players grow, perform, and enjoy the game. In this episode, we explore how confidence, resilience, and maturity can shape a player’s journey just as much as physical or technical ability.

🧠 Mindset Matters More Than You Think

From the first time a child pulls on a kit to their teenage years, grassroots football is as much about personal growth as it is about skill. Some players thrive on pressure, while others need time and encouragement to express themselves.

We break down how mental development isn’t linear, how chronological and emotional ages differ, and why coaches and parents need to nurture patience, resilience, and positivity as part of the player pathway.

🧍‍♂️ Building Resilience Through Coaching

Great coaches don’t just create good footballers — they help shape confident young people. Steve shares practical tips for creating training environments where mistakes are celebrated as learning opportunities, not punished.

We look at session design, realistic challenges, and self-reflection methods that help players become more mentally adaptable on the pitch.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents’ Role in the Mental Game

Parents are often the biggest influence in how children experience the game. From sideline behaviour to post-match conversations, the way parents support their children can either build confidence or unintentionally add pressure.

This episode gives real examples of how small changes in language and attitude can make a huge difference in a child’s enjoyment and development.

⚽ On the Pitch: Where Mindset Shows Itself

Mindset doesn’t just happen in theory — it plays out every weekend on pitches up and down the country. Here’s my run down of the last 2 weeks, with a coaches mindset and how that might have influenced a referee to self reflection of players doing much better than they think.

🫣 Looking at mental side of the game

• ​The player who keeps their head up after a mistake.
• ​The quiet child who suddenly grows in confidence after being encouraged to lead.
• ​The team that doesn’t crumble when they concede early.
• ​The parent who stays calm and positive when things don’t go their child’s way.

These are the real signs of strong mental development. Whether it’s bouncing back from a missed chance, taking on feedback positively, or showing leadership in tricky moments — this is where the mental game meets match day reality.

🧭 Growth Mindset vs Results Mindset

Grassroots football should be about long-term development, not short-term domination. We unpack the difference between focusing on winning now vs growing players for the future — and why a growth mindset sets players up for success both on and off the pitch.

📣 Get Involved

We’d love to hear your stories about mindset and development in grassroots football. Have you seen a young player grow mentally over a season? Or maybe you’ve had to work on your own coaching approach to support different personalities?

📧 Email us: gofootballpod@gmail.com

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🎧 Listen now on:

• ​ Spotify
• ​ Amazon Music
• ​ Castbox
• ​ YouTube

Big thanks to Laceeze for supporting the podcast. Don’t forget, you can use code GoFootballPod for 10% off at laceeze.co.uk.

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