Benefits of playing Football – Part 11

Another mental health benefit that comes from football is confidence. The confidence benefit comes from all of the points above. Looking good and feeling that you look good is a massive boost to an individual’s confidence. Being social and having plenty of friends gives someone confidence. Being able to focus at work so that you can have a successful career also gives someone confidence. There are not to many successful, athletic people with large friend groups that suffer from crippling depression and anxiety. Confidence maybe the most important benefit that football provides for individuals of all ages.

Kids too, I used to be a shy kid, until I started playing sport and becoming good at it. Then I became more confident and I have massively benefitted from this. Being a shy kid is hard, you have to rely on others to come up to you and introduce themselves as opposed to you being the one to approach them. This can make it hard to make friends and be able to approach teachers or coaches if you need help with anything. Confident kids as well as kids who are good at football is what I also try and achieve. I have had kids who appear afraid to say hello then by the end of the first  session are having an open dialogue with me, which I think is great.

Confidence is also important as it adds to a kids and really any individuals sense of self and who they are. Now in some instances you want people to change who they are, if they are overly arrogant and ignorant well then yeh maybe they need to think about how they behave. But for the most part individuals should own who they are and be confident in acting how they want to. Football provides this through the confidence it can create in players.