Български
SMS: Strong Mind for Success
International TC Strong Mind for Success took place in Sofia
12.10.2023
The international seminar "Strong Mind for Success" #SMS was held in Sofia, Bulgaria from October 9th to 12th, 2023, offering participants from Bulgaria, Italy, and Slovenia the opportunity to enhance their knowledge in the field of young athletes' mental health, while providing a platform for future networking activities. Each partner organization (Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia) participated with 6 individuals - 1 project manager + 5 football players/country (participants aged 13 to 18 years old).
The international seminar #SMS focused on training young football players on mental health challenges and how a holistic approach can be applied to their professional development.
The two-day training course "Strong Mind for Success" #SMS included presentations and expert perspectives on the topic from:
• Diyan Atanasov - Communications Specialist at Infopulse Bulgaria, former football player, and creator of the SMS project concept;
• Mental health challenges in football - Assoc. Prof. Korneliya Naydenova, Ph.D., lecturer at the National Sports Academy "Vassil Levski," coach (goalkeepers);
• Champion's mindset - Assoc. Prof. Ivan Ivanov, Ph.D., lecturer at the National Sports Academy "Vassil Levski," psychologist at the Bulgarian Football Union, lecturer in psychology at the UEFA Football School;
• Follow your dreams in football - Hristiyana Guteva - Bulgarian football and international referee, referee No. 1 among women in Bulgaria in 2018.
Within the training, lectures and workshops were conducted, where participants actively discussed the topic and created motivational materials for their peers in the field of football. Participants in the international training #SMS watched together an inspirational movie about female football in Pakistan Goal to a Dream and also held a joint training session with the NSA Football Club.
SMS – Strong Mind for Success is an initiative co-funded by the Erasmus+ program, aimed at enhancing the capacity of contemporary sports organizations in raising awareness and caring for the mental health of young athletes. The "Strong Mind for Success" project provides innovative training on how mental health can contribute to the successful development of young footballers in Bulgaria, Italy, and Slovenia
The project utilizes information gathered from the objectives and policies of European mental health action plans and focuses on raising awareness among young footballers about the importance of mental health. The project's target group includes young boys and girls (up to 18 years old) since this age period is crucial for the psychological development of athletes. The relevance and necessity of such a project are supported by scarce data not on how sports impact mental health, but rather the reverse. During the project, aspects of how we can use mental health to prepare players and achieve quality results on the field, hopefully at a professional level, will be analyzed. With this project, we aim to further develop managers' skills in approaching the mental aspects of their players, and we hope that with the help of mental health experts, we can introduce a more comprehensive approach to player preparation.
Key outcomes of the SMS project include:
• An online platform emphasizing the importance of mental health in sports;
• Practical development of new project ideas throughout the project duration;
• Implementation of high-quality educational and research activities focused on the mental health development of young football.
Duration: 24 months
Partnership: 3 different EU countries - organizations with extensive experience in the field of sports, possessing project management know-how to share - Bulgarian Sports Development Association (Coordinator), L'ORMA from Italy, and Endorfin Sports Club from Slovenia.
More information about the project: www.sportsuccess.org
The two-day training course "Strong Mind for Success" #SMS included presentations and expert perspectives on the topic from:
• Diyan Atanasov - Communications Specialist at Infopulse Bulgaria, former football player, and creator of the SMS project concept;
• Mental health challenges in football - Assoc. Prof. Korneliya Naydenova, Ph.D., lecturer at the National Sports Academy "Vassil Levski," coach (goalkeepers);
• Champion's mindset - Assoc. Prof. Ivan Ivanov, Ph.D., lecturer at the National Sports Academy "Vassil Levski," psychologist at the Bulgarian Football Union, lecturer in psychology at the UEFA Football School;
• Follow your dreams in football - Hristiyana Guteva - Bulgarian football and international referee, referee No. 1 among women in Bulgaria in 2018.
Within the training, lectures and workshops were conducted, where participants actively discussed the topic and created motivational materials for their peers in the field of football. Participants in the international training #SMS watched together an inspirational movie about female football in Pakistan Goal to a Dream and also held a joint training session with the NSA Football Club.
SMS – Strong Mind for Success is an initiative co-funded by the Erasmus+ program, aimed at enhancing the capacity of contemporary sports organizations in raising awareness and caring for the mental health of young athletes. The "Strong Mind for Success" project provides innovative training on how mental health can contribute to the successful development of young footballers in Bulgaria, Italy, and Slovenia
The project utilizes information gathered from the objectives and policies of European mental health action plans and focuses on raising awareness among young footballers about the importance of mental health. The project's target group includes young boys and girls (up to 18 years old) since this age period is crucial for the psychological development of athletes. The relevance and necessity of such a project are supported by scarce data not on how sports impact mental health, but rather the reverse. During the project, aspects of how we can use mental health to prepare players and achieve quality results on the field, hopefully at a professional level, will be analyzed. With this project, we aim to further develop managers' skills in approaching the mental aspects of their players, and we hope that with the help of mental health experts, we can introduce a more comprehensive approach to player preparation.
Key outcomes of the SMS project include:
• An online platform emphasizing the importance of mental health in sports;
• Practical development of new project ideas throughout the project duration;
• Implementation of high-quality educational and research activities focused on the mental health development of young football.
Duration: 24 months
Partnership: 3 different EU countries - organizations with extensive experience in the field of sports, possessing project management know-how to share - Bulgarian Sports Development Association (Coordinator), L'ORMA from Italy, and Endorfin Sports Club from Slovenia.
More information about the project: www.sportsuccess.org
