Remember, it is unsafe to follow Taylor Swift's guidance for observing an #eclipse. DON'T stare directly at the sun and ALWAYS look in the mirror. #solareclipse

"I really love being in the high pressure, chaotic, fast-paced environment." Sport and Exercise Psychologist Jess Thom reflects on working with Team GB athletes across three Olympic Games, and why her proudest moments come from being there for them at their lowest points. #PsychologyMatters

World Cup fever is sweeping the nation, and our members are at the heart of the conversation, from England's win over Mexico to rising sexism in football, sharing expertise with the Times, BBC Sport and BBC Sounds. Read the full roundup: https://www.bps.org.uk/news/psychology-media-football-special

It was a pleasure to contribute to a piece in today's @scotnational.bsky.social. As a sport and exercise psychologist, I suggested that what matters most for stirring a sense of national identity is how we carry ourselves; even more so than the results.

I let myself get excited with the prospect of Fantasy World Cup. Then it reads "Powered by Armaco" 🙄

Great to join BBC Radio Scotland to discuss the psychology of refereeing as Hearts close in on a possible title this weekend. Guess I chose the right time for a haircut 💡

Amidst all the excitement of the top flight this season, plenty going down to the wire in the Scottish leagues this weekend. Two titles and various relegation spots still to be decided...

Enjoyed the BBC's More than the Score podcast featuring @richsimpson95.bsky.social. good to have a psychological perspective on fandom in football! 💸 Might allegiances change with ownership? 📍What about clubs that relocate (Clyde, MK Dons)? 🧣 Do fans of smaller teams feel a greater responsibility?

It may have taken a little longer than buying a new handset, but it is a nice feeling that I could fix my own @fairphone.com after the USB-C port stopped working.

So often "professional" or "elite" is seen on the opposite end of a continuum that originates with "fun" or "enjoyment"; these need not serve as polar contrasts. Encouraging to hear about such a strategy as this. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/f...

Norway’s all-conquering Winter Olympians have a message for us all – and it’s not what you think | Cath Bishop

How did a small Nordic country dominate the Games? By making sport fun and not something for kids to suffer

theguardian.com

Good listen on the Exploit-Explore continuum w/ @katjarewitz.bsky.social Insightful for parents, coaches, and athletes. The basketball example reminiscent of Gen. Melchett in Blackadder: "Doing precisely what we've done 18 times before is exactly the last thing they'll expect us to do this time!"

Dan Abrahams@danabrahamspsych.bsky.social · 6mo ago

On this week's episode of The Sport Psych Show "Exploit or Explore: Decision Making in Sport" I speak with PhD student Katja Rewitz whose research focuses on human sensations and their influence on decision-making and performance behaviour buff.ly/2kubwcI

Enjoyable episode of the Drawing the Ideal Self podcast on "hope" within Personal Construct Psychology. 🧱 Hopelessness can be a strategy 🌠 Distinction between to "hope" and to "wish". 🤞Interplay with goals, sociality, and anticipation. www.drawingtheidealself.co.uk/podcast

Terribly sad news about @ktamminen.bsky.social A great loss to sport and exercise psychology research and practice, grateful for valuable insights into youth sport and coping in particular. Thoughts with family, friends, and colleagues. kpe.utoronto.ca/faculty-news...

I can figure out a lot of things, but how have Capybaras become in "in" animal so rapidly?

Good to see the conversation about #PsychologicalSupport for young athletes (specifically in football) continuing. Here is Stephen Smith, chair of @bps-dsep.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

We should support ex-academy footballers properly | Letter

Letter: Stephen Smith says psychological support must be embedded in academies for young players right from the outset

theguardian.com

This could be quite the year for Scottish football (aside from League 2, let's overlook that one for now)

"We can't always offer the resources, as lots of other clubs can't, to best support players individually, each and every time." @CambridgeUtdFC academy care manager's insights on the importance of psychological support for players who are let go from academies.

The last time I was on this stage, I was lucky enough to be performing (admittedly acoustic, and admittedly the audience were seated in front of the organ)! #ENUgrads #MustBeNapier

"It's been a focus on raising awareness & trying to get the governing bodies to implement something that's actually going to improve the process." Dom Ball featured in two of Scotland's leading newspapers on our released academy footballer support campaign. 👉 www.bps.org.uk/news/improve...

Pushy parents are ‘biggest problem in sports performance’, say psychologists

Pushy parents are ‘biggest problem in sports performance’, say psychologists

Unsportsmanlike conduct in grassroots football and on the sidelines at school events is on the rise. How can parents support their child in the right way? Pushy and shouty parents are the “biggest problem in sports performance”, sports psychologists have said, amid growing concern that pressure and abuse is hampering competitive sport in the UK. This week parents were banned from attending sports events at a number of south London primary schools due to “concerning behaviours”, including abuse towards officials and children and creating “too much pressure around performance and winning at all costs”. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

The departure of Thomasson as Sweden's Head Coach offers a fascinating analysis for why a team struggles to achieve (let alone surpass) the sum of its parts. Was it after Andersson's 7 year (successful) spell, introducing an ineffective system, outsider integration? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Sweden sack manager Jon Dahl Tomasson

Sweden sack manager Jon Dahl Tomasson following a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

bbc.co.uk

What an obscene trajectory. Complete disregard for the environment, for the communities which bore these clubs, and even for the players and staff travelling further and longer still than they are already expected to. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Uefa gives ‘reluctant’ approval for domestic games to be played abroad this season

Governing body still insists go-ahead for two matches is ‘exceptional’ and says it is opposed to the idea in general

theguardian.com

Pleased to see the @bpsofficial.bsky.social campaign around psychological support for academy footballers in Scotland getting out there. Grateful I could contribute, and for the story to be picked up by the Daily Record alongside @stir.ac.uk. www.stir.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

Calls for every Scottish professional football club to offer psychological support for academy players | About | University of Stirling

Calls for every Scottish professional football club to offer psychological support for academy players

stir.ac.uk

Interesting listen on BBC Radio 4 this morning on AI therapy. From the Rogerian Eliza program of the 1960s to taking a critical interpretation of today's chatbots. There may be safety in the anonymity, but what if we only hear what we want to hear? #AllInTheMind

Released academy footballers need more mental health support. Many struggle to transition to life beyond the club. That's why we've teamed up with Dominic Ball, to call for mandated psychological support for when academy players are released. 👉 www.bps.org.uk/news/release...

ICYMI: @richsimpson95.bsky.social, Clara Swedlund, and I pop up in the latest edition of @psychmag.bsky.social. where we talk about the December Sport & Exercise Psychology conference. (Even better, elsewhere @dr-peter-olusoga.bsky.social features in a piece about creativity and communication)

Today I discovered last minute that @octopus.energy ran their free energy hour in the afternoon. Unfortunately it coincided with my son's pre-planned birthday party. On the plus side, the memories of simultaneous washing, drying, charging, and grass-cutting will undoubtedly last a lifetime.

Grateful to be flanked by this encouraging group who steered me into/through my PhD viva yesterday. Very appreciative to my supervisors and assessors, alongside the Sport & Exercise Psychology community, for facilitating this journey! Now back to reviewing abstracts for the DSEP 2025 conference!

Privileged to be interviewed alongside my wonderful @bps-dsep.bsky.social colleagues in @psychmag.bsky.social as we discuss the future of Sport Psychology and the DSEP Conference taking place this December!

The Psychologist@psychmag.bsky.social · last yr.

'Beacons Of Hope is about being able to champion sport as a vehicle for change…' A preview of the @bpsofficial.bsky.social @bps-dsep.bsky.social annual conference in Leeds this December. www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Abstract submission remains open for #DSEP2025. Join us in Leeds on the 2nd & 3rd December, and share your research or applied experience! www.bps.org.uk/event/divisi...

Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology 2025 Annual Conference | BPS

Beacons of Hope: Mapping the Value and Direction of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.

bps.org.uk

BPS Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology (DSEP)@bps-dsep.bsky.social · last yr.

SAVE THE DATE 🗓 #DSEP2025 2nd-3rd December 😃 Beacons of Hope: Mapping the Value and Direction of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology 👀 Please repost and share with your networks! More updates to follow 👌