Surf Select recently added Dan Abrahams, a qualified and registered sport psychologist (HCPC), to the team to help improve mental performance for the players, and develop a framework that can help coaches support their players as they travel and compete against some of the world’s best youth academies. In soccer, he has worked with a number of Premier League and Championship clubs in England over the past 20 years. Most recently, over two seasons he consulted with Feyenoord, winning the Dutch Eredivisie League Championship in the 2022/23 season (helping them beat Ajax away from home for the first time in 17 years and have a strong run in the Europa League), and helping the club win the Dutch Cup in 2023/24 season. He continues to work with a range of soccer individuals, clubs, governing bodies and national associations worldwide, and is an in-demand speaker at a number of events globally.
He is the author of four bestselling sport psychology books: Soccer Tough, Soccer Tough II, Soccer Brain and Golf Tough. In 2021, world leading footballer, Gareth Bale, said in a press interview that Dan’s book, Soccer Tough, had changed his life.
Dan will work with Surf Select players over a period of four months with a series of Zoom calls to help develop mental frameworks in two key areas in order to improve cognitive stability and flexibility. The first area will focus on “Activation” and will be centered around developing routines to prepare the mind for competition. The second area will focus on “Attention”, which will cover the direction and the duration of that focus. Dan will create actionable plans to help support and educate the players, as well as offering insight and expertise to the coaches.
Surf Nation Director of Football, Gary Curneen, believes that Abrahams will add a unique support element to the Surf Select experience. “The Surf Select experience is certainly a unique one. Of course, it’s exciting to travel around the world and compete against elite competition, but it’s important to remember that our young players are literally outside their comfort zone when this opportunity presents itself. With Dan’s expertise and guidance, our goal is to help create the mental frameworks for our players so that they can perform at their best and enjoy every moment of this phenomenal experience.”
The program will start next month.
For more information about our Surf Select program, reach out to us: https://surfsoccernation.com/contact/
