Mental toughness of first division women football players in Gauteng province, South Africa

Abstract

The mental preparation of woman athletes, including woman football players, have been neglected for quite some time. For woman football players to perform to their full potential, they need to know how to play under pressure, get out of difficulties effectively and maintain their good performance when faced with continuous challenges during the game. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the psychological profiles of woman football players in first division leagues in Gauteng Province of South Africa, with a specific focus on their mental toughness. A quantitative approach was used to gather and analyse both the descriptive and inferential data. A purposive sample of 148 participants (aged 20.2 ± 5.7 years) from both the Sasol and South African Football Association (SAFA) leagues were asked to complete the Mental Skills Inventory (MSI), Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ), Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSQ) to assess their mental toughness levels. The results indicated that woman football players in South African first division leagues have a moderate ability for all variables of mental toughness, and could benefit from a psychological skills training programme aimed at increasing their self-esteem and anxiety management. A number of woman football players (26.4%) had high anxiety levels, while 33.8% showed low self-esteem, which could have a negative impact on the players while in a match setting. Furthermore, the outcomes of the results showed that self-esteem and anxiety were inversely related to the mental toughness of the players (.625 and -.436, respectively). These are two of the most important mental skills required for improving performance in a football match. Improving the mental toughness of the players could lead to an increase in self-esteem thereby reducing their anxiety levels to perform better. The study recommended that mental preparation be included in team preparation to improve performance outcomes as indicated by the positive relationship between physiological skills, mental toughness and sport performance.