SC East Bengal have roped in seasoned psychologist Nicola McCalliog ahead of the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL), the club announced on Thursday.
Nicola is a Chartered Forensic Psychologist, Sport, and HCPC Registered Psychologist. She has worked in psychology for over 15 years in forensics, for the government, and in elite sport.
Nicola is currently part of the player welfare team as a consultant for several leading English Premier League football clubs and SC East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler's Education and Football Academy.
"I am here to support the manager and the staff to get the best out of the players on and off the pitch. I need to understand their story as they are a player and a person," Nicola said in an official statement.
Nicola works with coaches and players from a welfare perspective off the pitch and from a performance psychology perspective on the pitch. Her aim is to build resilience to help the team achieve their goals.
"I am there to listen, advise, and provide solutions to the players so they can have absolute focus in training and games. It is all about creating a positive and winning mentality individually and collectively as a team," said Nicola who gets on zoom calls with every player individually at least once a week.
She will be working with the players using military techniques around mental preparation, breathing, visualization, and resilience.
Meanwhile, the seventh edition of ISL is all set to begin on Friday with ATK Mohun Bagan competing against Kerala Blasters FC in the opening match of the tournament which will mark the return of the first major live sporting action in India after the COVID-19 lockdown.
New entrants SC East Bengal will make their ISL debut playing in one of the oldest rivalries in Asian football -- the Kolkata Derby.
For the first time in ISL, SC East Bengal will face ATK Mohun Bagan in the biggest spectacle of Indian football on November 27 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor