Photo by Jeffrey F Lin via Unsplash
This summer has seen interest in women’s football soar. I’d be disappointed if I need to explain why… but alongside the success of the Lionesses in the Women’s Euros, many are calling for greater equality in the game. According to the Football Association, only 63% of schools currently offer girls’ football in PE lessons. Others caution labelling the Euros success as a watershed moment. But with a Euro record 87,192 people attending the final at the Wembley stadium, and 17 million TV audience, there is little doubt that the media coverage around the Euros has sparked interest from beyond the traditional audience.
The timing of the launch of our new public engagement project 'Football on the Brain' earlier this year couldn’t have been better. With some last-minute pulling together of ideas, and the expert advice of our partners at SheKicks magazine, the research team at the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, were able to get their brain-based pull-out insert ready in time for the run up to the Women’s Euro competition. Readers were prompted to consider the many ways in which the brain is involved in football: we invited a new audience to consider neuroscience research. For instance, how does the brain help effective decision making during the game?
Decision making and the brain
Even an activity as simple as making a pass requires the brain to acquire and analyse many bits of information and use this to predict the outcomes of the next moments. For instance:
- Where am I relative to others and the ball? Is there someone to pass to and where will they be when I pass?
- Where do I want the ball to go? Which foot should I use and how hard should I kick the ball?
- How do I need to move my body to prepare for the kick? Which muscles do I need to move and when do I need to move them to hit the ball on target?
To do this apparently simple activity involves connecting different areas of the brain via complex neural circuity to make a decision in milliseconds. It requires information about where people and the ball are on the pitch (visual cortex in the occipital lobe); where to locate limbs (cerebellum); how to control movement (motor cortex of the frontal lobe); predictions about what is going to happen next and overall decision-making capacity (the prefrontal cortex). Imagine the overdrive going on in Russo’s brain before the infamous backheeled nutmeg goal against Sweden in the semi-finals! But as scientists know, it isn’t just about the decision making, it’s also about the execution, and that requires practice.
Optimising skills through practice
Alessia Russo’s instinctive nutmeg goal, Mary Earps’ ability to save goal after goal or Chloe Kelly’s extra-time victory goal in the final, are all the result of hours and hours of practice. Just like your muscles, the brain changes and improves activity with training. Each time a successful pass, save or goal is made, the brain strengthens the connections used to make it more likely to do the same again. Each time a manoeuvre or set piece is unsuccessful, the brain will make sure you try something slightly different next time. Scientists know that mistakes are important; the brain learns from them.
Managing those emotions…
Whether you’re playing or spectating, football is an emotional rollercoaster. The amygdala, buried deep within the brain, helps to regulate our emotional responses… but sometimes it can be hard to keep cool under pressure. The game can be as much about psychology as fitness and skill.
As a spectator, nothing could beat celebrating with Chloe Kelly after her goal against Germany in the Euro final. The stadium went nuts, and you could see that Kelly and her co-players were ecstatic… but what happened next also helped to clinch the win. Germany, renowned for coming back in the final minutes of a game, were thwarted by Kelly and her teammates, who checked their emotions, remained calm under the pressure, and used their tactical corner shenanigans to prevent Germany taking possession.
What next?
Only time will tell if the Women’s Euros have inspired a new generation of female football players. Meanwhile, our partners at Football Beyond Borders used the competition to inspire and engage the young girls they work with in schools. They were also able to leverage further fundraising around their provision for girls and non-binary and have called for the competition’s legacy to include increased diversity and inclusion in the women’s game.
Meanwhile at the University of Oxford, the neuroscience research team are developing youth modules in collaboration with our partners Velocity at Ignite Sport. The sessions will cover the brain science and research that underpins all things football!