It's never easy for a young player to move to a new continent. At AS Dakar Sacré-Cœur, an elite Senegalese club, many players are required to travel to Europe or America for trials with professional clubs. The culture shock often proves to be a real obstacle. Attempting to remedy this phenomenon, Julien Rivory, the sports psychologist of Olympique Lyonnais's partner club, has implemented a few procedures to best support his players during this transition: "I first start by finding out about the club's context: for example, has it won any trophies in recent years? Are there already any Senegalese players in the squad? Following this investigative work, I try to conduct at least two interviews with our player before his departure to take stock of his state of mind in relation to this trip". The objective for the Frenchman: to maximize the understanding of their future environment to facilitate their adaptation. This upstream work continues during the detection phase: "I always try to get news based on the player's personality. If I feel he needs to be reassured, I write to him more regularly, otherwise, I seek information and feedback weekly or every two weeks."
Brief
Julien Rivory (center) joined Senegalese elite club Dakar Sacré-Cœur in November 2024 / ©DR