ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how Mindful sport performance enhancement (MSPE) was integrated into the under-16 boys’ team of an elite English football academy by one of its sport scientists, emphasizing how the programme was adapted to mould to the football culture and become fully embedded in the “Southampton Way". It presents a brief description of both the MSPE protocol and its customizability to different sport environments. The formal exercises done in MSPE progress over the course of the programme from sedentary in nature to more motive, culminating in a sport-specific exercise with direct applications to core skills in a given sport. Leaders of MSPE training should use their knowledge of sport psychology, mindfulness, and the team or organization culture to adapt the intervention to address specific needs. Post-training interviews were able to be done with five of the players to gauge their reactions to MSPE and their perceptions of its impact on their performance and/or lifestyle.
