ABSTRACT
Professional footballers and youth players hoping to make the grade at professional clubs (Parker 2001) will inevitably encounter many of the following experiences over their careers: being dropped from the starting line up or first team squad; suffering injury and loss of form; being sent out on loan or sold to another club; and being lauded one week and vilified the next, by the media, supporters and other stakeholders. These experiences place great demands on the mental skills and psychological qualities of players. They also remind individuals that gaining someone’s trust in them can sometimes be a long and tortuous process. Trust is a commonly used term in professional football. It extends from trust between players on the field of play, to the trust that managers have in their staff and players, and trust players have in their support staff, including the sport psychologist.
