Dean Delaney
Goalkeeper Bohemian FC (2012-2016)
I met Richie in 2012 when I joined Bohemian FC from Shelbourne FC. Prior to my arrival I had undergone a terrible season the previous year. I had lost my place in the starting line-up due to injury and a dip in form. To add to the mix I had also fallen out with the manager and was cast to the stands from where I had to see out the final third of the season. I have to admit that at the end of that season I was ready to quit football as I wasn't sure I was in love with it any more or confident that I could make a return to the standards I had normally set out for myself.
In the off season I received an offer from Bohs and decided to give it one more go to try and end my career on a more positive note. It was then I met Richie, who introduced me to a whole new world of game understanding and preparation. I was quite tentative at first as sport psychology can be a sensitive subject with some players but I thought that if I gave every component of my game (ie nutrition, strength & conditioning, recovery etc) full attention I could have no excuses about improving my form. We set out with a session per week and slowly but surely I became to have a healthy obsession with it as I felt things were starting to turn in my favour performance wise. Richie became my go to person regarding everything about my mental game. He taught me how to visualise performance before games, how to speak to myself and calm my mind if the game wasn't going the way I’d expected, about having realistic goals, about how I saw myself as a performer and how I carried myself on and off the pitch, which is a critical part of building confidence and having self belief, the list goes on and on.
I went on to have four really enjoyable seasons with Bohs and really enjoyed my time there. My game had a big turn around and witnessing my confidence grow from four years previous was a real eye opener for me. So to any young sportsperson starting out I would highly recommend introducing sport psychology into your game and to try work with someone like Richie. It’s something I wish I had when I was starting out at a young age trying to make my dream a reality and who knows what might have been if I had someone like Richie back then.
I always say to young and up and coming sports people,.... go chase your dreams. You are the master of your own destiny. Don’t play with hope, play with knowledge and understanding of your craft. Learn to love and embrace all the disciplines and components of your game. You control you, control the controllables and don’t shy away from feeling uncomfortable, it's natural, it's OK to lose or make mistakes as long as we learn and move on. We win or we learn. What Richie can teach you is the tools that can take your game to another level, nothing less. No-one can do it but you, there are no shortcuts in any game let alone life and at the very least no matter what level your talent settles at, you can look at yourself in the mirror and say you gave it your best shot. Sport psychology is one of those components, so practice, prepare, perform and progress under the tuition of the work the Sport Psychologists like Richie can bring.
Goalkeeper Bohemian FC (2012-2016)
I met Richie in 2012 when I joined Bohemian FC from Shelbourne FC. Prior to my arrival I had undergone a terrible season the previous year. I had lost my place in the starting line-up due to injury and a dip in form. To add to the mix I had also fallen out with the manager and was cast to the stands from where I had to see out the final third of the season. I have to admit that at the end of that season I was ready to quit football as I wasn't sure I was in love with it any more or confident that I could make a return to the standards I had normally set out for myself.
In the off season I received an offer from Bohs and decided to give it one more go to try and end my career on a more positive note. It was then I met Richie, who introduced me to a whole new world of game understanding and preparation. I was quite tentative at first as sport psychology can be a sensitive subject with some players but I thought that if I gave every component of my game (ie nutrition, strength & conditioning, recovery etc) full attention I could have no excuses about improving my form. We set out with a session per week and slowly but surely I became to have a healthy obsession with it as I felt things were starting to turn in my favour performance wise. Richie became my go to person regarding everything about my mental game. He taught me how to visualise performance before games, how to speak to myself and calm my mind if the game wasn't going the way I’d expected, about having realistic goals, about how I saw myself as a performer and how I carried myself on and off the pitch, which is a critical part of building confidence and having self belief, the list goes on and on.
I went on to have four really enjoyable seasons with Bohs and really enjoyed my time there. My game had a big turn around and witnessing my confidence grow from four years previous was a real eye opener for me. So to any young sportsperson starting out I would highly recommend introducing sport psychology into your game and to try work with someone like Richie. It’s something I wish I had when I was starting out at a young age trying to make my dream a reality and who knows what might have been if I had someone like Richie back then.
I always say to young and up and coming sports people,.... go chase your dreams. You are the master of your own destiny. Don’t play with hope, play with knowledge and understanding of your craft. Learn to love and embrace all the disciplines and components of your game. You control you, control the controllables and don’t shy away from feeling uncomfortable, it's natural, it's OK to lose or make mistakes as long as we learn and move on. We win or we learn. What Richie can teach you is the tools that can take your game to another level, nothing less. No-one can do it but you, there are no shortcuts in any game let alone life and at the very least no matter what level your talent settles at, you can look at yourself in the mirror and say you gave it your best shot. Sport psychology is one of those components, so practice, prepare, perform and progress under the tuition of the work the Sport Psychologists like Richie can bring.