Hannah Marriage - The importance of growth mindset and positive self-talk

The Football Mental Health Alliance

Hannah Marriage - Sleaford Academicals Walking Football Club/Lincolnshire Ability Counts League/Lincolnshire Walking Football League

In this podcast episode, Danny and Hannah discuss the importance of a growth mindset and positive self-talk, particularly in the context of football and everyday life.

The conversation encapsulates the idea that a growth mindset can be cultivated through daily habits and positive affirmations, which can lead to improvements not just on the football pitch but in all aspects of life. This message is pertinent for anyone involved in grassroots football looking to build personal or athletic development.

Hannah was recently awarded 'Volunteer of the Year' at The FA National Awards and the 2023 Lincolnshire FA Grassroots Football Awards.

Winning the FA National Award meant, along with all the other national winners, a trip over to Wembley at The Community Shield game for an awards ceremony and the opportunity to go onto the pitch at half time to show off their medals. Hannah also carried the Community Shield itself up into the Royal Box for the Arsenal to lift. Hannah was described by Lincolnshire County FA as:

A DYNAMIC FORCE

Everyone who encounters Hannah is left in no doubt – here is a force of nature. A super administrator on the one hand, and a cheerful presence on the other, Hannah has proved herself a dynamic force in walking football

IN SAFE HANDS

Already a Level 1 coach, Hannah’s new role as Ability Counts League Welfare Officer is to develop safeguarding in the league. This means rewriting policies and liaising with clubs to ensure the correct processes are in place. Hannah also takes the lead on all grant applications and is always looking for ways to engage with the community and improve access to football for all.

IMPROVING ACCESS

As part of the Welfare Officer role, she has adopted walking football’s women’s division and is working with The FA to see how the league can be made more accessible to all women playing walking football. At the same time, Hannah is working with a disability club to improve access to football. She helped the club secure grants for those with mental health difficulties, all whilst gathering research to write a paper on the mental health benefits of walking football.

A POSITIVE PRESENCE

Hannah is always cheerful and makes everyone smile. She is enthusiastic and always there to help when people need her, offering her time and energy alongside working full-time and volunteering elsewhere.

As a sports life coach, Hannah helps Clubs to improve their mental health awareness, she helps teams work better together, or individuals with any problems they feel they are experiencing.

She will work with anyone involved in sport, but the reasons for the conversation do not have to be sport-related, as she believes everything is linked in some way.

You can find Hannah here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hmmhcoaching

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-marriage-53a08019b/