Ceri Evans & David Priestley, Arsenal FC

“High performers are in extraordinary situations but often they are ordinary people and that transition does certain things,” says forensic psychiatrist Ceri Evans. At the 2014 Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London, Evans, a former soccer player who has worked with the World Cup-winning New Zealand All Blacks and now works with English Premier League club Arsenal, was joined onstage by David Priestley, who already worked for Arsenal as Head of Psychology & Personal Development.

The duo talked extensively about their work in sport helping to prepare athletes for the mental rigours of performance at the very top, providing some examples of practical interventions along the way. Other topics on the agenda at the Emirates Stadium that day included:

-The importance of the coach in creating a culture of humanity.

-Why character isn’t enough in high performance.

-The problem of making assumptions about people’s ability to cope with pressure.

-Why both positive and negative thinking can be distorting.