New research delves into stress experienced from watching matches

Staff Writer
SpaSeekers
Image provided by Propellernet

With soccer supporters all over the world bracing themselves for nail-biting matches, UK-based spa booking site SpaSeekers.com has created the world’s first massage that specifically targets soccer match nerves.  

Working with massage and relaxation experts at The Spa at Laceby Manor spa in England, the ‘Soccer Stress Massage’ uses bespoke massage techniques to help the body de-stress and encourage a more relaxed state of mind, so that fans can watch their national team without being overcome with nerves.  

Censuswide surveyed 1,000 soccer fans, asking them a range of questions about how nervous they feel while watching a match, and the range of symptoms they experience.

  • 82% of soccer fans say they experience nervousness and stress whilst watching matches 
  • Sweating, shaking and even diarrhea are physical symptoms that are regularly experienced by fans due to the nerves 
  • New research reveals many fans say watching soccer is more stressful than taking an exam, having a job interview, and even public speaking 
  • One of the recommended relaxation techniques involves a head massage using a claw hand formation to target scalp and neck strain 

Each part of the massage has been chosen for its relaxing properties. For example, a self-shoulder massage aims to relax your shoulders, an area that often carries a lot of tension when stressed, by applying pressure in circular motions to release the muscle tension. To promote a feeling of calm and steadiness, the claw shoulder massage involves massaging the head in a claw formation to target scalp and neck strain, often brought on by nerves.  

Shaking, throwing up and diarrhea are all experienced by fans from ‘match stress’ 

Getting nervous or stressed before or during a match is extremely common, with eight in 10 (82%) fans saying they experience anxiety and unease. The most common symptom of pre-match nerves is feeling restless, with more than a quarter (28%) of fans experiencing this, followed by stomach butterflies (27.5%) and sweaty palms (16%).  

One in six (15%) fans experience stomach issues, such as stomach aches or even diarrhea, and 7.5% of fans suffer from nausea or vomiting due to nerves when watching soccer. In fact, one in six (16%) soccer fans found watching a match more nerve-racking than taking an exam – 15% say it’s more stressful than having a job interview, and one in seven (14%) say it’s more anxiety-inducing than public speaking – showing just how stressful live matches can be for fans.  

Top 15 most common effects of soccer nerves 

  1. Feeling restless – 28% 
  1. Stomach butterflies – 27.5% 
  1. Sweaty palms – 16% 
  1. Tense shoulders and/or neck – 15% 
  1. Sweating – 14% 
  1. Heart flutters – 13.5% 
  1. Faster breathing – 11% 
  1. Shaking – 7% 
  1. Headaches – 7% 
  1. An upset stomach – 6.5% 
  1. Stomach aches – 5.5% 
  1. Nausea – 5% 
  1. Short of breath – 5% 
  1. Diarrhea – 3% 
  1. Vomiting – 2.5% 

How to cure soccer stress:

The newly created ‘Soccer Stress Massage’ is designed so it can be performed anywhere, and without any equipment, so whether you watch the match at home or at the bar you’ll be able to experience the benefits. Importantly, the massage has both a ‘solo’ and ‘for friends’ version – meaning you can perform the massage on yourself or help your friends de-stress if you’re all watching together. 

Massage method to de-stress yourself: 

  1. Temple rubs: Place two fingers on your temples and apply light pressure and massage in circular motions for 10 seconds. 
  1. Neck slides: Apply either 2 or 3 fingers to the side of your neck, starting at the base of the scalp. Gently slide them round to the back of the neck, then repeat again slightly lower until you reach the bottom of the neck. Repeat on the opposite side. 
  1. The self-shoulder massage: Cup your hand and place over the opposite shoulder and start to rub in circle motions, apply pressure with your fingertips to work the muscles. Do this for 10 seconds on each side. 
  1. Face tapping: Gently and lightly tap over your face, one finger at a time and increasing speed so your fingers flow. Start at the top of your head and work your way down past your temples and cheeks until you reach your jaw.  

Massage method to destress your friends: 

  1. Claw shoulder massage: Spread your fingers apart and bend slightly, so your hands are like two claws. Then place on either side of their head, with thumbs near the base of their neck and little fingers near the temples. Firmly move your hand in small circular motions, doing five slow circles.  
  1. Calming arm slides: Hold their hand with one hand, and with the other hand use two fingers to firmly slide up their arm – starting from their wrist and ending just before their elbow. Repeat three times. 
  1. Hand rubs: Place your thumb and first two fingers around their knuckle, then firmly work your way to the tip of the fingers. Then gently pull on the nail area.  
  1. Shoulder squeezes: Make a C with your hands and place them over their shoulders, so your thumb is on their back and your fingers are near to their collarbone. Start close to the neck and gently squeeze once, then move slightly down the shoulder. Repeat this until you reach the end of their shoulders.  
  1. Soothing shoulder swipes: Then use your thumbs to follow the shoulder blade round in a swiping motion. Repeat three times. 

Jason Goldberg, Director at SpaSeekers.com, comments: 

“As experts in relaxation, we wanted to do our bit for fans around the world, so they don’t need to feel the stressful effects of watching matches. We’re thrilled to be able to provide a vital tool for those who feel sick with nerves when enduring every free kick, yellow card, or dreaded penalties, and hope that it makes a big difference to nervy soccer supporters during the World Cup.” 

To see the full massage technique and detailed instructions on how to perform the expertly curated massage, visit: https://www.spaseekers.com/spa-insider/inspiration/football-fears/

Previous ArticleNext Article

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

Avatar
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

Record Pathway Breakthrough: Football NSW Report Highlights Power of Access and Equity

Avatar
Playing soccer
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has released its 2025 Player Development Report, documenting a year of significant growth across its Talented Player Pathway programs for girls, boys and regional players, and offering the clearest picture yet of how the state’s talent identification infrastructure is reshaping who gets access to elite football development in Australia.

The report distinguishes between three streams: girls, boys and regional, where each operate under the umbrella of the Talented Player Pathway, which encompasses Football NSW’s Youth Leagues, Talent Support Program and state teams. Across all three, the numbers point to a system that is identifying more players, reaching further into the community, and producing more national team representatives than at any previous point in the program’s history.

A Girls Pathway Coming of Age

The girls program recorded some of its most significant outcomes to date in 2025, headlined by the inaugural Future Sapphires Program, a dedicated development environment for 2009, 2010 and 2011-born players that ran 140 training sessions, 16 high-level matches against boys teams, and identified 20 players for national team involvement across its first year alone.

The Talent Support Program conducted 494 player assessments across 119 club visits, with 117 additional games provided for TSP players throughout the season. At the Emerging Matildas Championships, Football NSW fielded three state teams, with the Under-15s Sky team claiming the championship, the Under-16s finishing as runners-up, and the Under-15s Navy placing third.

The pathway-to-national-team conversion rate was striking. Of the 23-player squad selected to represent the Junior Matildas at the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, 13 were from Football NSW, a 56.5 percent representation rate from a single state federation.

“This report does not simply provide data and numbers,” said Girls Player Development Manager Nadine Shiels. “It highlights our progress and validates the standards we set.”

The equity implications of that pipeline are significant. Elite female footballers in Australia, have historically faced a narrower and less resourced development corridor than their male counterparts. Programs like the Future Sapphires and the TSP are structural interventions in that imbalance, reshaping access mechanisms that determine which players get seen and which do not.

Boys Program Deepens its Reach

The boys Talent Support Program underwent deliberate restructuring in 2025, reducing squad sizes from approximately 90 players and five teams to 54 players and three teams per age group, while extending match duration from 50 to 70 minutes. The intent was to raise the standard of the best-versus-best environment rather than simply widen it.

The results support that confidence. To date, 155 players who have participated in the boys TSP have transitioned to A-League academies, with approximately 35 progressing to A-League Men’s competition and a further 30 representing Australia at junior national level across the Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 squads.

The 2025 season added four Talent Development Scheme matches for players born between 2007 and 2009, delivered in collaboration with Football Australia and targeting potential Junior Socceroos and Young Socceroos selection. The program also hosted the inaugural A-Leagues/TSP Tournament at Valentine Sports Park in December, featuring Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Sydney FC, Macarthur Bulls Academy and a TSP Select team.

“Our purpose is clear- not only to identify talent, but to prepare it,” said Boys Player Development Manager Philip Myall.

The Regional Question

Perhaps the most structurally significant section of the report concerns regional development- the stream that most directly addresses the geographic equity gap in Australian football’s talent pipeline.

Talent identification in Australia has historically concentrated in metropolitan areas, where NPL clubs, A-League academies and state federation programs are most densely located. Players in regional and rural NSW face a structural disadvantage that has nothing to do with ability and everything to do with geography. Fewer club visits, reduced access to high-performance environments, and reduced visibility to the coaches and scouts who determine national team selection saliently reflect a systemic barrier.

The 2025 regional TSP involved 241 players across 57 training sessions, 18 hub matches and 58 additional tournament games, with Football NSW coaches present at local association fixtures and regional tournaments including the Bathurst Cup and Country Cup. Regional players were also integrated into Elite Game Days at Valentine Sports Park, directly competing against metropolitan TSP cohorts and A-League academy players.

“The program has continued to enable identified players to progress and be part of the greater football elite player pathway,” said Regional Development Manager Andrew Fearnley, “with opportunity to progress and be identified into national youth teams.”

Most Popular Topics

Editor Picks

Send this to a friend