U's Appoint First Team Performance Psychologist

Oxford United are pleased to announce that Dr Hannah Stoyel has joined the club as First Team Performance Psychologist.

Hannah’s sporting CV includes being Lead Sport Psychologist for Swim England as well as working with British Diving World Class Programme athletes through the English Institute of Sport. Having also gained experience working in academy football at Reading she told us how pleased she is to be joining the U’s.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity” she said. “I’ll be working on the mental side of things with the team. Performance Psychology is all about helping the players achieve their full potential. You tailor what you do to individuals, always working within the culture of the team and the club.

“The mental side of the game lays the foundation for physical excellence. You want people to be positive; you want them to communicate well, maybe they feel good so they want to stay behind and do extra or do their prehab that little bit extra. And that then brings the best out of those around them as well.

“Everyone at the club has been so supportive and welcoming and having Gary Bloom as Psychotherapist here already means the club is in a great place.”

Chris Neville, Head of Performance said:

“Hannah has a fantastic CV and a wonderful attitude and has fitted in straight away. In simple terms, Gary will look after the emotional wellbeing of the players while Hannah focuses on the performance side of things. It’s a fascinating side of the game, one which is so important, and we are hoping that Hannah’s work really makes a big difference.”