10 Aug (Reuters) – Southampton spared no effort to prepare e-sports player Owen Venn for the 2020 ePremier League final that begins on Thursday, inviting him to meet experts from his academy to maximize his potential.
Venn, who reached the semi-finals of the tournament of the year, visited the Elite Staplewood Training Campus in Southampton, where his head of psychology, Malcolm Frame, conducted a psychometric assessment.
Sports psychologists Ana Soares and Amy Spencer, who paints with the first team, talked to Venn about mindfulness paintings and breathing techniques. He also attended a cryotherapy consultation for sleep.
“It was an opportunity for me to be informed by the staff of a club that has such a wonderful reputation for their skill and has produced some of the world’s most outstanding footballers over the years,” Venn said on the club’s website.
“It has helped me a lot with my mood and my what it takes to maximize my potential, as well as how to give me the most productive chance of performing under pressure.
“I am very grateful to the players of the club for dedicating their time and sharing their experience. Now it’s up to me to put into practice what I’ve learned.”
Venn, who plays under the gamer tag SaintsVenny, also had the opportunity to show off his skills as he teamed up with Saints striker Danny Ings to take on Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond in a game of FIFA 20.
The ePremier League, which pits FIFA 20 players in the world, is expected to resume after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Arvind Sriram report in Bengaluru edited through Christian Radnedge)
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