Day 2 of the FLAME conference

Speaker line-up day 2

Prof. Jelle Jolles

Prof. Jelle Jolles is a neuropsychologist who is specialized in the development of adolescents. He is emeritus professor of Neuropsychology in Maastricht University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and director of the Centre for Brain and Learning which he initiated.

“The adolescent brain matures up till the 25th year of life and that this maturation is dependent upon stimulation by the outside world: Context shapes the brain”
In the past 20 years, professor Jolles was actively engaged in stimulating the dialogue between academic research and society, notably with professionals in health care, education and sports. This presentation will provide knowledge as to the six major facts about brain development which everyone should know: sports professionals, teachers, parents and the adolescent him/herself. Jolles will provide insights and tools which can be used by the sports professional and parent to guide the developing teen in his sports career, notably football. There will be an emphasis on the so called Executive Functions – skills which rely heavily on brain functioning – and their role in motor performance, learning and self-regulation.

Dr. Carsten Hvid Larsen

Carsten currently works in the Danish Premier League football with players and staff and holds a position as an associate teaching professor at Institute of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the University of Southern Denmark. He is also the head of sport psychology in FCN football club and the Danish under-17 national team. 

"Focus on team development, performance enhancement, and developing resilient athletes and coaches"
Since 2013 Carsten has worked as a sport psychology practitioner at European, World Championships and the Olympic games with a focus on team development, performance enhancement, and developing resilient athletes and coaches. Carsten has published several articles in the areas of applied sport psychology and talent development. He is editor of the books “mindfulness in sport” and “mental health in elite sport” at Routledge and has published two books in Danish for sport psychology practitioners, coaches and athletes.

Dr. Francesca Champ

Dr Francesca Champ is currently a Lecturer in Psychology of Football and teaches across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes within the School of Sport & Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. Francesca is also the first team performance psychologist for Liverpool Football Club Women’s

"Interested in mental health in elite sport, psychosocial development and identity formation in football, organisational and cultural sport psychology and practitioner training/education."
As an applied practitioner, Francesca uses one-to-one counselling methods and organisational cultural sport psychology to help individuals and teams develop a coherent sense of identity. Francesca has substantial experience of working in professional men’s and women’s football at youth and senior levels and has also consulted with national level track and field athletes and professional rugby league clubs. Francesca’s main research interests are mental health in elite sport, psychosocial development and identity formation in football, organisational and cultural sport psychology and practitioner training/education. Moreover, Francesca is currently part of a research team exploring mental health in the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship.