Q&A: Getting to know Berta Peris, Villarreal Academy Sport Psychologist

We sat down with Berta Peris, psychologist in the Villarreal CF International Department, to get to know more about her and her role at the club.

What exactly is sports psychology?

Sports psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the processes and psychological aspects that have an influence in sport, to optimise athletes’ performances.

What does your role at Villarreal involve?

At Villarreal, my role involves educating coaches, and I also have sessions with players who belong to our international programmes, such as the Player Development Program. I also work closely with the academies around the world. I carry out workshops for both parents and players too.

How did you get involved in the club?

I studied for my degree at the nearby university in Castellón, and during my third year, I realised that it was possible to combine two of my main interests: psychology and sports. That’s when I decided to try to do my internship at Villarreal CF and so I did. Then I did my masters in sport psychology in Valencia and, again, did my internship here at the club. After that, in the 2018/19 season, I started working at the club full-time.

Not every club has a psychologist, why is that so important for Villarreal?

For me, a sports psychologist is important in any club or place where you have to work with others, but especially when working with kids who have to perform in many areas of their lives such as in their studies, sports, etc. In big clubs like Villarreal, the kids are playing at the elite level of soccer, so they have to perform even more as they are training four days a week, they are living far away from their homes a lot of the time, they have to pass their exams, and this is a lot more pressure than perhaps other people of their age have to deal with.

You are from the province of Castellón, what does Villarreal CF mean for you?

Castellón is a small province compared to other big ones throughout Spain, but despite that, we can say that we can compete with those other provinces thanks to the academy that we have here at Villarreal. I consider this club to be a huge success and I’m fortunate to have such a great club in the province where I’ve lived all of my life.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is seeing how I can help the athlete thanks to the skills I learned during my studies and that I’ve gained during my career. I also like seeing how athletes evolve thanks to the daily work we do together.

What contact do you personally have with the international academies around the world?

This season, each academy has a coach from Villarreal assigned to work with them. Their function is to guide them, to help them improve their academy building a project together based on Villarreal’s methodology. My function there is to help each of those coaches in these processes and projects that are being held at each academy.

Some academies have already visited Vila-real, tell us about those experiences, what they mean for the academies, and also what they mean for you.

When we have visits from academies I think that they are the most potent way of living and understanding how we work in the International Department. You can see the work we do with the players, and it’s a way of getting to know the club. When they come here, they’re fully involved in the club and we always try to make them feel part of the club during their time here. I think it’s an opportunity to share and show all the hard work we put in.

Now for some rapid-fire questions!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

To be able to teleport.

What is your favourite food?

Pasta.

Who is your favourite musician or band?

I like a lot of different styles of music, but at the moment I’m listening to Leiva and Pereza a lot. That doesn’t mean they’re my favorites, but I like them a lot.

If you could be an animal, what would you be?

I would like to be a bird to be able to fly and feel free.

If you could pick one country in the world to visit, where would it be?

A country in Asia, like Vietnam or India. A country where their culture and their way of living is different to what I’m used to.

Tell us something that people may not know about you.

I think I can give the impression of being a calm and shy person, but I don’t think that I am, I’m adventurous and I can surprise people a lot.