Athletic apparel corporation Adidas has announced the launch of a new branded podcast series featuring Manchester United professional footballer Alessia Russo.
The three-part series, titled Enter The Predspace, explores the connection between mental and physical performance from Russo’s perspective with each episode exploring a different theme including practice, building confidence, and learning from failures.
The podcast also features expert analysis and insight on athletes from sports psychologist Dan Abrahams, based on the processes described by Russo. The podcast launched on 19 May and is currently available on all podcast platforms.
“Perfecting my mindset is as key as perfecting my physical performance on pitch,” said Russo. “Bouncing back from failure and crafting confidence has helped me make the right decisions at the right times, and hopefully these techniques can help others on game day too.”
“Alessia Russo’s incredible insights demonstrate how seriously she takes the psychological side of football,” said Abrahams. “The intelligent approach to studying her opponents and the commitment she puts into building her confidence for game day contribute to making her one of the world’s best strikers. Alessia’s ability to flex her focus and adapt under pressure are important skills every player can learn to develop.”
Enter The Predspace is an inaugural series from Adidas, which plans to expand the podcast into a wider series with its top football partners. The podcast is intended to promote the latest in its range of Predator Accuracy football boots, from which the show takes its name. Adidas has endorsement deals with many players like Russo, who wear the company’s products on the pitch.
Adidas has launched a number of other branded podcasts in the past including people podcast Rebellious Optimists and running podcast Adidas Running/ the talk series on Spotify. A number of its competitors have also launched their own branded podcasts, including Nike, which won Best Branded Podcast or Segment at the 2019 Webbys for its podcast TRAINED.
