Psychology student Susanne White wants sport to break mental health barriers

Susanne White is studying things she never thought she’d learn about.

Things she always wanted to learn about.

The Glenshane Pass can seem tiresome, perhaps even a daunting trek, for a midweek training session. From her base at Queen’s University, White is organised. She has to be.

In the second of a three-year BSc Psychology course, White relates her area of study very much with sport.

“The interest comes from being in a team environment,” she says. “I’ve always had an interest in mental health and wellbeing. Psychology is so broad.

“The main reason I did this course was definitely the mental health aspect. It’s something I want to work in: mental health and wellbeing.

“It can be full-on at times and there’s a lot of work. When there’s exams coming up, and you add in the football, it’s busy, especially traveling down on a Wednesday. I have to be organised and make sure to have the work done.

“The big thing is to make sure I’m planned and organised. The course is really interesting. You’re never learning the same thing.

“I enjoy the course. It’s challenging, yeah, but I do want to do the work.”

The Killybegs woman is thinking ahead and wants to work around sport in the future.

She sees herself how the mind can be affected, although her organised nature allows her to stay in control.

“There are some evenings when the head is scrambled and the best part is coming down the road to see the girls and play football,” she says.

“Sometimes things get a bit hectic and it’s about staying on top of things. You might have an assignment due and you’ve to leave to get down the road from Belfast because you have to be at training. That’s a commitment - but I love it.”

White, daughter of top referee Jimmy, believes that more can - and should - be done around the area of mental health in sport.

The passion is evident even from her voice.

Sport, particularly at elite level, is an ungiving place at times. That can lead to a lack of understanding.

“We have to break the stigma and break down that it’s alright to feel the way you are,” White says.

“It is so important to look after your mental wellbeing. If it isn’t right, then other things won’t be right. If your head is somewhere else, it will affect around your playing. People are starting to speak out now, it has become so big, and that’s brilliant.

“People forget what it takes to get where you want and the things you have to sacrifice. Some things don’t go your way and some days don’t go you way - but that’s exactly why it’s so important to look after yourself.”

White has worked her way into Maxi Curran’s Donegal senior ladies team.

She spent a few weeks on a development camp, organised by Curran, in 2019. She was asked into the senior panel after that period. With the Leaving Certificate on the horizon and having given a commitment to the Donegal minors, she declined.

“I didn’t think I was ready and I had a lot going on,” she says.

In September 2020, White scored 2-6 as Killybegs defeated Downings 4-10 to 1-12 in the Donegal ladies junior championship final.

It wasn’t long before Curran was on the phone again.

This time, she couldn’t say no. Her Championship debut arrived last year and she’s now firmly in the mix. Donegal face Dublin in the Lidl NFL Division 1 semi-final at Breffni Park on Saturday (1pm) and White is likely to feature.

It has been a rapid rise.

“I played a good bit in the League, but I didn’t expect to play as soon as I have,” she says. “When I was playing underage, all I wanted to do was play for the Donegal ladies. Through those years, Karen Guthrie, Katy Herron and Geraldine McLaughlin would come and talk to us at training. That planted a seed in the head: ‘That’s what I want to do when I’m older’. They made me realise that I wanted to play for Donegal and to be successful.

“Maxi has given me a chance to prove a point and impact on the team. So many players were introduced in the League. It takes time to build confidence, but there is a special group there. We’re getting to build confidence and experience and we have big games to come.”

White played with Killybegs boys’ teams until under-12s. At that stage, Killybegs formed an under-14 team. It wasn’t long before White was elevated to the Killybegs senior ladies. From a young age, she was destined to be a footballer.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself and I took on a lot of responsibility playing for Killybegs,” she says. “They’re a great bunch of girls and a big reason for me getting onto the Donegal squad. They’ve done a lot for me that they maybe don’t even recognise.

“We were never a Division 1 or Division 2 team and a lot of girls were playing for pure enjoyment and it wasn’t competitive. You don’t have to be the best and we were never one of the best teams, but they’re such a great group. We got to win the Junior Championship in 2020 - it was a long time in coming - and we’re intermediate now. It was such a jump and it’s quite competitive, but it’s great to be up there.

“Every day I play for Donegal, the foundation was in Killybegs. They pushed me on.”

Patience can be in short supply with some modern players, but White knows she has work to do.

While her chance arrived sooner than expected, you don’t find that she’s resting on her laurels.

“If everyone had their way, it would happen overnight and you’d just turn into a player who was able to play senior inter-county,” she says. “If you really want to play for Donegal, you have to be patient and understanding. It’s about biding your time, waiting for the chance and then, the big one, taking your chance. Sometimes, you’ll have a bad training session and you feel like you’re back to square one.

“You just have to make it happen. When I got my Championship debut last year, it really pushed me on for this year.

“There’s a lot more commitment with the seniors than I’d have thought before I came in. You have things like nutrition and recovery that you don’t think much about when you’re underage. You have to get it right so you’re fully ready to go again for the next training session and impress.”

After a useful Division 1A campaign that ended with a narrow defeat in Mayo a fortnight ago, Donegal have the Dubs in their sights in this weekend’s semi-final.

The Championship looms next month, but White sees Saturday as a chance to lay down something of a marker.

“We need to show that we are pushing,” she says. “We have to look at ourselves as contenders. You have to be excited for games like this, playing against some of the best players in the country. We’re building for the Championship and we’ve been able to try different things in the League. We should be looking forward to this with no fear. There’s no pressure on us.

“We want to be competitive and put it up to Dublin.”

Every night she arrives with the aim of having this training better than her last.

She tells how she constantly asks questions, of both players and management. Always looking for an insight into how she can improve.

Always learning.

It’s good for the head.