Listening first: mapping the inner game of an elite women's rugby national team and its staff

Introduction: A well-developed intake assessment can identify athletes’ and staff members’ initial psychological needs and thus lay the foundation for targeted, evidence-based sport psychology interventions. However, empirical descriptions of such needs in elite women’s collision-sport settings remain scarce. Methods: In collaboration with the Italian Rugby Federation, the Italian Women’s Rugby National Team, and its staff, this study used a mixed-methods intake assessment protocol to identify the priority psychological needs of the team. Qualitative results from32 athletes and 12 staff members showed cohesion as the primary team need requiring strengthening. Individually, players most frequently requested improvements in self-confidence and emotional regulation. Results: Quantitative findings revealed low self-rated mental health scores among both athletes and women staff members, underscoring the importance of mental health support. Among staff, gender was associated with higher stress (women reported greater stress), and having a dual career, defined as the successful combination of education, training, and/or work with sport, was associated with higher happiness. Discussion: Taken together, these results offer sport psychologists a clear, participant-driven map of the psychological targets to address in elite women’s team sports, directly informing the design and evaluation of future tailored interventions.