Tamás Gruborovics found the environment to open up in his studies, and at the same time he found a new career

When former football player Tamas Gruborovics41, looks back on his playing years, he doesn’t talk first about goals or training. The most enriching experiences were different communities and different people from different cultures.

“The competitive environment also taught me how to withstand pressure. In sports, you face challenges and at the same time it brings self-confidence, which also protects against mental health challenges.”

During his football career, Gruborovics prepared well in advance for his second career after his sports career. Studying was a natural part of life during my playing career.

Someone once suggested that he would make a good psychologist. He pushed the thought away, but it lingered. After starting to study English, he switched to psychology.

“At university, I met friends with whom I could open up more about my affairs. We supported each other and shared things more than I was used to. I noticed that I was quite good at such things. The human mind also fascinated me.”

Born in Hungary, Gruborovics ended up in Finland as a child because of his father’s football career. The family stayed here, and Gruborovics played soccer in Mikkeli his junior year.

His career at MP culminated in the 2004 Ykkönen promotion qualifiers. In the second leg in Rauma, the home team Pallo-Iirot was stuck in the promotion position at the start of extra time. Then, in the last moments of extra time, the ball came to Gruborovics.

“Someone hit a clearance ball that was coming towards me. I had time to see that there was a meter of space in the back corner. I kicked the ball there with a chest kick. With that goal, we went to 1st place. I still remember it.”

Se was a career turning point.

After that, he played in the Veikkausliiga in five different clubs, and after the end of his playing career, he finished his studies in psychology. He graduated as a psychologist in 2018.

As an occupational health psychologist, he experiences success when he is able to help people structure their lives.

“If I’ve been able to help a person, it shows up pretty quickly in their being.”

He has worked in schools, family counseling and now in occupational health.

“I have always been interested in the individual as part of the community.”

Many of his clients are nervous about the first meeting. The work of a psychologist is unclear to many, and the first visit to a psychologist can be intimidating.

Gruborovics does not start the meeting by explaining his work. He starts by listening.

“They have a reason why they’ve diverted there. We’re going to investigate it together.”

“My job is to help people or groups of people understand the mental movements that take place within themselves, on which the action models are built. My job is to help understand why a certain situation is difficult. It’s an understanding of human mental movements.”

In the near future he is also using his skills in the world of sports. He states that there is clearly more openness and talk about mental health in the sports world today than when he himself was a professional athlete.

“Back then, these themes weren’t on display or even existed at all.”

When Gruborovics looks at the world of athletes from his current profession, he sees it differently than as a player. He sees what is left unsaid.

He remembers from his own sports career how in team sports there was at best an atmosphere of encouragement for others in the dressing rooms, although at the same time there was also constant mutual competition.

“On the other hand, the locker room can also be restrictive when you have to look a certain way. Society generally thinks that the strong is the one who doesn’t complain or show weakness. I notice that athletes often keep things to themselves, because everyone has a fear of failure or a fear of being left out, or experiences such fears.”

According to Gruborovics, the mental safety of the locker room depends a lot on the team, coaching and club culture.

“And it also depends on what kind of things are being talked about. If you’re thinking about sexual minorities, for example, you can ask if the locker room is a safe environment for them.”

He estimates that one of the biggest challenges in sports is being criticized and, on the other hand, receiving praise.

“Praise and performance are considered a measure of human dignity. I could imagine that the situation is much worse today because of social media.”

What are you good at in your current job?

“I think I can quickly establish a good connection with people, and they get the feeling that they have been seen and heard the way they want to be seen and heard.”

How much do you earn per month and is it enough?

“So far I have earned enough.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

“I hope that I will still be in working life helping people who need help the most. I hope that I have been able to work in a good working community and that I have had the opportunity to learn more.”