Hidden rituals of the dressing room.

A player's pulse inevitably starts racing
whenever he or she steps out on the
pitch, their dreams of victory and
hopes of finding the net all dependent
on the next 90 minutes or so.
Before that, the players gear
themselves up for the trials and
challenges ahead in the dressing room.
For some, that means telephoning
family or loved ones for moral support,
or a burst of music to boost confidence;
for others, a moment of quiet
contemplation always does the trick.
"It reminds us of our former
coach, who got us qualified
for the World Cup but isn't
here with us in the Emirates.
Stuart Holthusen On New
Zealand's changing-room idol".
Every dressing room is a sanctuary
with its own particular identity,
depending on the team in question.
While all of them tend to overflow with
shirts, training tops, shin-guards,
coloured boots, goalkeeping gloves and
the like, each dressing room will also
contain more idiosyncratic touches – a
giant flag perhaps, letters of
encouragement, or even a few lucky
charms.
Anything goes
That is true of every stadium around
the world, and the six venues which
have hosted games at the FIFA U-17
World Cup UAE 2013 are no exception.
The dressing rooms in those arenas
have witnessed every possible pre-
match rite imaginable in order to
energise the players and set the
adrenaline pumping.
Behind-the-scenes photographs from
the tournament reveal members of the
Mexico squad striking combat poses
and wearing religious pendants, as
well as a huge Japan flag filled with
letters of support, and the kiwi figurine
that occupied pride of place in the New
Zealand dressing room. In short,
anything goes.
Speaking to FIFA.com, New Zealand
forward Stuart Holthusen explained
the story behind his team's lucky
mascot. "It reminds us of our former
coach, who got us qualified for the
World Cup but isn't here with us in the
Emirates," he said. "Because of it, he's
still with us."
Click on the photo gallery on the right
of the page to view the famous kiwi in
question for yourself and enjoy a
privileged glimpse inside the dressing
rooms of the other teams involved in
the U-17 World Cup UAE 2013.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN