World Mental Health Day recap by some of our members

World Mental Health Day recap by some of our members

On World Mental Health Day, which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues across the globe, clubs from all around Europe have reaffirmed the support they offer people in their respective local communities.

Below we will explore some of the initiatives that some of the EFDN network members have undertaken for this significant day. The following members have been joined by many other clubs, foundations, leagues and FA’s in promoting World Mental Health Day.

Newcastle United Foundation

Magpies head coach Eddie Howe visited a walking football and Football Talks session to raise awareness of how the support group helps participants discuss wellbeing issues.

The group was formed by the Newcastle United Foundation during the pandemic and gives people the chance to take part in physical exercise as well as the opportunity to address challenge such as social isolation and anxiety.

“You aren’t always aware about people, their routines and what they are going through, but when you hear people talking about the walking football and the impact it has had, not only on their health but their mental wellbeing, it is powerful,”(…) “It’s helping to give a new purpose to get up on a morning and keep fit – there’s so many positives to take from it.”

Eddie Howe, Head Coach

Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation

Over the last 12 months the successful Head 4 Health programme, which was set up in 2018 to help men open up about mental health and share their experiences, has been expanded to include all adults.

With no barriers to attendance, and the opportunity to self-refer, the group is open to people from across the city and many women are now also benefiting from the project.

“It has literally changed my life, boosted my confidence and self-esteem,” she says. “I didn’t even have the confidence to attend the first session on my own, so I came with my support worker – my anxiety was through the roof.”(…) “I didn’t want to take part in any activities due to fear of embarrassing myself but that changed as I started to get to know the other members and relax more. Now my cohort has finished, I have carried on engaging in the extra time sessions which continue to help.”

Louise, programme participant

Sheffield United Community Foundation

Their mental health groups for men (Talk Club) and women (Let’s Talk Together) offer free support for adults who wish to share experiences and talk about their feelings in a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space.

“I discovered Talk Club at a time when my mental health was spiralling downwards and I saw no way out. Talk Club gave me a safe space where I could share how I was feeling without being judged. It gave me a community of men who could listen and try to help each other, which sadly I didn’t have elsewhere. I will always be grateful to Talk Club, it saved my life.”

Programme participant

Vålerenga Fotball

Stiftelsen Vålerenga Fotball Samfunn have a continuous focus on improving the mental health of their project participants. Through various social projects, they create more social meeting places where physical activity and social cohesion are central. The result of this is better physical health, increased quality of life and, not least, better mental health.

Several of their projects aim at exactly this. One of these is the Street Team. Gatelaget is a free and low-threshold football offer for people who have or have had problems with substance abuse. It serves as a fantastic meeting place for those who need a place to be. Through football and social gatherings, you get better physically, socially and mentally.

One of those who has felt this recently is Dag Karlsen (50). Dag is a former drug addict and is currently disabled. After seven consecutive years in an institution, he now spends his time in aftercare at Haugenstua. He has taken part in Gatelaget’s training and matches for the past 18 months and enjoys being with the group. He points to the foundation’s employees and their motivation as an important reason behind why he is constantly training and fighting. Even after experiencing minor cracks in recent times.

“It is an incredibly inclusive group that cares for each other. Especially the coaches who call to see how I’m doing. I really appreciate that”

Dag Karlsen, Programme participant

In addition to being an open and inclusive arena, Dag points out that Street Team training is a nice place to go when you don’t have much else to do. He also gives an honest expression that he might not have been alive as of today if Gatelaget had not been there for him. The last few cracks have been so rough for him, and there were several times he thought he was going to iron. But after undergoing treatment knowing that the Street Team is waiting for him, he has succeeded in finding enormous joy in life again.

Saints Foundation

Saints By Your Side is a Southampton FC and Saints Foundation mental health initiative that offers advice and guidance to help fans and the people of Southampton better manage their mental wellbeing. This new programme will support men in the local area through face-to-face group sessions held at St Mary’s Stadium, due to commence later this year. The sessions will offer participants a safe space and supportive environment to come together and learn ways to improve their wellbeing.

To launch the new programme, Southampton FC Men’s First Team player Mohamed Elyounoussi sat down with the club’s Lead Clinical Performance Psychologist Greg Clarke to chat about mental health, how to support others, and why Saints Foundation’s support is vitally important for the local community.

“With suicide the biggest killer of men aged 20-49 in England and Wales, we hope Saints By Your Side will encourage more men to discuss their mental health needs by removing any stigma associated with this. If we talked about mental health as much as we talk about football, we could take huge steps in looking out for ourselves and each other, and working in partnership with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board is a great way to kick-start the much-needed conversation.”

“We hope Saints By Your Side will help offer support, guidance, and treatment for those most in need by supplying them with the tools they need to better look after their mental health and wellbeing.”

Paul Hedges, Health Projects Manager at Saints Foundation

Liverpool FC Foundation

A Red Hot Summer with Red Hot Beats 

During the Foundations ‘Big Red Summer,’ they saw over 160 young people aged 5 to 16 years, take part in a 4 week long Red Hot Beats community programme in Anfield Sports & Community Centre.  

The sessions consisted of music, art, drama and dance workshops and each activity had a meaning behind it. These workshops enhanced the knowledge around the children’s own mental health and well-being as well as their peers.  

The overall aim of the programme is to engage working class young people from disadvantaged communities to learn mental health and wellbeing skills by using the power of music and sports to develop core skills of resilience and coping strategies.  

Sound Minds supports students at Edge Hill

Sound Minds is delivered in collaboration with professional music charity Amasing and teaches young people from the ages of 8 to 21, how to better understand and manage emotions and learn positive communication skills.  

LFC Foundation provides workshops and events designed to use the power of music, sport and art to help the participants feel better supported with their mental health, more connected, less isolated, have a voice, and feel part of the LFC Family.  

Most recently, their Mental Health team were invited to Edge Hill to deliver wellbeing sessions for their new student ‘Campus Connections days.’  

Over 82 students came to visit the team where they were able to take part in ‘The Cube’ like activities, focusing on resilience and the power of asking for help. They were able to take part in a small HIIT class to get them moving, create a positive affirmation tree and add a song of their choice to a mental health playlist. 

“It made me feel less alone,’ and ‘absolutely brilliant session with brilliant staff – I will be letting people know they missed out!”

Programme participant

FC Schalke 04

The concept of the AKUT project was developed and put into practice by the Björn Steiger Foundation with further partners such as the Frankfurt Institute for Trauma Processing and Further Education, the Ruhr University Bochum as well as health authorities, school authorities, youth welfare offices and municipal integration centers.

In the past six months, the offer has been made available to over 250 children and young people, and a number of successes have been achieved. 80 percent of the children usually leave the program strengthened and stabilized. 20 percent require more intensive support, for which cooperation partners such as the Ruhr University, the Essen Clinic or the LVR Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Essen are available.

“The AKUT project is very important to us because it was able to offer the children valuable support in unimaginable times.”

Managing Director, Sebastian Buntkirchen

FC Schalke 04 offers the children a safe space, healthy food, exclusive training insights and stadium tours.

Chelsea FC Foundation

The Chelsea Champions programme aims to improve the emotional wellbeing and resilience of young people, offering schools an innovative, tailored timetable of activities that builds capacity, and coping mechanisms that best meet the needs of the school. The project embeds a trusted adult (Chelsea Champion) into school life full-time, offering the earliest possible emotional wellbeing intervention.

“Since recruiting the Chelsea Champion at MPS we have been able to broaden our range of interventions we offer to students. By primarily focusing on mental health and resilience, our Champion has been able to work both one-on-one with key students and also run targeted intervention groups.”

“Our Champion often uses physical exercise to engage usually disaffected students, which has proven highly successful. When analysing behaviour and attendance trends we have seen an improvement with those that our Champion has worked directly with, something which we and our students are really proud of!”

Mrs Strachan, assistant headteacher at Merstham Park School

Wigan Athletic

The Wigan Athletic Community Trust hosted a #PLKicks tournament in support of World Mental Health Day 2022. The tournament invited over 50 players from across our #PLKicks Sessions to take part and celebrate World Mental Health Day 2022. The #PLKicks programme aims to improve the physical health of participants while also working to create stronger safer communities across Wigan.

At the tournament, players took part in 5-a-side football matches while also participating in a mental health workshop led by our new #PLKicks mental health ambassadors. The tournament was also attended by Latics’ Head of Academy Gregor Rioch and Academy Player Care Manager Lee wood, who spoke to participants on the importance of supporting each other’s mental health and the resources that are out there to help.

“I think it’s massively important to have something like this where participants can foster relationships and I think it only increases the chances of people reaching out and helping each other out. I think that’s absolutely priceless.”

Head of Academy Gregor Rioch and Academy Player Care Manager, Lee wood