GIVING GO MENTAL HEALTH A SPORTING CHANCE
Team sport could be the key to improving the wellbeing of youngsters after lockdown. AMY PACKER reports on a pioneering scheme to boost mental fitness in thousands of teens
ZACH Eckersley had been looking forward to pulling on his beloved cherry and white shirt to play the first match of the season against Bradford Bulls under-16s when the UK went into lockdown. The 16-year-old, who had achieved his dream of winning a covetedWiganWarriors rugby league scholarship, was hoping to be made captain when the Wednesday-night game in late March was cancelled due to concerns over the coronavirus.
In the chaotic days that followed, schools were shut and team sports were suspended, leaving more than two million youngsters who play regularly – 63 per cent of 11 to 16 year olds – unable to take part.
As well as the negative physical effects on teenagers such as loss of fitness, weight gain and irregular sleep patterns, lack of exercise has an impact on mental health and for many has compounded the stress of social isolation in lockdown.
“Initially, I was a bit relieved when I heard that my GCSE exams were cancelled,” admits Zach from Oldham, Lancashire. “No one really looks forward to exams, do they? But now I wish they’d gone ahead. It’s been quite hard waiting to find out what grade you’ve been assigned.There’s no sense of achievement in that.”
However he says the hardest thing about lockdown has been the lack of structure and routine, previously provided by school and sport.
“One day just rolls into the next,” he says. “I’ve been doing my best to keep my fitness levels up through some sort of training five or six days a week with my dad.Wigan have been running Zoom training sessions which are good but it isn’t the same as seeing your mates, having a bit of banter and playing a match.”
HIS dad Chris, 45, a surveyor, agrees. “Before the shutdown, Zach was training five nights a week with Wigan Warriors, Saddleworth Rangers and a local athletics sprint group, with matches at the weekends.
“Without having the discipline of a routine, it’s not been as easy to motivate him without something definite to aim for.”
Doctors, educationalists and charities have all warned that the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have serious consequences for young people’s mental wellbeing.
In May, a coalition of 30 organisations including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health wrote to the Prime Minister, urging the Government to take steps to reduce the impact of lockdown.
The lack of routine and social connection, the disruption to education, as well as the challenges of living in difficult or dangerous situations, were all cited as extra pressures for adolescents.
Experts believe the loss of team sport could also have far-reaching implications for mental health.
The Bridging The Distance report by men’s health charity
Movember, which looked at the impact of the pandemic on social connections, revealed that 55 per cent of young men (in the 18-24 age group) said they found not being able to take part in team sport either stressful or very stressful. “Involvement in team sport forms a huge part of many young people’s lives,” explains Tracy Herd of Movember.
“We know that for boys particularly, it has huge benefits for mental health and emotional wellbeing. “It’s where they learn how to be part of a team, improve self-confidence and develop strong friendships. “Having that suddenly taken away could have a hugely detrimental effect on these young athletes.” Previous research has shown that taking part in organised sport during adolescence is associated with a lower risk of mental health problems compared with teens who drop out.A large study of US high school students found that
participation in team sports is associated with a 35 per cent reduction in suicidal thoughts and 39 per cent fewer suicide attempts among boys.
When community sport can safely resume help will be at hand for Zach and his teammates, in the form of an innovative mental fitness programme delivered by Movember and the Rugby League Cares charity.
The Ahead of the Game programme teaches teenage athletes about mental health in the familiar surroundings of their club changing rooms.
Suicide is the leading cause of death of men aged 15 to 49 and there is growing awareness of the risks young men can face, if they cannot talk openly about mental health.
Over the next 16 months, the workshops will be delivered to 8,000 young players and their parents, rugby club coaches, match officials and volunteers as part of a groundbreaking partnership with Rugby LeagueWorld Cup 2021.
Because rugby league is so deeply embedded in northern communities, it is hoped that the scheme will make a real impact in areas where poor mental health is prevalent and suicide rates are among the highest in England.
A squad of 20 ex-professional players, including former Great Britain and England International Keith Senior,Wales International Paul Highton and New Zealand International and TV pundit Robbie Hunter-Paul – all of whom have spoken openly about their own struggles – will deliver the two hour-long workshops.
They will teach the players how to spot when a friend may be suffering and how to support them.
Movember’s Ahead of the Game was devised by a team of sports psychologists at the University of Wollongong in Australia and it has been tested on 350 boys aged between 12 and 18 across three different sports including football, rugby league and swimming, over a season-long period.
Teenagers who took part in the study – the biggest of its kind in the world – demonstrated a greater understanding of what mental health is, had greater intentions to help others with mental health problems and were more confident about seeking help themselves.
THE study’s lead investigator Dr Stewart Vella, says: “Giving young men the skills to cope with a mental health problem is really important as we know that half of all mental health problems have their onset before the age of 14.We really need to equip young men of that age to be able to deal with these challenges.”
Zach and Chris are both enthusiastic about the idea of having the lessons delivered by ex-players. “I’d be much more likely to listen to someone who knows the game and understands what it’s like when it has been taken away from you,” says Zach.
“It’s really helpful to be able to understand the difference between normal teenage behaviour and when it might be something more serious,” says Chris.