Goodwin urges St Mirren players to use club’s new wellbeing support service

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has encouraged his players to use the club’s new mental health support service if they are struggling with the lockdown.

Saints have partnered with the Paisley-based Kibble Group, a child and youth care charity which became a major shareholder in the club earlier this year, to offer all staff online sessions with psychologists as well as access to a confidential phone helpline.

Goodwin, pictured, knows the unique challenges footballers can face having left his Waterford home as a schoolboy to join Celtic, and he is keen his players have access to support during extraordinary circumstances.

“I moved away from home when I was 15, albeit to do a job

I dreamed of doing all my life,” the 38-year-old said.

“But to leave my close-kit family, three brothers and a sister and mum and dad back home, we did everything together, to all of a sudden go across the water and try to fulfil my ambition, you don’t realise at the time but it can have a huge impact on people’s lives.

“I’m very fortunate it hasn’t affected me. I was very fortunate in terms of the people I surrounded myself with when I came to Glasgow. Celtic really looked after me and I got put in digs with like-minded people and always had company.

“But we have got Ilkay Durmus for example, who is over from Germany and there are certain language barriers there. The last thing we want is that he is stuck in a flat in Paisley on his own, and feels as if he can’t speak to anyone. So the fact this service is there is brilliant. We have lads over from Ireland, lads up from England.

“People all over the world struggle at times with mental health and it’s important that the message is to people that it’s OK, you are not alone, and there are people out there willing to help and willing to listen. The more we talk about it, maybe it lifts that stigma. The initiative Kibble have brought to the table is a huge positive.”

Kibble chief executive and Saints director Jim Gillespie believes early intervention is key.

“There are a growing number of acute mental health issues in Scotland and I think some of these issues can be helped with support early on,” Gillespie said.

“Whilst there have been strides made, we should always be pushing boundaries on this and taking away any leftover stigma.”