‘Mental health and racism are the goals’

THE Duke of Cambridge, above, has highlighted the importance of tackling racism and improving mental health in football during a visit to a north London football club.

Prince William said racist abuse recently directed at Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Inter Milan player Romelu Lukaku was “outrageous”, adding that he was “fed up” with the issue.

The duke, president of the Football Association (FA), made the comments as he met staff, coaches and fans at Hendon FC yesterday to learn about their mental health outreach activities.

During a conversation with coaches he highlighted how abuse might be a difficult issue for players to discuss and that racism needed to be tackled.

He said: “People are now talking a little bit about mental health issues, but I imagine talking about racism is still quite a difficult subject, especially when it’s happening in such a public fashion with Premier League matches or Champions League.”

He added: “We’ve got to do something about it. I’m fed up with it. I’m so bored of it.”

Despite saying the issue “kind of felt like it was getting under control here, it got better”, the duke admitted recent incidents of abuse made it feel like “we’re back there”.

Hendon FC, which plays in the Southern League Premier Division South, the seventh tier of English football, works in partnership with the Brent Early Intervention Service to provide people facing mental health challenges access to its training facilities.

A group of young people have formed Hendon FC Mental Health team and now take part in specially tailored weekly training sessions at the club.

The duke’s visit is part of efforts to promote the new Heads Up campaign, a joint initiative from the FA and the Heads Together charity, which seeks to raise awareness and encourage conversations about mental health – particularly among men.