MIND!HOW!YOU!GO...
JOHN LYONS LOOK AT HOW FOOTBALL IS PLAYING ITS PART IN TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
The importance of mental health
THE issue of mental health problems in football and society has come increasingly to the fore in recent times. So it was good to see four Football League players gather at London’s King’s Cross Station on a busy Wednesday morning in October to showcase the role football can play in tackling it.
Highlighting the statistic that one in four people will experience a mental health problem each year, Luke Prosser (Colchester), Deji Oshilaja (AFC Wimbledon), James Shea (Luton) and Darius Charles (Wycombe) took centre stage at a special temporary installation on the station concourse, on behalf of the Football League and its charity partner, the mental health charity Mind.
Three of them pretended to have clear physical health problems, whilst the remaining player represented the fact you can also experience problems with your mental health.
Although it can’t been seen on the surface, the idea is that it should be treated with equal importance.
The exhibition illustrated the fact that every year dozens of EFL managers, hundreds of EFL footballers, and hundreds of thousands of EFL club supporters will be living with a mental health problem, many of them feeling unable to reach out for support.
The activity came as part of a season in which EFL and Mind have joined forces in a pioneering partnership that seeks to use the power of football to improve the nation’s mental health.
Throughout the current season, the players of all 72 EFL clubs from the Sky Bet Championship through to League Two are wearing the Mind logo on the back of their matchday shirts.
Mind CEO Paul Farmer said: “We all have mental health just as we have physical health and both are equally important to look after.
“Whether you’re a star striker or season ticket-holder, you shouldn’t have to live in fear about opening up and getting support for either your physical or mental health.”
Colchester United captain Prosser was keen to back the EFL and Mind event and believes there is a more progressive attitude to mental health concerns than there has been in the past.
“Where ex-players have come out and said things, I think that helps people to also tell their story,” said the 30-yearold defender. “Michael Carrick came out and said he still thinks about the Champions League final and there are things that are going to haunt you as a player sometimes.
“I’m club captain so it’s something I need to be aware of. There are a lot of youngsters in the game and there are a lot of pressures, whether that’s contracts, injuries or other issues. There are a lot of things that mentally you need to be aware of.
“I would like to think that our players would come forward if they have problems. We have a tight-knit dressing room and I’m pretty sure the boys would be more than comfortable coming to me or someone else.”
The rise of social media in recent years has positives and negatives. It can be a tool to raise awareness about important issues, but it can also be a place of widespread abuse and criticism.
“It’s part and parcel of life now, social media is massive,” said Prosser. “The youngsters are more social media aware whereas the older lads might not be.
“The older players have got a bit more experience of the game and can
take things with a pinch of salt whereas a young lad trying to make his trade might take it more personally. That’s when you need to step in as a captain and put your arm round someone if they’ve got issues.”
As someone who has suffered longterm injuries in his career, Wycombe defender Charles knows the impact they can have on a player’s well-being.
“Playing gives you a sense of pride, it gives you confidence,” said the 30-yearold. “When you’re injured, you feel as though you can’t give the team your all because you’re not part of the squad.
“You almost feel isolated because while they’re out there having fun and working hard, you’re in the gym away from it all. It can be very difficult to keep yourself upbeat, especially if you have long-term injuries.
“The great thing about the dressing room, though, is that it is almost like a family. Its’s somewhere you can voice your opinions and you can put an arm around someone and ask them how they are feeling.”
Dons defender Oshilaja, 25, added: “If any of my team-mates needed someone to talk to I would be there for them - and I think they know that.
“As a football you have to have the right balance - you can’t have the highs to high and the lows too low.
“There is a lot more exposure these days, but as a footballer you have to put that to one side and focus on what’s important.
“A whole season is very tiring mentally and you have to have a balance. When you finish work, you have to relax.
“You have to learn to separate yourself from that environment. If you don’t, you become mentally tired.”
With only one goalkeeper in a team, it can be a lonely experience if you are the back-up keeper – and Luton keeper Shea admits that’s tough.
“You can be training every week, training well, and yet you’re still not going to play – it’s the life of a goalkeeper,” said the 27-year-old.
“You have to keep working hard and hopefully you get a chance. I had that happen to me last season. I was travelling in every week and I was sitting on the bench.
“I finally got a chance eight games from the end of the season. I got in, stayed in and we got promoted, which was fantastic.”
Shea says family life plays a key role in helping him unwind from the pressure of fighting for a place, keeping clean sheets and ignoring the critics that seem to abound in this social media age.
He added: “I have my missus Charlotte and daughter Amelia, who is two going on 32!
“It’s great to come home, play with her and take your mind away from football. It’s your job, but when you’re finished you want to try to relax and do something completely different.”