By Chris Cassidy
After a series of high profile incidents involving depression in football, fans should be wondering what is being done to help and prevent mental health issues in the sport.
After a series of high profile incidents involving depression in football, fans should be wondering what is being done to help and prevent mental health issues in the sport.
Only last week, yet another seasoned pro (Chris Kirkland) came out to the public and revealed he had been battling depression for his whole career. During his interview with The Guardian newspaper he said had never come close to taking his own life - a topic brought up when discussing the tragic death of former Welsh international Gary Speed. Yet Kirkland did say "He didn't know how far away [he] was from that". From an outsider's perspective this may seem ludicrous, why would a man earning thousands of pounds and living the dream of millions of young children feel this way? But this attitude is the problem. It can certainly be argued that not enough is being done in the world of football to open up to what is still a taboo subject throughout the game.
Another high profile ex-professional who has now also spoken about his trouble with depression is Clark Carlisle. Carlisle has been speaking of the day in early September last year, when a passing stranger talked him out of ending his life. Carlisle has talked of previous suicide attempts too. Only 4 months prior to when Carlisle went missing, Everton winger Aaron Lennon was detained under the Mental Health Act by police over concerns for his welfare. Although this did gain fantastic support from football fans around the country, it still raises the question as to what is being done to help?
Sadly, in other cases around the globe, depression has taken players that one fatal step further and ultimately ended their lives. Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years in England and Wales and it doesn't matter how successful these young men are, especially if success only makes it harder to talk about depression. One heartbreaking example of this is ex-Falkirk, Queen of the South and Clyde defender and midfielder Chris Mitchell. The Scotsman, who had represented his country at under 21 level numerous times, took his own life in May 2016. In response, his family and girlfriend Louise Rooney, set up the Chris Mitchell Foundation, with the aim of highlighting the need for mental health and wellbeing awareness within Scottish professional football.
Much like the Chris Mitchell foundation, the Gary Speed Trust was also created after Speed's death in 2011. The aim of the trust is to pay respect and work in memory of the former Newcastle and Leeds player. The money raised goes to supporting grassroots sports and mental health charities across the cities that Gary had previously played in. It is hoped that groups like this will help other young footballers feel able to talk about their mental health.
Only in this one piece, five examples of the illness have been mentioned. Hundreds, or even thousands, of players will still be suffering from the problems in which have been discussed during this article. Even without numerous references demonstrating the problem it has become crystal clear that common checks, discussions and conversations need to be taking place at clubs up and down the country, to reduce and support the matter of depression in football. No one, not even football players, should ever feel like they cannot talk and discuss their mental health concerns. People must realise that athletes are humans and just because they may have bumper contracts and big houses, the illness can also affect them. Footballers, like Carlisle, who are struggling would also be great spokespeople for young men across the country.
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If you have any worries or questions concerning mental health talk to someone in the school pastoral team, contact your doctor or email our communities' worker, Sue Barnard, at :sbarnard@clvweb.co.uk
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