Newcastle United Foundation starting conversations on mental health through football

Newcastle United Foundation is supporting North East men and women towards better mental health at dedicated football sessions improving wellness through the power of Newcastle United.

Free, weekly sessions are delivered by the official charity arm of the Club as part of the Foundation’s commitment to providing opportunities for all to boost physical and mental wellbeing together.

The Mental Health Football programme encourages participants who have a mental health diagnosis or are neurodivergent to use football as a tool to relieve mental stress, enjoy physical activity and start conversations about how they are feeling. More than 103 hours of physical activity have been delivered so far this season, engaging 79 participants on the programme.

Today, as Newcastle United take on Arsenal, the Foundation, Club and Premier League are united in highlighting the importance of mental wellness as part of dedicated mental health matchday activity.

Supporters at St. James’ Park will see the launch of the Premier League’s Inside Matters campaign, aimed at supporting the mental health of players, supporters and communities connected by the sport they love.

Jacqueline Critchley, Senior Project Coordinator at Newcastle United Foundation, said: “Understanding, addressing and improving your own mental health can feel like a huge challenge for many of us, so tapping into things we love like football or Newcastle United are a relaxed and safe way to get those conversations going.

“Inside Matters and the Foundation’s own Sport and Wellbeing programmes are great pathways to help reduce social isolation, build friendships through football, better integrate within the wider community and improve physical activity levels and improve mental health and wellbeing.

“Mental Health Football sessions are always supported by Foundation staff who not only facilitate safe and inclusive play, but who also create an open environment to promote conversations around mental health.

“This also compliments our own Be A Game Changer mental health awareness campaign, which aims to break down stigmas around mental health and to encourage everyone to talk openly about their wellbeing without any fear of judgement.”

Open to adults over 18, Mental Health Football sessions are hosted in Wallsend and on the rooftop pitch of the Foundation’s home – NUCASTLE, powered by Newcastle Building Society – just five minutes’ walk from St. James’ Park.

This season, Newcastle United Foundation’s Mental Health Football participants have played home and away friendly fixtures against participants from Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation and also in Gateshead.

All Premier League matches until May 15 are dedicated to the Inside Matters campaign, which comes ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week between May 15 and May 21.

As part of the Inside Matters campaign, the Premier League has collaborated with Shout, a free, confidential 24/7 text support service for anyone in the UK who is struggling to cope. The service was launched in 2019 and has since helped hundreds of thousands of people.

Anyone experiencing anxiety can text the word 'TeamTalk' to 85258 to be connected with around-the-clock support from trained volunteers, supervised and supported in real time by an expert clinical team.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “It is so important for people to look out for others and find time to check in regularly on the mental wellbeing of friends, loved ones and colleagues. Through the Inside Matters campaign, we want people of all ages to feel they can discuss their mental health and understand that support is available.

“A simple conversation can have a positive impact on those who are struggling with their mental health and we are pleased to be working with Shout to provide a confidential text service for anybody who feels they need extra support.

“Football is our national sport and is followed by millions of people. We are proud to use this platform to build on the wide-ranging mental health initiatives run by the League and clubs, to continue supporting fans, players and communities.”

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