Oldham Athletic will be supporting Mind to raise mental health awareness as well as the profile of the charity at the weekend.
The visit of Grimsby Town to Boundary Park in the Sky Bet League Two fixture on Saturday 14 September, will see the mental health charity Mind join forces with the club to help raise awareness among fans about mental health and the support the charity provides.
Alongside this vital funds will be raised to tackle mental health problems. The matchday comes as part of Mind’s charity partnership with the EFL, which will see the charity work with all 72 EFL clubs, to help bring a lasting legacy around mental health in football.
The charity matchday will include:
- Bucket collections before the match to support vital local mental health services provided by Latics' local Mind branch - Tameside, Oldham & Glossop.
- Information about mental health and Mind around the ground, in the programme and on social media.
- Announcement about the day over the tannoy.
Mind’s own research shows that over half of people (56%) feel that football fans find it easier to show their emotions at football matches than at any other time.
Despite this the charity also knows that many fans, particularly men, are likely to be struggling in silence for fear of opening up about their mental health.
Mind hopes mental health-themed matchdays like this will begin to open up the conversation among football fans about their mental health as well as raising awareness about the support Mind offers.
Mind’s Partnership with the EFL launched at the start of the 2018/19 season, running for two years it aims to:
- Raise awareness about mental health with fans, clubs and staff.
- Raise funds to deliver life-changing support.
- Help improve the approach to mental health in football working with other partners in the game.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said: “Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem. That could be one person in every family, hundreds of football players and many thousands of football fans. Our research suggests that while football fans, particularly men, are comfortable showing their emotions at football matches, many feel unable to reach out for support when they need it. We are proud to be working in partnership with all 72 clubs in the EFL, as part of our charity partnership with them, to be real game-changers in the way football tackles mental health. We hope that events like our match day with Oldham Athletic will reach out to fans and let them know that whoever you support, Mind supports you.”
Help support Mind’s vital mental health services by texting FOOTBALL to 70660 to donate £3. Full T&C’s are available here: bit.ly/2H0fTVf
For more information about Mind’s partnership with the EFL and wider work in football visit mind.org.uk/football