Football and Mental Health

One in four people will have a mental health problem at some time in their lives. The FA is committed to using football to tackle both the discrimination faced by sufferers as well as helping to enable people to live more independent and fulfilling lives.

The FA, in collaboration with The Care Services Improvement Partnership of the Department of Health, has been leading work to demonstrate the positive impact that football can have on people who have mental health problems.

The FA and CSIP with partners from across football have joined together to develop a programme which will break down barriers and increase the opportunities to play football for those with mental health issues.

Those involved include the Professional Footballers Association, the Premier League, the Football League Trust, the Football Foundation, University of Derby, Sporting Chance Clinic and the Positive Mental Attitude League.

This partnership between football and health bodies breaks new ground and has been formed from a shared desire to help encourage more people with mental health problems to get involved with football.

Playing football can play an important role in improving not just physical fitness, but also mental health. It's about belonging to a team, meeting people, and taking part. It's not all about competition; it's about playing the game.

We are also developing a network of football and mental health projects. The network will provide opportunities to share best practice and learning to stimulate further development of football projects and develop a cohort of advocates for the use of football in improving mental health.

Join the network. We want to join together teams who are using football to help tackle some of the issues associated with mental health problems. Click here to email us to share what you are doing, and to be added to our contact list to allow people to contact you directly to find out more. 

Contact Information.  For contact information on football and mental health initiatives across England, click here