The Football Mental Health Alliance

FMHA founder, Danny Matharu guests on Lee Wood's "Development Locker" Podcast.

Lee is the Player Care Manager at Wigan Athletic F.C. His role is developing their current Academy Players and supporting their Alumni. He's also Creative Director at The Development Locker - promoting the continual development journey of Academy players in the UK.

In this episode, Lee and Danny cover:

• Why digital mental health options are a must
• How Academies who embrace #ADHD will attract and retain the best talent moving forward 
• Why there is still a gap in the support of #mentalhealth in Football
• How everyone needs to be more educated as to what happens before, during and after Academy football
• The benefits to pro clubs (both holistically and commercially) in embracing mental health 

Lee's Podcast can be found here:

Spotify: https://bit.ly/3sOGbmk

Apple: https://bit.ly/3rfApK2

The Football Mental Health Alliance founder, Danny Matharu talks to Johnnie Lowery, an author and keen football fan, following England and Sutton United home and away.

Danny and Johnnie speak about his new book, 'Match Fit' and the stigma of mental health in football, covering some common mental health conditions that occur in football, what challenges footballers may encounter when they retire as well as how grassroots coaches can support young players' mental health development.

Tony Adams, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Danny Rose and Dele Ali are all discussed, along with how social media can be toxic in football, mental health in the academy system, how role models are key and how being in the football world can be the loneliest place.

His current book, Match Fit is inspired by a desire to ensure mental health does not remain a taboo subject in society.

Match Fit takes an in-depth look at mental health in football, from the Premier League down to five-a-side, in the hope of destigmatising this much-neglected topic, with candid contributions from the likes of Chris Kirkland, Paul Lambert and Marcus Bent.

Johnnie and all his books can be found at: https://www.johnnielowery.co.uk/

This episode is a recording of a webinar from The Football Mental Health Alliance, delivered by Martin Roberts.

Martin Roberts is one of the UK's leading experts in the lived mental health experience.

A teenage survivor of the Hillsborough disaster, Martin shares his vulnerability by speaking openly about that fateful day and how unbeknown to him, it would be the catalyst of what would be another personal fight for survival some 28 years later.

His signature talk ‘A Walk in My Shoes’ truly shows people how important it is to prioritise your mental health and how leaders, players, staff, coaches and parents/carers within the football community can take some key steps to support themselves and those in their care.

Key Learnings will include:

* Why Martin didn’t talk about poor mental health and reach out for help quickly.

* Suicidal Ideation and tendencies and why suicide appeared to be the best solution even though it really wasn't.

* Significance of taking two steps forward and saying three words ‘’I Need Help’’

* Establishing the important role in daring to be vulnerable and taking two steps forward.

* How you and your organisation/team can support its stakeholders to recover from poor mental health.

* Positively demonstrate how you and your organisation/team can use personal experience as a catalyst for change and become a beacon of light to other people.

The focus of the keynote presentation is not on the magnitude of the event. The focus is on the significant emotional, physical and behavioural impact it had on Martin's wellbeing, family, friendships, colleagues and employer and how the three words “I need help,” saved Martin's life.

Martin also shares the support mechanisms he put in place to aid his recovery plus the significant role everyone can contribute to when others are experiencing the same journey. 

For more information on The Football Mental Health Alliance, visit www.thefmha.com

For more information on Martin, visit www.keepin-mind.co.uk

You may or may not be aware of the hit series, Ted Lasso – it’s won tons of awards and is a heartwarming comedy-drama television series that follows the journey of an American football coach, Ted Lasso, who is unexpectedly recruited to coach an English Premier League ‘soccer’ team, AFC Richmond, despite having no prior experience with the sport.

The nine protected characteristics under UK law are outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological condition that impacts behavioural tendencies. Appropriate understanding, support and sometimes, medication can serve as effective management strategies.

Guest post from Steven Caulker.

Professional footballer, Steven Caulker has 13+ years experience of playing top-flight football in England, Scotland & Turkey. Amongst others has played for QPR, Southampton Liverpool and Spurs as well as at international level for Sierra Leone.

Steven now also heads up ‘Behind the White Lines’, a unique aftercare academy, skilfully put together for players who have been released from professional academies.

Visit https://behindthewhitelines.com/ for more information.

Having ADHD is demanding. It takes tremendous energy to function in the workplace/school/college/university and in ‘normal’ day-to-day life. It’s essential to be mindful of your words when talking to someone about it. Specific phrases can be particularly unhelpful, or even hurtful, to someone with ADHD and it’s essential to be aware of them.

In this insightful podcast episode, the discussion revolves around the importance of understanding the unique strengths and requirements of neurodiverse individuals and refraining from hasty judgments when encountering behaviour deviating from societal expectations.

This impactful episode is packed with valuable takeaways that will open your eyes to new perspectives.

Introducing Tasha Walsh - Skilled. Seasoned. Empathetic.

Tasha provides a variety of therapeutic services for adults, children, and adolescents.

With a fervent dedication to working with neurodiverse individuals and LAAC families, Tasha employs an array of techniques tailored to each person's specific needs while maintaining confidentiality. Her experience spans across working with adults and supporting children in educational settings.

Tasha holds a particular interest in assisting neurodiverse individuals and has undergone specialised training in Autoplay Therapy, a play therapy method designed explicitly for those with Autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

Overcoming a fear of failure can be a challenging process, but there are steps you can take to help you manage and reduce your fear: