The Duke of Cambridge visits Hendon FC with #HeadsUp

The Duke’s visit came as part of Heads Up, a new season-long campaign which will harness the power of football to encourage more people – particularly men, to feel comfortable talking about their mental health, and feel able to support their friends and families through difficult times.

In 2017 Hendon FC launched an outreach programme in conjunction with Brent Council’s Early Years Intervention Service to enable young people from the local community who live with mental health issues to attend training sessions at the football club.

Using football as a means to help improve their mental health and wellbeing, the group of young people formed the Hendon FC Mental Health team, and now attend specially tailored training sessions at the club on a weekly basis.

The Football Association has launched new comprehensive guidance for coaches and managers, which will help all FA affiliated adult clubs supporting the mental wellbeing of their players.

The guidance, produced in partnership with Mind and a mental health advisory group put together by The FA, will help coaches and managers to:

• Spot the signs of people experiencing mental health problems
• Feel confident to provide support
• Signpost people to specialist help

The Duke of Cambridge discussed the new guidelines with Hendon FC coaches — how it can support them in identifying the signs of mental health issues, and offer support and signposting where needed to help improve the mental wellbeing of players.

The publication forms an important part of The FA and Heads Together’s ‘Heads Up’ campaign, which seeks to harness the influence and popularity of football to drive the biggest ever conversation on mental health.

Find out more about Heads Up here.