The ways in which sport can contribute to good mental health is being discussed at a one-day conference in London today.
More than 120 sports organisations are attending the Sport Minds conference at Wembley Stadium, organised in partnership by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, the Professional Players Federation (PPF) and mental health charity Mind.
Practitioners from the worlds of sport and mental health will be on hand to offer delegates practical help and advice, with speakers including former footballer Clarke Carlisle, PPF chair Gordon Taylor, Kitrina Douglas from Leeds Beckett University and Andy Baddeley, two?time Olympian and Britain’s top 1,500m runner.
During the event, organisations will be invited to sign the new
Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation, launched by the deputy prime minister in March.
The Charter already has 200 signatories, including all the major sports and largest governing bodies.
Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind said: “As more of our sporting heroes talk about their own mental health it’s clear that governing and representative bodies can play a major role – in making sport more accessible to those with mental health problems and also encouraging people to have that first conversation about how they are feeling.
“Sport at all levels can be used to prevent stigma and encourage conversation about mental health so we’re delighted the Mental Health Charter for Sport has been so popular.
“It is the support of organisations like the Sport and Recreation Alliance and Professional Players federation and events like today, helping to raise awareness of mental health problems, which will help us to reach a point where anyone feels able to ask for help and can access the support they need as soon as they do.”
For more information on the event,
click here.
