Category: Uncategorized

Radha Balani

Finally, sport has returned to the heart of communities, and last week the nation grasped hold of it.

We are seeing children playing football again, the tennis courts back in action and even amateur rugby clubs are back in training. The sunshine is certainly a useful factor as Return To Play built momentum throughout the week just gone.

As it grows, however, we can’t let our guard down. Mood is high, but we must remain cautious around the ongoing support required to ensure the safe and appropriate return to play for children and young people particularly, off the back of the pandemic and the impact it has had.

Women in Sport recently released some interesting data around women and girls and confidence levels of sport. The positives are that lockdown has led girls to recognise the value of exercise for physical and mental health:

•    82% of girls say they will put more effort into being active when life returns to normal.
•    52% of girls agreed that keeping fit and doing physical activity was more important than ever.
•    55% of girls said they felt being physically active made them happier.
•    54% said that it made them less stressed.

However, the research highlighted a deeply concerning issue around a lack of confidence and motivation.

•    51% were concerned that they were losing their fitness.
•    45% worried that it would be hard to get back into the habit of sport and exercise after the pandemic. 
•    41% have lost confidence in their sporting ability.
•    40% are worried about being in large groups again.

So, lockdown has helped with recognition around importance of exercise, but has had the opposite impact when it comes to actually doing it.

Last week, we celebrated the #ReturnToPlay. While so many have taken part in sport, there are so many young women and girls – and likely men and boys too – that have lost all confidence in their fitness, motivation and trust in sport.

Brands and grassroots sport now need to take more care and consideration in giving people a step up back into sporting life. Sport England has done a great job at this, but this needs to be fed throughout the chain from brands committed to the social impact of sport down to those delivering it. 

1. There’s No Rush

Some people are diving head first back into sport and that’s great to see. It works for them, but not for everybody. We are all unique and have been affected differently by the pandemic. 

Consider helping those that need it to ease back in slowly, recognising the need to adjust. Take into account the implications of people having been sheltered for some time, the lack of exercise, isolation and loneliness. 

2. More Support

What support is in place to help young people kick start again? Think about any additional resources that you, as an organisation, could offer to provide more mental health and wellbeing support alongside sessions.

For young women, in a world where body image is harmfully rife, this will bring with it so many extraordinary challenges that need resolving, quickly. 

Start off by talking to these to young people, asking them what support they need. Then, act on it and apply resources or sessions dedicated specifically to mental health – or whatever the requirement is.

3. Be Open

Create a safe space and generate open lines of communication – for young people to access if they want to talk or feel like they need more help.

So many will want to come to sessions but may be scared, anxious or struggling to get to.

Sport can play even more of a supportive role for children and young people than ever before. Organisations, clubs, brands all have a voice that they can give to young people to express themselves, working through the challenges of the past 12 months.

According to Sport England, 30% of people admitted their ability to perform daily activities, such as taking the stairs or carrying shopping, has declined since the pandemic began. So getting back to pre-coronavirus levels of physical activity is going to take some time. 

There’s no rush, be considerate. Organisations and delivery partners need to consider their responsibility outside of simply arranging the activity. The bigger picture is the real challenge here. 

One of the best things about all of this is that those of you who deliver grassroots sport do so with hearts and minds; with commitment, energy and passion. And, in the main, without pay. Your wellbeing is also really important, you may need support too. There are resources out there to help, don’t be afraid to use that word, and ask for help.

Sport is playing an important role in the mental health discussion globally. Radha Balani,  director of design and facilitation at sport for social impact consultancy, thinkBeyond,  explains why the athlete’s mental welfare is vital to expanding the conversation.

As we reflect on the positive messages gleaned from Mental Health Awareness Week, let’s   take a moment to consider what sport’s role should be in expanding the conversation and how we can empower our athletes to spread the word to more people globally. 

The answer is two-fold in my opinion. Firstly, I believe it is vitally important to see that sport continues to give its talent a platform to advocate mental health awareness in our   communities and to help remove the persistent and unnecessary stigma that still exists within discussion. 

However, to do this, it is also critical that we do more to protect the mental wellbeing of athletes themselves, at all levels, and particularly around the inexplicable hate, discrimination, and bullying that so many are exposed to on social media. 

We can’t ask athletes to talk openly about their own experiences if we’re not supporting them through those experiences, or, indeed, if the sector is contributing to creating environments that drive mental ill health.  

Sports social media blackouts in response to the abuse athletes experience online represents a huge step in the right direction. Despite the backing of sports teams and bodies across the UK, as well as several media rights holders, including a powerful video published by BT Sport condemning online abuse, the mental health of our athletes is still a grave concern for everyone invested in sport.

If we consider that at least 50 per cent of elite athletes say that they have experienced a mental health issue during their lifetime, there is reason for greater support for sportspeople across the board; to ensure their mental wellbeing is treated in the same vein as their physical health and that their status presents an opportunity, and is not a burden on their wellbeing.

It is clear this is a subject that not only touches many lives, whatever one’s background, but   is also one that requires more publicity and attention. Athletes can help to shed light on the issues by drawing from their own experiences. So, as the sports industry continues to embrace the importance of mental health, it’s our job to ensure that athletes are also given the help that they need, and not just used as a megaphone for the issue.

During my career, and especially in more recent years, I have had the chance to facilitate these discussions and take great pleasure in hearing more and more sportspeople talk   openly about their struggles with mental health.  Whether that’s moderating panels with the likes of NFL pro-bowler, Brian Dawkins, Olympic gold medal winning hockey player,

Helen Richardson-Walsh, and former professional footballer, Clarke Carlisle, or listening to England prop, Joe Marler, speaking on the Today Programme about his struggles and how   the rugby environment contributed. 

Last year, I was delighted to host a table talk with EuroLeague basketball, which spoke directly to the issues of mental health among its athletes. While this presents one example where athletes are able to use their own brands to grow the discussion around mental   health, the documentary, published via the EuroLeague’s social media channels, also demonstrates the appetite among sport’s governance to elicit change.

How do we then support our athletes in this endeavour? Studies show that at least one in six of us will experience mental ill-health sometime this year. That’s not only athletes, but people from all walks of life. Therefore, it is important that we find ways to engage everyone in the conversation – and not only those who have been brave enough to open up about their own mental health.

This is an area where athletes could have the most impact – by using their platform to connect with communities through their own stories of overcoming adversity and the mental struggles associated with their fame and success. The modern athlete is no longer only an asset on the field of play; their profile online makes them uniquely positioned to promote positive conversations to millions of followers around the world.

With greater influence than their predecessors, comes other challenges. The pressure now placed on the shoulders of today’s athletes, who are thrust into the limelight from a very young age, means that we must seek to engage them about their own mental wellbeing   during their development, and is why it’s of paramount importance that their mentors understand their challenges too.

That’s why mental health charities such as Mind are so important, and continue to provide courses and workshops for the sports industry at large, including coaches, administrators, and front-office staff. Their purpose is to help people understand common misconceptions surrounding mental health and to identify some of the barriers that prevent them from seeking support in the first place.

At thinkBeyond, we are working closely with industry leaders to help promote the conversation. During our support on the delivery of the Not A Red Card campaign, we worked with Legal & General between 2017 and 2020 to leverage sport in raising awareness around mental health within businesses, designed to encourage industry managers to drive the conversation and take action. Likewise, the Stay in the Game Network, launched by our sister company Beyond Sport in 2019, unites leaders across sport, healthcare, and social care organisations to evolve and amplify the promotion of mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Make no mistake: the conversation is growing. However, we should be careful not to rest on   our laurels, especially when it comes to our communities’ athletes, who have the power to drive greater awareness within this space, as long as their wellbeing is taken seriously, too. 

Earlier this month, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) launched a 24/7 mental health support line dedicated to its athletes. Rolled out during America’s Mental Health Awareness Month, the online registry will support athletes seeking confidential support from licensed professionals and includes access to mental health services via the WellTrack smartphone app.

Above all else, it marks a significant step in the mental health journey for the modern athlete and a shot in the arm for our wider society. By giving sportspeople of differing backgrounds   and experiences a voice, the committee’s decision helps bring mental health to the forefront of the everyday conversation and is yet another example of the athlete’s resolve around the mental health conversation.