The Toll Sports Take on Mental Health

We, as sports fans don’t often realise just how seriously the players take themselves.

For us, sports are an escape. It’s a cause for us to get behind, because we love the game.

But for some of the players, their motivations stem from the opposite end of the spectrum.

They play because it’s their livelihoods. Many players join professional clubs straight out of high school.

We see it every year in the AFL, where the majority of players who are selected in the annual AFL Draft are 18 years old.

Many are then required to move away from their hometowns and families for an unknown period of time, without much if any prior notice.

As fans, we don’t truly understand how surreal that must be.

Imagine one day, you have to leave everything you know and love behind for a new job with people you’ve never met before, in a town you have never been to before.

It would be quite daunting.

Then, there are some who don’t even finish year 12 prior to starting their professional sporting careers.

For example, Richmond Football Club’s Jack Higgins decided against going through year 12 at school in his bid to become a professional player.

Higgins recently underwent brain surgery to repair a brain bleed and is on the road to recovery and hopefully, he’ll return to the field in 2020.

But so far, his career has been a success, establishing himself as a regular member of the Richmond seniors side. In time, he’ll become a seriously good player.

But let’s take a moment to think about what would happen if, for whatever reason, his career didn’t work out.

He has no VCE education and no university degree.

It would mean he’d have to go back to school or to university and almost start from scratch.

With that in mind, the pressure to consistently perform would be palpable. Completely unenviable.

One too many mistakes could be the end and for some, they would not know where to go. That kind of mammoth pressure would take its toll.

These players give their all to the sports they play. They live and breathe it. It’s their way of life. It’s their job.

When you’re at work, there’s always pressure to perform and get your duties done. You feel awful when you don’t do your job properly, knowing that there could be consequences.

When these players dip in form or succumb to injuries, they feel they are unable to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

And that can seriously impact upon their confidence.

We’ve seen players take breaks away from sports to focus on restoring their mental health, which is both nice to see and also devastating.

We want to see them strutting their stuff at the highest level, but we also hope that, above all else, they stay healthy in both a physical and mental way.

In recent times, Victorian cricketers Nic Maddinson, Will Pucovski and Glenn Maxwell have taken breaks away from the sport to look after themselves.

Maddinson and Maxwell have both represented Australia at different forms of the game, while Pucovski has been touted as one of the highest potential players in the country.

But that is partly why they are taking these breaks.

They know what level they can play at or what level they will play at in the near future.

But under that pressure, combined with the minority of people on social media who lack any form of empathy, they lack the self-confidence they need to be able to play to the best of their abilities.

Speaking of social media, it can be a brutal place at times.

When players don’t perform at the standard they feel are required, some people are very quick to blast them from the safety of their keyboards.

They say these things without any thought to how a player is feeling off the field or how they may respond to those comments, whether that’s verbal or not.

A great soccer example is that of former Arsenal club captain Granit Xhaka.

Ever since his arrival at the club from German club Borussia Mochengladbach, the Swiss international has faced criticism from fans for what they see as a lack of ability to ‘make it in the Premier League’.

Those fans became irate when he was named club captain ahead of the 2019/2020 Premier League season.

His performances were still viewed upon as poor and many fans felt those on the substitutes bench would do a better job.

This all came to a head during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace on October 28.

Xhaka was substituted out in the 60th minute and the fans were quick to let him know how they felt.

He then told the fans where to stick it and quickly went down the race. He is yet to return to first team football nearly a month on from the incident. There are even rumours he may leave the club in the January transfer window.

Clearly, the Arsenal fans had struck a chord with Xhaka, forcing a reaction out of him that was extremely uncharacteristic.

Who knows how much of an impact this has had on him and his mental health?

Imagine a large contingent of people began berating and badmouthing you online because you were underperforming at your workplace.

You never know how a player is feeling deep down. You can make assumptions, but you never truly know.

Mental health a serious issue and way too many lives have been lost to it.

During times like these, when so many people need help for issues they can’t resolve on their own, we need to come together.

 

 

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Inaugural 2026 UEFA Walking Football EURO Cup begins

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Image credit: Brisbane Roar FC

On 25 June, senior players from across Europe will take part in the first UEFA Walking Football EURO Cup at UEFA HQ in Lyon, Switzerland.

 

It’s everyone’s game

When thinking about football, fans tend to imagine the fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action of the professional game. That is where excitement and drama is, usually, at its highest.

But growing within the wider football landscape is a version of the game which, rather than focusing on speed, instead champions enjoyment, health and participation for senior participants.

Walking football is proof that football truly belongs to everyone. UEFA’s commitment to staging the inaugral tournament on 25 June reflects the organisation’s understanding that a love for the beautiful game stays despite age, injury, or mobility issues.

Alongside the 2026 UEFA Walking Football Euro Cup is the release of the UEFA Walking Football Toolkit. This aims to provide more information about the game, benefitting associations, leagues and clubs and encompasses contributions from national associations of England, the Faroe Islands, France, Gibraltar, Portugal, Poland and Sweden.

 

A brief history of walking football – and its importance

From its beginnings in the UK in 2011, walking football has since expanded across Europe and the world to give senior players a chance to be socially and physically active – all within a safe, minimal-impact environment.

And the game – despite its more steady nature – is gathering real pace here in Australia.

In October 2021, Football Australia introduced the first ever Seniors Football Week. Also, just last month, Brisbane Roar hosted the 2026 IWFF Walking Football World Championships at Perry Park – the first time the tournament has taken place in the entire Southern Hemisphere.

The implication, therefore, is that walking football will continue to grow and welcome more members of the community with a desire to dust off their old boots and join a team.

From youth teams to walking football, everyone in the pyramid shares the same love for the game. And there is no reason why, when speaking about the cohesive football development, that walking football shouldn’t be included in future planning and strategic visions.

Football West and Cook Government extend $960,000 mental health partnership through to 2027

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football West will host its fourth annual Think Mental Health Round across all leagues and competitions on 25-26 July, backed by a renewed state government commitment worth $960,000 to support mental health and wellbeing programs in Western Australian football.

The Cook Government has extended its Healthway partnership with WA Football until 2027, with funding directed toward initiatives including Talk to a Mate BBQs, mental health education and training across both men’s and women’s competitions.

The round, run in partnership with Healthway’s Think Mental Health campaign, invites clubs to participate through events, signage, social media messaging and facilitated wellbeing sessions. Football West is also organising a series of mental health and wellbeing sessions for clubs in partnership with A Stitch in Time, with details to be confirmed. The partnership also supports an expansion of the Footy Fundamentals program, which targets fundamental movement skills in early childhood.

A Fixture in the Football Calendar

Think Mental Health Rounds have featured in the WA football calendar since 2022, following an earlier rollout in country competitions. This year’s metropolitan round aligns with Round 11 of the West Australian Football League and Round 12 of the West Australian Football League Women’s, placing mental health messaging at the centre of both competitions simultaneously.

For club administrators, the round offers a low-barrier activation opportunity. Clubs can register and access resources through Football West’s online portal, with options ranging from hosting a BBQ to completing the True Sport eLearning module on mental health and wellbeing awareness.

Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said the partnership reflected the reach of football across Western Australian life.

“So many Western Australians have links to local football, whether they play, volunteer or support from the sideline, so this is a fantastic partnership and great way to generate awareness about this important issue,” Saffioti said.

Mental Health Minister Meredith Hammat said football clubs were well-positioned to shift the conversation around seeking support.

“WA Football’s upcoming Think Mental Health Rounds serve as a reminder of how important it is to check in and support one another, and make sure no one faces their struggles alone,” Hammat said.

Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said the government’s goal was to build capacity at club level.

“Through Healthway’s partnership with WA Football, we are equipping clubs with the tools and knowledge to champion mental health and wellbeing, build resilience and create stronger communities,” Winton said.

Just an awareness campaign?

Beyond the health outcomes, rounds like this carry practical significance for the football ecosystem. Clubs that foster psychologically safe environments tend to retain players and volunteers at higher rates, a factor that matters in a state where grassroots football competes for participants across a crowded sporting landscape.

Volunteer burnout and player dropout are persistent pressure points for football administrators across Australia. Programming that addresses mental health at club level, rather than directing participants elsewhere, positions clubs as genuine support structures within their local areas. That reputation has tangible effects on registration numbers, family engagement and the willingness of people to take on coaching and administrative roles.

The $960,000 commitment across two years also signals that the state government views football infrastructure as more than turf and floodlights. Embedding health initiatives within the competition calendar gives federations and clubs a degree of programming certainty, reducing the reliance on ad hoc grant applications to fund welfare activities.

For Football West, the extension means mental health support sits within a funded, multi-year framework through the back half of the decade, rather than being renegotiated season by season. In a state as geographically dispersed as Western Australia, where clubs in regional areas often operate with limited resources, that continuity carries weight beyond the metropolitan competitions it most visibly supports.

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