The Football World has been rocked by the news that Wales manager Gary Speed took his own life a week ago, just as the German nation were stunned in 2009 when national goalkeeper Robert Enke ended his life prematurely. The tragic ends to these two lives were not the first and regrettably they will not be the last, however there may be some good news for football fans.
Four years ago academics at Staffordshire and Aston Universities in the UK set up a football team for men with mental health problems.
Those who agreed to be interviewed have stated that football helped them in their ‘ability to deal better with their mental health problems, improved confidence and improvements in their social life.”
The findings were presented last week at the annual conference for the British Psychological Division of Clinical Psychology. It is hoped that actually playing the game of football will in fact help prevent men feeling blue.
Blue may be the colour, Football is the game, and hopefully we are all together to help men suffering depression.
