A look at mental illness in football

A lot has been written about the untimely death of Gary Speed since his suicide was announced by Cheshire Police. Some of it rightly dedicate to celebrating an exception footballer and a widely respected man, but much of it dedicated to the problem of depression in sport.

None of us know whether Gary Speed was depressed, although it is fair to assume that he was in an extraordinarily poor state of mind when he decided to take his own life. His death highlights the problem of mental illness in football and sport.

We have been here before.  Justin Fashanu, who played for a plethora of clubs, including Norwich and Notts County, committed suicide in 1998. Fashanu was the first openly gay professional footballer and had been accused of sexual assault before his suicide. He suffered from depression, as did Robert Enke. The German goalkeeper stood in front of a train at a level crossing after suffering from depression for six years.

The reality is that the culture surrounding football has tended to exacerbate the problem. Football has a macho culture in which individuals are not encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings. This permeates the whole of football; from the governing authorities who lack the structures in place to support a footballer with problems to fans on the terraces who exploit any sign of weakness in an opponent. Some of the chants associate with Justin Fashanu is testament to that.

We need to foster an environment where footballers can come forward with their problems and receive the necessary support without being exposed to the harsh realities of the media environment and the culture on the terraces. The FA, Premier League and Football League need to sit down and respond to the problem of mental illness in football. To be fair, the FA have made a start by sending pamphlets to thousands of ex-professionals. However, this just isn’t enough.

First and foremost, they should look to establish a support structure for footballers with mental illness. This may take the form of a joint organisation or an organisation led by the FA. Irrespective of how it is constituted, it should aim to bring together experts in mental health issues and players representatives to fashion a support structure that can be of real benefit to players, managers and ex-professionals.

Secondly the FA should launch a campaign highlighting the issue of mental health in football, along the lines of the “Kick Racism out of Football” campaign which has been a huge success. Whilst we can never kick mental health issues out of football, we can highlight the support structures open to players, managers and officials alike. This is a serious issue that all stakeholders in football should take seriously and this campaign should be designed to highlight that. 

Lastly, football clubs should ensure that young players coming through youth academies should be educated in the issues of mental health and aware of the support structures within the club and the footballing authorities if they feel they have problems. Some football clubs do this already, but we should look towards a national standard of education to ensure that all kids coming through the ranks know  they’re not alone in coping with mental health issues, if they arise.

The death of Gary Speed will hopefully open up the debate on depression in football and result in the footballing authorities creating support structures for players who suffer with mental illness. Football fans up and down the country will paid tribute to Gary Speed by participating in a minutes applause for a footballing legend, however, the most fitting tribute would be for football as a whole to address the issue of mental illness within the game.