Goals and assists

Two years ago, I helped The Two Unfortunates mark Mental Health Awareness Week by writing about mental health in football generally, and then about mental health and retirement specifically. Yesterday the BBC reported on the Professional Football Association's finding that "a record number of footballers are seeking mental health support".

On the surface, this doesn't sound like good news - but concluding that the dramatic increase since 2016 is indicative of a worsening problem would, I think, be overhasty and probably misguided, as the PFA's Michael Bennett suggests. On the contrary, it is more likely that the figures can be attributed to a range of positive factors: players now being more self-aware and equipped to diagnose the symptoms, feeling more comfortable to talk about them (rather than to simply suffer in silence) and knowing that sources of help and support are close at hand.