Posted on 9th October 2025
World Mental Health Day 2025
Ahead of World Mental Health Day 2025 tomorrow (Friday 10th October) FSA National Council member Andrew Madaras tells us why football is an important vehicle for mental health conversations as our work in the area develops…
It’s a condition that will affect one in four of us at some stage in our lives. It can strike you when you least expect it to and has no respect for gender, sex, class, religion, race or age.
For some it can be a response to a stressful life event whether it is a bereavement or divorce but for others it may have much deeper roots in upbringing and traumas experienced in formative years or have a background in genetics or the environment.
For some people the mere effort of getting out of bed in the morning and facing the day ahead can be as daunting as the thought of climbing Everest would be for most of us.
This is not just feeling fed up or upset, this is Churchill’s famous “Black Dog”, this is a sky full of dark clouds with no sunshine appearing day after day, week after week and month after month. This is the feeling that your life has no value and is worthless. This is life without happiness, pleasure or meaning.
The pervasive and intrusive thoughts that the world would be a better place without you being a part of it and your family and friends equally so, cause nearly six thousand people to take their own lives every year in the UK with many more times that number who attempt unsuccessfully to end their lives and an even greater number tormented by the thoughts of doing so.
For others the terrifying thoughts that other people want to do us harm, sometimes the people we love, care for, and trust the most or the experience of hearing voices and sounds that other people don’t or the visual and tactile sensory disturbances that can make us feel vulnerable, exposed and alone.
There’s no single cause for mental ill-health and no single cure. Many people will experience one episode of ill-health but for others it can be a lifelong condition that will require a combination of talking therapies and prescribed medication.
This year the FSA has proudly joined forces with MIND, the UK’s largest mental health charity. We have agreed a memorandum of understanding and introduced #YouAreEnough, a mental health awareness and education campaign, around our Community Owned Clubs network.
The campaign kicked off at Bury FC in July and moved on to Hereford FC in August.
Discussions are well under way to launch the campaign at Exeter City, Darlington & Clapton CFC in the next few weeks.
In keeping with our core values around inclusion and diversity #YouAreEnough is aimed at supporting football supporters from all backgrounds, genders, faith, age and race.
You matter. #YouAreEnough.
