Fleetwood Town Football Club are delighted to get involved and show their support for the EFL and Mind’s campaign to mark World Mental Health Day 2020, which is today.
As part of the EFL’s charity partnership with Mind over the past two seasons, the League has worked with the mental health charity to launch a campaign to mark World Mental Health Day, which takes place on 10th October each year.
Mind’s ‘do one thing’ campaign aims to inspire people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health.
Chairman and owner of Fleetwood Town, Andy Pilley, wanted to show his support of this important campaign, and help others make a positive change.
Andy spoke to second year Fleetwood Town Community Sports College BTEC students at Poolfoot Farm, and covered key messages about resilience, dealing with uncertainty and bouncing back from adversity.
He shared some techniques he uses to make sure he keeps a positive mindset, such as regularly talking to friends and family and checking everyone is okay, writing down lists of things that need to be done and tackling them in priority order, and surrounding yourself with the right people that have a similar outlook as you. Andy also talked about the struggles he has faced running several businesses and a football club over the last few months, and how he’s dealt with the setbacks.
“I was honoured to be invited to speak directly to the Community Trust's BTEC students, and I hope the group found it a useful discussion,” said Andy.
“This year has been extremely challenging for everyone, especially those who may already be struggling with poor mental health, so I wanted to focus on my own personal tips for maintaining a positive mindset, as well as encourage students to look after themselves and each other by taking part in the 'do one thing' initiative."
Seventeen-year old BTEC student, Spencer Seddon, thoroughly enjoyed Andy’s talk and has picked up some tips about how positive thinking can help you deal overcome obstacles. He’s also going to ‘do one thing’ to help look after his own and his friends’ mental health.
“It was great to hear about how a successful businessman and Chairman deals with the day to day running of a football club. He told us about how he overcomes setbacks, and how he maintains positive relationships in the workplace, which all relate to positive mental attitude. He also told us about real experiences he’s had, and it was all really interesting.
“Moving forwards, I’m going to ensure I regularly ask my friends and team mates how they’re doing, as you can really benefit from getting things off your chest. Just asking someone how they are can make a difference to their day.”
Mind’s latest research reveals that more than 60% of adults and over two thirds of young people (68%) felt their mental health deteriorated during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, so encouraging conversations around our own mental health and that of others has never been more important.
EFL Chief Executive, David Baldwin, said: “It is fantastic to see EFL Clubs come together to once again mark World Mental Health Day and support our charity partner, Mind. The various activity taking place this week is a small example of how our Clubs and their respective Club Community Organisations are at the forefront of tackling some of society’s biggest issues. They play a vital role in improving the lives of so many people within communities across the country.”
This is the latest activity by the EFL and Mind, who are currently in year three of their ground-breaking charity partnership which aims to raise awareness of mental health amongst fans and the wider public, help raise funds for Mind to deliver life changing services, and improve the approach to mental health in the EFL and clubs.