New football mental health support service set up in Wales
The initiative uses the sport to help those who are struggling during Covid
A new support service which uses football to help boost mental health has been set up in Wales.
Mental Health Football Wales (MHFW) was created as a means of social inclusion for those who struggled with the isolation of the first lockdowns.
The scheme continues to be important post-lockdown, with Mind reporting a rise in the number of people suffering from stress and anxiety since the start of the pandemic.
The initiative was launched by Keri Harris, from Newport, who has years of experience in social inclusion through football:
“MHFW was formed in lockdown – we founded the charity because a few of us lost some people through suicide during the first stages of lockdown”, he said.
"I’ve been involved in social inclusion in football or through football for a long time, and I just realised that we needed something specific to Wales based on mental health football."
Keri Harris is also organising a charity fundraiser on 15 October 2021, which will see participants walk from Rodney Parade, to Cardiff City Stadium, before finishing at Swansea's Liberty Stadium.
Mental Health Football Wales offers a number of fun football sessions for people to attend in order to socialise, get fitter and learn new skills.
With the aim of improving and maintaining mental wellbeing, participants can also play in competitive matches and tournaments against one another.
The initiative offers more direct support as well, and enables those suffering with mental health issues to access peer support in person, online, by phone, or by messaging.