CLUBBING TOGETHER

At a Newcastle United game in October last year, a fan walked up to a match-day volunteer and told him that he recently lost his brother to suicide. He explained to the volunteer that he had since contemplated suicide himself, but then found Newcastle United Foundation’s mental health group on Facebook, where he found support, made connections and shared his story.

The two men had never met before, but the match enabled an open conversation to take place that might otherwise have never happened.

GAME CHANGER

Newcastle United Foundation, the club’s charitable arm, launched a mental health campaign in February 2019 called #BeAGameChanger. It was designed to enable conversations between Newcastle fans about mental health. The volunteer who was approached at the match in October was wearing a #BeAGameChanger t-shirt.

“We know that men struggling with mental health problems are at risk of suicide,” says Ashley Lowe, health and wellbeing manager at Newcastle United Foundation. In fact, it’s the most common cause of death for men