Prince William says talking about mental health is ‘vital’ among athletes as sport returns

‘As the sporting world begins to return it is vital that we talk about the mental wellbeing of our sportspeople and fans,’ says Duke

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The Duke of Cambridge has said that talking about mental wellbeing of sports players and fans is “vital” as the industry resumes.

Speaking in a virtual meeting with England rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson and other UK sporting legends, Prince William described this as a “unique opportunity” to bring positive changes with regards to how mental health is discussed in the sporting world.

The roundtable meeting was also attended by tennis player Jamie Murray, paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey, skeleton racer Lizzy Yarnold, and former Arsenal and Lionesses footballer Alex Scott.

The meeting was to inform a review of the government’s Mental Health and Elite Sport Action Plan and to explore opportunities to promote positive messages around mental wellbeing in the sport industry.

Many people in the meeting opened up about their own mental health and how maintaining their mental wellbeing has helped them in their sporting careers.

“Through the Heads Up campaign, the football community has come together to do its part in driving lasting change by encouraging people to open up about their mental wellbeing, at the same time as embedding a mentally healthy culture across the sport,” said Prince William, referencing the campaign that he launched in 2019 with The FA to promote mental health among football players.

“I believe that there is more we can do collectively to ensure this is replicated across all of sport,” the Duke continued.

“And that is why I am so happy to be here with you all to discuss how we can make that a reality.

“We have a unique opportunity to use the tragedy of the pandemic to bring about positive change.

“As the sporting world begins to return it is vital that we talk about the mental wellbeing of our sportspeople and fans.”

Last month, the government gave the Premier League the green light to restart the season from 1 June.