Leading mental health charity Mind estimates that, every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem – but too many of us aren’t getting the help we need.
To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, the Premier League’s Inside Matters campaign returned at matchdays last weekend, encouraging fans to check in on each other as part of their matchday routines, and talk openly about mental health.
New research commissioned by the Premier League reveals that 84 per cent of fans believe football helps start conversations, with 82 per cent comfortable talking about their own mental health.
Palace star and England international Ebere Eze recently discussed how he copes with the at-times extreme pressures of being a high-performance athlete at the very top of his industry.
Speaking to Sky Sports via Boots Online Doctor last month, Eze explained how seeking the support of his family and loved ones – particularly in the wake of any disappointment on the pitch – has given him the strength needed to reach such outstanding success.
“You get [nerves] because it's natural,” he said. “You always want to perform, you always want to do well, so it's natural to get those feelings. What you do with them is more important.
“I enjoy training as much as I enjoy travelling to games and playing games. For me, that's the main thing, being as cool and calm about it all and enjoying every moment that I have, whether it be training, games and whatever it is.
“I think it's harder after a loss, mentally, to get yourself on track and be like: ‘OK, I need to do whatever it is I need to do.’ It is more difficult, but again, this is part of being a professional. You’ve got to do what you need to do at all times, regardless of what the results are.
“Spending time with my family, for me, is the best tool to step out of the football bubble. That’s the most normality I can get, so I try to enjoy that as much as I can.
“It's very different when you're at the football ground, you're carrying the burden of being a footballer. But when you're at home, there's none of that.”