Leading mental health charity State of Mind Sport has pledged to save lives by teaming up with community sports clubs throughout the UK on a huge mental health awareness drive.

The Terry Newton Grassroots Project vows to promote mental fitness and wellbeing within the players, coaching teams and volunteers at community clubs across rugby league, union and football, while offering training and education on suicide prevention.

“Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50. The impact of knowing someone who has taken their own life is devastating,” says State of Mind Sport co-founder Phil Cooper MBE.

“This project has and will continue to save lives.”

The charity was established in 2011 following the tragic death of Terry Newton, a former Wigan Warriors and Great Britain international who took his own life in September 2010.

“Newton was a true warrior in the game of rugby league. His death provided the momentum for State of Mind Sport being born to try to prevent future tragedies occurring in rugby league clubs,” says Cooper.

The charity now aims to provide all rugby league clubs with a free mental fitness session, alongside identifying a mental fitness champion in each club, and providing Mental Health First Aid Training for at least one representative from each club.

“The Terry Newton Grassroots Project puts in place education for players, coaches, parents and anyone involved in clubs and leaves a legacy of a Mental Health First Aid trained club member to help anyone who may be feeling low or suicidal and know how to guide people to the best help available,” Cooper adds.

State of Mind Sport believe that all clubs have a responsibility to support the health and wellbeing of their players and members as part of their health and safety duties.
Taking a positive and proactive approach to mental fitness can help to grow the wellbeing of players and members, while building resilience to support them in fulfilling their potential. It can help build a culture that champions mental fitness, provides a greater understanding of how to help those who need more support. This will in turn enhance the reputation of the club.

“A club that focuses on mental fitness and encourages healthy behaviours is more likely to attract the best talent, to have players and members feeling valued, to be supported by parents and to be successful in the long term” says Cooper.

The benefits of a focus on Mental Health and wellbeing:

• Mental fitness is an integral part of our lives and impacts on how we perform at work and how we play sport.
• We all have mental fitness and we all experience ups and downs, just as we do with physical health.
• Maintaining a healthy mind is important in maintaining healthy relationships and in coping with everyday stressors of life and making good choices.
• There is a strong relationship between levels of wellbeing, motivation and performance.

Who are State of Mind?

State of Mind Sport is a charity that harnesses the power of sport to promote positive mental health among our sportsmen and women, fans and wider communities, and ultimately to prevent suicide.

The charity was established in 2011 following the tragic death of rugby league great Terry Newton in September 2010.
State of Mind Sport’s founders were determined to prevent similar tragedies in other communities, by raising awareness of mental health concerns, tackling stigma, providing mental fitness education and resilience, and by signposting individuals and families to timely support during tough times.

As part of the project, we will offer free access to a mental fitness course, which you can use to check your mental fitness by scanning the QR-Code here.

Contact
If you and your club are interested in being part of this valuable and exciting project, please email ste.cash@stateofmindsport.org

Organisations Visited (since 26/09/21 – 11th anniversary of Terry’s death)
Halton Farnworth Hornets RLFC
Woolston Rovers RLFC
Crosfields RLFC
Ellenborough Rangers RLFC
Egremont RLFC
Cockermouth Titans RLFC
Hensingham RLFC
Wath Brow Hornets RLFC
Seaton Rangers RLFC
Aspatria Hornets RLFC
Distington RLFC
Lowca RLFC
Kells RLFC
Glasson Rangers RLFC

Mental Health First Aider Trained
Halton Farnworth Hornets RLFC
Woolston Rovers RLFC
Crosfields RLFC
St. Helens Rugby League Referee Society
Langworthy Reds RLFC
Burtonwood Chargers RLFC
Wigan St. Judes RLFC
Kells RLFC
Hensinghjam RLFC
Wath Brow Hornets RLFC
Egremont Rangers RLFC
Seaton Rangers RLFC
Distington RLFC
Glasson Rangers RLFC
Cockermouth Titans RLFC
Cumbria Rugby League Referee Society