PHE to play mental health film before FA Cup third round matches

Public Health England’s (PHE) mental health platform Every Mind Matters will play a new film before all 32 FA Cup third round fixtures this weekend.

Narrated by the Duke of Cambridge Prince William, the film titled ‘Take A Minute’ features current and former football players, pundits, managers and fans including Frank Lampard, Harry Maguire, Alex Scott, Dele Alli, Jordan Pickford, Callum Hudson-Odoi, So Heung-Min, Hamza Choudhury and Slaven Bilic.

The awareness initiative is a collaboration between PHE and Heads Up campaign, a season-long partnership between Heads Together and the Football Association.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This film is a great way to encourage us all to stop and take a minute to reflect on our mental health, helping to generate conversation and normalise mental health and give people more opportunity to speak up if they are struggling.”

A YouGov survey commissioned by PHE shows that men in England are less likely than women to seek help or take self-care actions for early signs of common mental health concerns.

Of the 78 per cent men who have experienced early signs of mental health concerns last year, 45 per cent never taken any self-care action to manage it. The rate is 31 per cent among women.

“As every fan knows, football has its highs and lows - and so does life. This is a fantastic opportunity to bring the football community together in an important conversation about how we can all take care of our mental health, starting with a few simple actions,” said Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE.