Football Association launches ‘Heads Up’ mental health campaign

The initiative was announced at a Wembley press conference on Wednesday

The Football Association has launched a new mental health initiative called Heads Up in a bit to tackle the growing mental health crisis.

At a press conference hosted by football pundit and former Arsenal footballer Alex Scott, the FA announced the partnership with mental health charity Mind at a press conference on Wednesday attended by the Duke of Cambridge, FA chief executive Martin Glenn and Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind.

Set to launch formally at the 2019 Community Shield, the initiative seeks to promote the conversation around mental health to be inline with the way we speak about physical ailments and our physical health. It will culminate at the 2020 FA Cup final.

https://youtu.be/WeKsmFDJdnE Speaking at the event, the The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, said: "As President of The FA I saw an opportunity to bring the sport I love – that many men talk about more than anything else in their lives – to help lead the next phase of the conversation. "Over the last two years, we’ve been working behind the scenes to decide the best way to harness the power of football to change the way men think about mental health. "Heads Up will show men that we all have mental health just like we have physical health. Building on the amazing attitude that led England to the World Cup semi-finals, it will show us all that mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness.”