by Our Sports Desk

Depression and mental health problems in football are widespread with more than a third of players reporting symptoms, according to new research presented yesterday.

International players’ union FifPro said 38 per cent of the 607 players interviewed reported having problems at some stage — especially those who had suffered serious injuries. In the general population, the figure is between 13 and 17 per cent.

At a time when Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is attempting to tackle the issue of mental health — if elected prime minister he has pledged to “bring this negative narrative on mental health to an end” and has already appointed a dedicated shadow minister for mental health — these figures add to the importance of how important an issue this is.

Former Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chairman Clarke Carlisle revealed this year he attempted suicide while suffering from depression.

FifPro had carried out a pilot study in 2013 and the latest research shows the scale of mental health problems among players to be even more serious than was thought from the earlier research.

The findings showed:

- 38 per cent of 607 current players and 35 per cent of 219 former players sampled reported suffering from symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
- Sleep disturbance (23 per cent and 28 per cent respectively), distress (15 per cent and 18 per cent) and adverse alcohol use (9 per cent and 25 per cent) were also reported.
- Among current professionals, players who had sustained three or more severe injuries during their career were two to nearly four times more likely to report mental health problems.

FifPro’s chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said: “We hope that with this study comes increased awareness and commitment from all stakeholders in football to put supportive measures in place so that those suffering from mental health problems know they are not alone.

“The study is a necessary first step in ultimately proposing adequate preventive and supportive measures aimed at protecting and empowering the sustainable health of active and retired players.

“It is crucial to establish a body of work on this important topic. The findings in the current study might justify a multidisciplinary approach to a severely injured footballer.

“After surgery, the responsible team doctor and the orthopaedic surgeon should be aware of the potential occurrence of symptoms of mental health problems which may accompany a serious injury.

“This awareness might allow the early treatment of such health conditions, a better and safer return to sports, and the application of supportive measures to prevent the development of severe mental disorders in the long term.”