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As a lifelong football fan (and younger Sunday league player) I’ve always wanted to experience the thrill of coming onto a Premier League football pitch to the sound of the club music. I’ve visited Camp Nou and walked onto the pitch during a stadium tour with the Champions League music playing and daydreamed about being a player. Until now I’ve had to daydream but as those who know me are well aware I don’t like being told ‘NO’ and like to make things happen!

So here we are, pandemic or not we’re going to play at the ground of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.

The chance for any player or fan to take part in an event like this brings a smile to my face and I hope it will do so for all those taking part, whether playing or watching. We’ve all had a tough year or so with the pandemic and we’ve all struggled to cope finding different ways to do so. One of the ways to manage your mental health is to get outside and get active. Football, whether playing or watching, brings people together.

Sport can help in people’s recovery, help to manage symptoms and can radically improve the quality of people’s lives. Whether it’s in mainstream, community football clubs, or in specialised sport and mental health projects, football can deliver massive benefits. 

I hope you’ll support MIND, not just for this charity event, but because it’s something that can affect any one of us. One in four people will experience a mental health problem in any year. Over 10% of the population have depression at any one time. There are millions of people involved in grassroots football, right now, with mental health problems. The examples of Robert Enke, Frank Bruno and Marcus Trescothick show that mental health is relevant to everyone in sport, even at the elite level.

Let’s help make a difference.

Thank you.

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