Mickey Bennett - PFA Welfare Programme

Bournemouth Addick

Thought provoking piece about the work Mickey is doing at the PFA. I think we can all agree we have seen players on the pitch who didn't appear to want to be there but he's suggesting that there may be more mental health issues involved in the game than we might think.

telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/news/11501620/Depression-in-football-special-report-PFA-want-to-stop-another-Clarke-Carlisle-or-Gary-Speed-situation.html

Mendonca In Asdas

Some shocking stats in that article.

Bournemouth Addick

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Some shocking stats in that article.

Agreed. 75% of all footballers being divorced within 3 years of stopping stands out for me. Every case is different of course but that suggests that once removed from their environment footballers massively struggle to adapt to "normality".

iainment

Bournemouth Addick said:

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Some shocking stats in that article.

Agreed. 75% of all footballers being divorced within 3 years of stopping stands out for me. Every case is different of course but that suggests that once removed from their environment footballers massively struggle to adapt to "normality".

Or when the money goes ........

iaitch

Maybe they are used to all the attention and can't live without it. Must happen to TV/Film celebrities, other sports stars, pop stars, so why all the fuss about footballers all of a sudden.

Badger

Mickey was a guest at an Eltham Addicks meeting in Feb 2014 along with Paul Mortimer and Mickey was really interesting with what he had to say about Mental Health issues and also how players struggle with normality after their career comes to an end.

Think he mentioned an organisation he works with which deals with these situations, Unique sports Counselling.

Swisdom

Bournemouth Addick said:

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Some shocking stats in that article.

Agreed. 75% of all footballers being divorced within 3 years of stopping stands out for me. Every case is different of course but that suggests that once removed from their environment footballers massively struggle to adapt to "normality".

Was reading about Dean Windass the other week. Divorced, tried to kill himself twice. He was saying he found it very hard to adjust back into society.

Must admit I've always wondered why footballers go for the trophy wife all the time - it seldom lasts beyond their career. They should go for someone normal who has a career and will keep their feet in the ground.

Ormiston_Addick

Am not remotely surprised by any of this - and I would bet the figures have got far worse since PL wages went mental.

I can remember when most top flight players expected to go "back to work" when their careers finished, so leaving the game was not a massive shock.

Players like our own Mark Reid became driving instructors or even a top pro like Neil Webb became a postman - no shame there.

These days though the players are on a different planet fiscally and socially so their return to the real world must be a hell of a shock.

Kenny Achampong

I am sure that I read somewhere that Andy Peake is now a Policeman in Leicester, and that the ex Man City and England player Paul Lake now works for Manchester City council driving trucks.

nth_london_addick

It's a sad state of affairs and I am glad there is a support network for them,

Still find it hard to sympathise totally as they live a cracking life at their peak

cafcfan

Swisdom said:

Bournemouth Addick said:

Mendonca In Asdas said:

Some shocking stats in that article.

Agreed. 75% of all footballers being divorced within 3 years of stopping stands out for me. Every case is different of course but that suggests that once removed from their environment footballers massively struggle to adapt to "normality".

Was reading about Dean Windass the other week. Divorced, tried to kill himself twice. He was saying he found it very hard to adjust back into society.

Isn't that half the problem though - that while playing they don't see themselves as being ordinary everyday people but some sort of superhero? Perhaps if he hadn't left society (whatever that is) in the first place...?

In addition, it seems to me that not only do footballers peak at their chosen profession at a very early age but they also get hitched (and have children) at a very early age. They are not mature and it is not surprising that relationships break down.

These statistical snippets "59 percent of marriages for women under the age of 18 end in divorce within 15 years" and “risk of divorce drops significantly when couples wait to wed until after the age of twenty-five,” suggest that footballers divorce rates are likely to be not very much different from the rest of us. People grow up and grow apart.

Bournemouth Addick

iaitch said:

Maybe they are used to all the attention and can't live without it. Must happen to TV/Film celebrities, other sports stars, pop stars, so why all the fuss about footballers all of a sudden.

I'm sure they do get used to being the centre of attention wherever they go but I don't think they are after sympathy or making a fuss at all, probably just the opposite in fact and would like to keep everything (their depression, etc) under wraps for as long as possible rather than seeking help.

seth plum

It used to be the case that clubs and managers were gung ho to 'encourage' young footballers to marry and settle down, it was perceived they would be less wild if they did so.

LenGlover

Peter Crouch sums it up:

http://metro.co.uk/2010/03/11/peter-crouch-wins-funniest-man-in-sport-vote-after-virgin-jibe-161087/

A jocular comment but, once the glory days have gone, it must be devastating to the psyche , given the divorce statistics, to realise that yes, actually, she was just with you for the money.