Have your mate's back

Tuesday, December 10th 2019

The EFL and Mind are now into a second season of their ground-breaking ‘On Your Side’ charity partnership which uses the power of football to help improve the nation’s mental health and wellbeing.

With one in four individuals affected by mental health problems, the partnership focuses on the following areas:

Raising awareness of mental health amongst fans and wider public
Helping to improve the approach to mental health in football working with partners across the game
Raising funds to deliver life changing national and local support

One of the many ways that the partnership raises awareness of mental health is through Mind’s logo featuring on all EFL shirts for the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons. The design incorporates the logo into the player’s name on the back of every EFL shirt in the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two. This is the first time that a charity’s logo has been incorporated into the shirt design in English football.

In addition, the EFL is working with its network of Clubs and community trusts to promote Mind’s message of better mental health and its services to millions nationwide. The latest campaign asks fans to ‘Have Your Mate’s Back’, by noticing if friends are acting differently, giving them a call or dropping them a text asking if they are ok. Mind and the EFL are encouraging players, fans and all in the football community to get behind the campaign by wearing their shirt backwards, displaying the Mind logo, and taking photos to share on social media.

Mind is also working closely with the EFL to ensure Clubs and Community Trusts have programmes in place to support the wellbeing of both staff and volunteers that can be put into practice throughout the footballing calendar.

For more information about the services and support Mind can help with, click here.