Getty Images/Mike HarringtonCoaches, staff and volunteers in sports clubs across Northern Ireland are being offered mental health awareness training via a new online course.
The course helps participants recognise the signs of mental health problems and gives advice on how to access support.
The initiative was a joint effort between the governing bodies of football, boxing, netball, Gaelic games and rugby as well as Sport NI.
Funding for the course was provided by Stormont’s Department for Communities.
The course defines the difference between mental health and mental ill health and discusses the “stigma” that is often associated with mental health problems, according to the project’s coordinator, Gavin Nelson.
Mr Nelson is a club and community development officer with the Irish Football Association (IFA).
Coping with isolation
He said the Covid-19 pandemic had increased the need for mental health support within many grassroots sports organisations.
“We’ve all been affected in different ways. For me, I live on my own,” he told BBC News NI.
Mr Nelson estimated he had spent 90% of the past year alone, due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
He recently shared his personal experience of isolation, and his own coping strategies, in an IFA video.
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Mr Nelson stressed the importance of physical exercise to protect mental health, as well and staying in regular contact with family and friends.
“My escape from problems is to go for walk… or listen to podcasts,” he said.
He added that he also relied on phone and video calls and social media to stay connected with others during lockdown.
Blended learning
The switch to online communication during the pandemic had also influenced the delivery the new training course, according to Mr Nelson.
He explained they had taken a “blended learning” approach used by many schools and colleges who mixed face-to-face teaching with computer resources during lockdown.
Mr Nelson said the course was designed to allow participants to complete the training in their own time, depending on their personal schedules, and would compliment existing face-to-face training courses.
As well as helping sports coaches to identify mental health problems, the online course also provides self-help strategies to stay healthy, such as tips on how to look after your mental wellbeing.
Mr Nelson said he was grateful to the department for supporting the initiative and added he hoped it would make a real difference to those who take part.
‘Collaborative work’
Launching the course, Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said she had no doubt that many people would benefit from the training.
Department for Communities/Brian Thompson“The past year of the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on many individuals in so many ways, including mental health and wellbeing,” she said.
“During this time, we have seen more than ever the importance of different groups coming together to deliver for their local communities and the development of this mental health e-learning package by the sports sector is an example of the success of such collaborative work,” added the minister.
The other organisations who collaborated with the IFA to develop the online course included the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, Netball NI, Ulster Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Ulster Rugby.
