Two Newcastle United players have opened up on their mental health battles throughout their careers following their heroics in the club's Champions League journey so far.
Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff have been helping lead the conversation to erase the “taboo” of opening up on mental health after experiencing a powerful wellbeing workshop with Newcastle United Foundation.
Attending the session ahead of World Mental Health Day on Tuesday (October 10), the Newcastle United duo joined Football Talks – a programme delivered by the Club’s official charity arm encouraging people of all ages to connect, united by their passion for the Magpies.
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Over the last couple of weeks, it's been a memorable experience for both players, with Burn and Longstaff both on the scoresheet against Paris Saint-Germain as well as starring in an unbeaten run of seven games.
Away from the pitch, the impact has been equally impressive with their 90 minutes at Football Talks creating conversation for Foundation participants as the pair shared their own experiences of managing mental health.
Burn and Longstaff expressed low points in their lives, echoed by participants who regularly attend free Football Talks sessions at the Foundation’s community hub.
“I think mental health is so much bigger than football and it shows that people are no more important than each other,” Longstaff explained during the session, recalling a difficult period addressing his own mental wellbeing a number of years ago.
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“Just because you see somebody playing football on the telly, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t affected by the same things that somebody watching the game is.
"Mental health doesn’t discriminate, and the lows can affect anybody at any time.”
Burn pointed to social media as a negative influence in his life around ten years ago and the burden of criticism outweighed the support and praise he would receive online.
He said: “It’s hard when you’re in that negative headspace because you don’t actually realise that you’re in it and you think that some of the things you’re worrying about and stressing about don’t matter or have an impact, but they do.
“Now when I look back on times when I was struggling, I can’t believe that those thoughts were even going through my head.”
More than 430 Football Talks workshops have been delivered since launching in 2020, with 86 per cent of participants reporting they feel less self-isolated because of Football Talks and 93 per cent of participants gaining new friendships and a support network by attending the sessions.
“The work that the Foundation does across all their programmes is so important but to see the work first-hand on supporting mental health is really special,” said Burn, who has attended a number of the charity’s programmes to date.
“The help, support and togetherness of the group was clear to see and if anybody out there is struggling then I cannot recommend highly enough that people get in touch with the Foundation.
“It’s such a taboo thing and something that we don’t talk about enough. Mental health affects everybody from all walks of life and something that needs to be talked about more to be able to help those who maybe don’t seek the support they need or want.”
Longstaff, an Ambassador for Newcastle United Foundation, also encouraged people in the North East to reach out and start conversations about mental health.
“The session was powerful and sad,” Longstaff said.
“There was a gentleman who opened up and talked about suicides in his family and it was hard to hear.
“For him to have this group of people and support from the Foundation is really important because it’s a space where he and others can help each other and support each other.
“These Football Talks sessions make more difference than anybody can realise or describe.”
The North East continues to report the highest number of suicides of any region in England.
In response to addressing poor mental health among men and women in the region, the Foundation offers a number of free support programmes as part of its health and wellbeing delivery.
After getting to know participants at Football Talks, Longstaff noted the comradery among the group, calling on the famous Geordie spirit to inspire conversation at St. James’ Park, on public transport or at home.
Longstaff added: “The special thing about Newcastle is how good the people are – it’s a city where people can talk to each other.
“It sounds stupid, but you could be sat on a bus next to somebody who is going through so much or something terrible but by saying hello it can really help."
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