It is likely that you will have seen announcements about how the football family has come together to sign a joint Declaration committing to make mental health a key priority at all levels of the game, as a lasting legacy of the Heads Up campaign. I am particularly pleased to see the game use its huge popularity to do some good across the country and within the communities, and at Chesham United we will be giving this our full support…plus some.
The ‘Mentally Healthy Football’ Declaration will see governing bodies, leagues and organisations from across UK football recognising that mental health is as important as physical health and pioneering a ‘team approach’ on this important issue. For our part we have taken the decision this season to partner a local organisation to be our key charity partner for the season and I am delighted to say that throughout the 2020/21 season we will be working in partnership with a local mental health charity (full details to follow very shortly when we have confirmed all arrangements).
Particularly during these troubled and anxious times, we will all know people that have been affected by mental health in one way or another; if you don’t, then there is every chance that someone you know has not yet felt comfortable enough, or had the opportunity, to talk to someone about their concerns and issues. This is worrying, and we must play our part in helping our staff, our supporters and all our players up and down the age groups, boys and girls, know that it is ok to talk about it; there is nothing wrong with saying you are unhappy, worried, anxious or scared; you are certainly not alone and there are people out there who can help you feel much better about things.
At a club meeting this week we excitedly discussed all the different facilities, support and training we will be able to provide to the local community when we move to a new ground and have so much more that we can offer; but for now we must stay realistic and only promise what we know we can achieve. That is why we are talking with a local mental health charity, assisting them with fundraising for the work they carry out and also raising the awareness of their availability to those in need.
Now it is the usual request – I am desperately keen to get a volunteer from the club involved with launching and developing the relationship with the charity to ensure the club maximise the support we can give. Please, if anyone out there would like to take on this role, with my full backing, I would be delighted to hear from you, email chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk.
In the meantime, we have been asked by Buckinghamshire Council if we can share details of a residents’ survey to find out how health and mental well-being has been affected during lockdown, the deadline for the survey is on Wednesday 5th August, so please do take the time to participate, using this link here.
One final note on the football front, it was good to see many of you at the club for a drink and to watch the team in a fairly intense training session on Thursday evening. Feedback from the players and management is that they too loved having the supporters around and would welcome supporters along to The Meadow for any of their forthcoming training sessions between 10.00am – midday on Saturday and 7.00-9.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It is great to see that bond building within the club, thank you, as always, for your support.
Peter Brown, Chairman
Chesham United Football Club
