The role of professional football clubs in enhancing young people’s mental health: a mixed-method survey of interventions delivered by English Football League Trusts

<h3>Aims:</h3><p dir="ltr">Football Club Community Trusts (FCCTs) that are attached to professional football clubs in the UK use the sport brand to engage marginalised populations in various initiatives designed to address public health agendas. Studies highlight the impact that FCCTs can have on adults’ mental health, yet less is known about programmes for young people under 18 years. This study is the first to identify the mental health-focussed interventions for young people that are delivered by the FCCTs in the English Football League (EFL), including the key programme features and challenges to implementation.</p><h3>Methods:</h3><p dir="ltr">A 60-item mixed-method survey was sent to all 70 FCCTs in the EFL during the 2018–2019 season in September 2018. In total, 54 (77.1%) FCCTs responded.</p><h3>Results:</h3><p dir="ltr">In total, 21 FCCTs were delivering mental health-focused interventions to young people and 23 different initiatives were identified. Reported aims included promoting resilience (<i>n</i> = 19/21, 90.5%) and self-esteem (<i>n</i> = 19/21, 90.5%), as well as identifying young people at risk of developing a mental health problem (<i>n</i> = 9/21, 42.9%). However, features of individual programmes varied. Some used football to increase social inclusion and overall wellbeing, whereas others included education sessions to improve mental health literacy (e.g. anti-stigma, strategies to promote mental health). FCCTs also reported challenges with evaluating their own interventions, sustaining funding, and keeping up to date with mental health training.</p><h3>Conclusions:</h3><p dir="ltr">This study contributes to the limited literature on professional sport club community trust interventions, highlighting the value of programmes targeting children and young people’s mental health. FCCT programmes align with mental health promotion and prevention policy, by providing opportunities to participate in physical activity (PA), develop mental health literacy, and identify young people at risk of developing mental health problems. Collaboration with organisations with expertise in service evaluation, audit, and research is essential to support FCCTs in evaluating their impact and demonstrating the significance of their work.<br></p>