Football club backs men's mental health initiative

Mental health support is reaching football fans where they gather most.

An initiative has been launched in the safe standing section of the lower John Robertson Stand at Nottingham Forest's City Ground to encourage supporters to open up about their mental health.

A QR code in the stand provides access to mental health charity Say It Lad's website, where visitors can listen to anonymous voice notes shared by men talking openly about their own experiences and can also record their own.

Colin Eley, health and wellbeing manager at Nottingham Forest Foundation, said the main goal was to make sure people "don't feel alone in going through any kind of mental health challenges".

Jonny Human, Say It Lad's founder and creative lead, said: "We don't respond to every voice note, that's not the idea of our platform, but every voice note does get heard.

"So if you have got something that you want to say and that you want to share, then we will listen.

"Someone will listen to your voice note and they will take it on board. So you're not just speaking into a void."

The organisation has worked with football clubs across the country, including Southampton, Southend United and Ipswich Town.

Jonny said his desire to help others came from his own struggles with mental health.

"I thought 'well I need to stop any other lad getting to that point and I need to have a platform there to let people know about what to expect'."

The initiative is part of Nottingham Forest's commitment to help supporters with their mental health on matchday, building on the Tricky to Talk Matchday Hub and Matchday Walk and Talks.

If you have been affected by the issues in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line.

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