TEAM - Tackling the Mental Health Stigma in Youth Football
- Athina Kyriacou
- May 11
- 3 min read
We are excited to launch the first newsletter of the TEAM (Tackling the Mental Health Stigma in Youth Football) project! This initiative, co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Sport programme, aims to tackle one of the most overlooked challenges in youth sports: the stigma surrounding mental health.
Over the next 30 months, TEAM will work to create safer, more inclusive, and mentally healthy environments across youth football in Europe.
Meet the Partners
The TEAM consortium brings together 7 partner organisations from across Europe, combining
expertise in sports, mental health, youth work, and education:
• University of Nicosia (Coordinator – Cyprus)
• GDA Sports (Cyprus)
• Università degli Studi “Gabriele d’Annunzio”
ChietiPescara (Italy)
• University of Thessaly (Greece)
• Fundación Red Deporte y Cooperación (Spain)
• Cyprus Football Association (Cyprus)
• Associação de Futebol de Bragança (Portugal)
TEAM AT A GLANCE
TEAM is a European Erasmus+ project that brings together organizations from across Europe to use sport as a powerful tool aiming to:
Conduct evidence-based research within youth football organisations on mental health challenges and their impact.
Develop a comprehensive framework that:
Goes beyond athlete-specific risk factors (e.g., injuries, overtraining, performance-related stress).
Includes general risk factors related to the social and environmental context of young players.
Increase awareness and literacy around mental health and well-being in youth football.
Enhance understanding among:
Athletes, regarding ideal mental states and healthy coping mechanisms.
Coaching staff, to better recognize and address early signs of distress.
Parents, as key support figures in young players’ lives.
Support both prevention and intervention strategies to manage and respond to mental health issues in youth football environments.
OUR OBJECTIVES
To investigate, identify and map the general mental health issues/symptoms in youth football.
To track and comprehend the level of awareness and knowledge of youth football players and staff in recognizing and responding to mental health issues/symptoms.
To develop a Handbook of Good Practices.
To raise awareness, provide insights, and introduce good practices to the youth football stakeholders, practitioners, and policymakers on how to recognize, respond and tackle youth mental health stigma.
PROJECT LAUNCH
The TEAM - Tackling the Mental Health Stigma in Youth Football project kick-off meeting took place in Italy 21-22 January 2025 and brought together consortium partners to launch the initiative and align expectations.
The meeting focused on:
Establishing a common understanding of the project objectives and structure.
Discussing research methodologies and data collection strategies.
Training materials.
Planning dissemination and stakeholder engagement strategies.
Clarifying financial and administrative responsibilities.
LITERATURE REPORT
Theoretical research reveals the main mental health challenges faced by young football players [Ages 12–19] Sample:
7123 PEOPLE
Male 84.2%
Female 15.8%
SPREAD THE WORD – FOLLOW US!
Join our journey and be part of the movement to bring mental health to the forefront of youth football:
Website: www.tacklingmentalhealth.eu
Let’s work together to build a future where mental health is treated with the same care as physical health on and off the pitch.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project Number: 101184222
