The pressures on young footballers in Britain has been laid bare after it emerged that almost 2,500 players have sought professional help with their mental health since 2018 alone.
A total of 2,434 professional footballers in the UK accepted the PFA's offer to provide them with therapeutic support in the past four and half years, the Mail on Sunday has learnt.
It can also be revealed that the number of young players seeking expert help for their mental health is increasing, with the Professional Footballers' Association partly attributing the trend to pandemic-related issues. The players' union said the instances of players approaching their counselling team as victims of abuse were also increasing.
The Duke of Cambridge believes the football community has made 'significant strides'
The figures have emerged as British football authorities were preparing a report on the work being done to support the mental health of both those working in the industry and society more broadly.
The Mentally Healthy Football document, which is released on Sunday, includes a foreword from the Duke of Cambridge in his role as president of the FA. The Duke writes that he is confident that the football community has made 'significant strides' in this area.
The PFA offer players emotional support through their wellbeing department, which is run by director of player welfare Dr Michael Bennett, a former professional with Wimbledon and Charlton.
Bennett's team visit clubs to conduct workshops on the subject of mental health and give them the opportunity to fill out a survey which includes questions on their personal wellbeing.
Bennett told the Mail on Sunday that '99 per cent' of players complete the form. His team then confidentially approach those who are thought to be at medium-to-high risk, offering them therapeutic support.
His team have visited 60 clubs this season and hope to reach 75 before the end of the campaign. They have carried out 'hundreds' of the 'interventions' notifying players that they might need help.
So far in 2022, 307 players have chosen to access the PFA's emotional support network. The equivalent figure in 2021 was 528 players, in 2020 it was 508 (even though lockdowns limited the number of workshops), the 2019 total was 653 and 2018's 438.
'The workshops have been delivered to Under 18s, Under 23s and first-team players, as well as WSL clubs,' said Bennett. 'It address different areas relating to their wellbeing: how have you felt in the last three
