Did you know one in four people are affected by a mental illness each year? If you watch Barnes RFC on a match day that suggests that at least 5 of the players you are watching on the pitch will be struggling with mental health issues - not to mention the supporters on on the sidelines at Barn Elms.

The sad facts are that every minute around the world a Man commits suicide...in an 80 minute rugby match 80 Men will have taken their own lives. Women in England are more likely than men to have a common mental health problem and are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression disorders. Whilst mental health issues can have devastating impacts on people’s lives, they are also treatable, just like physical conditions. And one day, we hope through research they will also become preventable.

We believe now more than ever our mental health needs to be at the forefront of conversation. Since COVID-19 struck, we have gone through so much, navigating lockdown, illness and job losses to name just a few.

Barnes Rugby Club has always had community at its heart and we have the opportunity to come together as one big Barnes family and help each other during these difficult times. We have shown just what the Barnes rugby community can achieve when we all work together through our amazing Barnes Big Lift! We now once again need to come together to help each other learn about mental health, how to recognize the signs if someone is struggling and most of all, how to talk to each other in these socially distanced times.

That is why we have launched Barnes Mental Mission.

We are spreading this initiative club wide from the juniors section to the veterans, right through to the supporters who are in the cheering from the sidelines every weekend. We will be sending out educational content to help people spot if friends, family or team mates might be having a tough time, or if they themselves are struggling. We want to give people the tools to be able to help the Barnes community through this unprecedented time and beyond.

As well as providing these educational guides, we will be coming together to tackle various challenges over the next 6 weeks. Each challenge will comprise of mental and physical missions that teams across the club will be encouraged to complete. They are designed to test us as competitive creatures but also to bring us together. With each mission comes a challenge, education and access to qualified support.

The stark truth is we will never know how many people we have helped as a club with this initiative but we have an obligation to educate and help the Barnes RFC players, coaches, supporters and the wider community. Please get involved and most importantly take the time to help others in the community where you think there may be an issue.

Together we are stronger: A.L.E.C

Joe Gray
Men's Head Coach