Advisory: Contains material of a sensitive nature
VO: When it comes to football - only a handful of professional players have spoken about their mental health. One man who wants to change the culture at the very top of the game is Joe Hart, England’s second most capped goalkeeper. Joe won the league twice with Manchester City, but at the height of his career he reached out for professional help
Joe: I didn’t really know how to handle tough moments, you just want to bat everyone away. Like, ‘I’m fine, leave me, I’m fine just leave me.’
In the 13/14 season, I was finding it difficult because everything had been so easy for me. It wasn’t clicking how I wanted it to.
I missed 5 or 6 games that season, which was the first time I’d ever been taken out the team. That was when I started working with a mental coach. Managed to communicate well enough with Manuel Pellegrini who was the manager at the time.
If someone questions you, that doesn’t mean that you have to go aggressive or stand off and be like I don’t need to talk to you.
Opened up a line of communication, asked for help, what he thought I could do better, got myself back in the team, won the league again.
VO: Now on the bench at Burnley, Joe is determined to use his experience in a positive way and to drive forward the next chapter of his playing career.
Joe: It’s certainly the lowest point of my football career but it’s not a dark cloud. I’m comfortable with what’s going on. Yeah I’m sad, yeah I’m disappointed that I’m not playing because I know what I want to be. I know where I should be and what I can bring to the game. But at the moment I’m not being picked, simple as that You know, at school, not being picked…and that’s hard.
I feel like right now could be a dark time for me, but it’s not, I see it as a challenge.
VO: HRH The Duke of Cambridge has launched a new nationwide campaign to try and tackle the stigma around mental health.
Keen to involve elite players, the Duke has asked to meet Joe.
HRH: I know it’s not been an easy few years for you, with the way the career is going, is that quite difficult to deal with?
Joe: Difficult but I’ve kind of really put myself in a space where, I feel comfortable, I feel relaxed, but that’s because I’ve took a few whacks.
HRH: What’s been the biggest whack you’ve taken, what’s really caused you the biggest upset and worry?
Joe: Just…it will sound pathetic but it’s the truth, it’s not playing and not being wanted.
HRH: Joe represents the elite level, a footballer who has seen it all, who’s been there, who’s done it and still even someone like Joe faces some of those challenges on a day to day basis and he’s brave and open enough to say yep, professional life hasn’t gone as well as I’d like it to go these last few years but I’m not giving up, I want to get it right and if I need a bit of help, I need to talk about it, if I need to be a bit more open, then that’s a good thing and hopefully others can follow his example.
Joe: Everyone’s mental health is different. If you’re a teammate, why not invest in a teammate? Why not be able to notice if someone’s not themselves. And be able to ask them, ‘Are you all right?’, ‘I’ve got an eye on you, and if you need anything, I’m here.’ That’s a nice feeling to give, and certainly a nice feeling to receive. We train so hard physically but mentally is where every decision comes from. That mental health is the most important thing.
Premier League goalkeeper Joe Hart describes how he overcame a difficult period in his career, which affected his mental wellbeing.
He discusses the importance of looking out for others' mental health as well as your own.
He meets HRH the Duke of Cambridge (as he was known prior to becoming The Prince of Wales) and discusses his experience and how he thinks football clubs can look after players' mental health.
Teacher Notes
This film is suitable for 14-16 year olds, but because it addresses some challenging issues we strongly advise making yourself very familiar with the content before using it and considering carefully whether it will be appropriate and suitable for your specific cohort.
Check class records to see if any of your class have any mental health issues or have personal/lived experience of the topics raised, and consider the best action/support for them in advance.
Check Government guidance on teaching about mental health along with your school policies to make sure you follow these guidelines/protocols and talk to a member of the SLT if you are in doubt about anything before you teach.
Whether you choose to lead a discussion, do an activity or a combination of both, always start your session by setting up a working agreement with the class. Creating a list of rules will make sure everyone feels safe and able to talk and join in without being judged.
Points for discussion
Joe talks about getting himself into a space where he feels comfortable (‘I feel comfortable, I feel relaxed’), even though he also feels sad and disappointed because he’s not being picked to play. How do you get comfortable when life doesn’t feel comfortable? When you feel sad or disappointed? (Answers might include acceptance, keeping calm, talking to friends and family, looking at the bigger picture, dealing with the next thing in front of you, doing the best you can a step, or a day, at a time, being grateful for what you have, not giving up, being realistic, setting achievable goals, working on inner strength, seeing challenges as positives.)
If Joe didn’t ask for help, what could have happened? (If big worries and problems are not talked about they can get bigger and more worrying – he could therefore have given up, got caught in a spiral of negativity, got depressed or had further mental health issues etc.) 'Talking can be incredibly helpful to make sense of and manage difficult experiences.’ - Heads Together
What can we learn from Joe? When are we ‘good enough’? What is ‘good enough’? Would ‘good enough’ look the same for everyone or different? Why?
Suggested activities:
Joe says ‘I didn’t really know how to handle tough moments, you just want to bat everyone away. Like, I’m fine, leave me, I’m fine just leave me.’ Why did he do this? In groups pupils note their ideas, and feedback verbally or create a graffiti or working wall. (For example, maybe he felt scared, that he wouldn’t be understood or that he might be judged, laughed at, that he didn’t want to bore people or bring them down with his issues or maybe he didn’t know how to start a conversation.) Explain these are all very common reasons why people don’t talk and let them share their thoughts/experiences on this if they feel comfortable doing so. Remind them that Joe changes his negative reactions to his situation - he says he ‘…opened up a line of communication, asked for help… got myself back in the team, won the league again.’ Is there anything we could change about ourselves from now on or that we could do differently like Joe did? (Explain that having time to reflect on how we react to life can be really helpful - by learning more about ourselves and developing positive coping strategies we can live a more content life, no matter what it throws at us.) You could explore this further through circle time, ‘When… happens, I react by…, it makes me feel…’ and/or ‘I’m going to try… when I feel…’ or through creative writing: ‘A new me’.
Joe says, ‘Why not be able to notice if someone’s not themselves and be able to ask them - are you all right? I’ve got an eye on you and if you need anything, I’m here.’ Explore these three great ideas for letting friends or team/school mates know you are there for them. Pick this apart with your class – what might this look like day to day? What could they do if they were worried about someone? (See signposting below and include when it would be important to tell an adult). Pupils create ‘How to be a good mental health mate’ posters to display around the school with tips for what to look out for, what to say, how to say it, when to say it and when to get support from a trusted adult.
At the end of the discussion/activity, always check in with the group to make sure they are OK, revisit the working agreement and remind them to talk to someone if anything they have seen in the film or discussed has made them feel uncomfortable. Finally, always signpost where they can get further support or information both within and outside of school. is there for people right up to the age of 19 for support. Students can also find out more about and find links to further support on their page.)
Curriculum Notes
These lessons will fit within:Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education in England
Curriculum for Wales, Health and wellbeing in Wales
The Curriculum for Excellence, Health and wellbeing in Scotland
Northern Ireland Curriculum, Learning for life and work in Northern Ireland
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