The famous quote attributed to legendary former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, albeit one which was undoubtedly delivered without expecting it to carry a literal meaning.
Of course, football will always be massively important to supporters. And to a town and city. But life, and indeed mental health, is of course far more important.
Back in September, a new ‘Together Against Suicide’ campaign was launched by the Premier League in partnership with the Samaritans.
One of the key influences in the campaign was broadcaster Roman Kemp, driven to use the power of football to help raise awareness of suicide prevention following the death of his best friend. Not to mention the harrowing statistic that, every 90 minutes, the length of a football match, someone in the UK takes their own life.
John Martin has benefitted hugely from the Head 4 Health campaign. Picture: Wolves Foundation
Wolves are one of 11 Premier League clubs signed up to receive funding from the Premier League to deliver the campaign. This involves providing tailored environments to offer fans the opportunity to talk in safe, non-judgemental settings, as well as referring them on to trusted support organisations. This also dovetails with the club’s own Head 4 Health project, designed to help adults improve their mental health and wellbeing, which has benefitted almost 2,000 people since its launch in 2019.
