THE Essex County FA’s Safeguarding Team have delivered a successful Mental Health Awareness Workshop, helping people across the grassroots game to feel more confident when supporting individuals with their mental health and wellbeing.
The first session took place at the Essex County FA Office in Chelmsford on Monday (17th August), welcoming 23 attendees representing the youth game, open-age football, Soccability and local leagues. The workshop was developed in direct response to feedback from the football community.
In January 2026, the Safeguarding Team conducted a ‘Voice of the Player’ Survey to explore how people felt football could help to support their mental health and wellbeing. A total of 137 responses were received, providing valuable insight which helped to shape the content of this workshop.
The workshop focused on a number of key themes highlighted through the survey, including managing your own mental health, identifying signs and symptoms, understanding how and when to intervene, and mental health in relation to disability. By bringing people together to discuss these important topics in an open and supportive environment, the session aimed to give clubs and organisations greater confidence when mental health concerns arise.
It also sought to help remove some of the fear or uncertainty people can experience when somebody references their mental health, giving attendees practical knowledge and greater confidence to respond appropriately. The success of the first session demonstrates the value of listening to participants across the grassroots game and using their experiences to help shape meaningful support.
The workshop was delivered by Essex County FA Safeguarding Manager, Helen Hever, and Deputy Safeguarding Officer, Jasmine Henry, who were both delighted with how well it was received. Helen summarised: “Following a review of 2025/26 season data, we identified a growing trend in concerns relating to mental health and wellbeing.”
“By combining the needs and feedback of players with the themes emerging from our data, we recognised the importance of providing a workshop to help increase awareness and understanding of mental health. We hope those who attended felt this objective was achieved.”
“It was also important for us to capture the voices and experiences of players and document these insights for organisations to use as a valuable reference. We look forward to reviewing future data and delivering further workshops to continue supporting this important area.”
The Essex County FA would like to thank everyone who attended the workshop for giving their time, sharing their experiences and contributing positively to the session. Further details on wellbeing in grassroots Essex football can be found at www.essexfa.com.
