Sun, Aug 19, 2018 page11

• Scottish league offers mental health training

  • AFP, GLASGOW, Scotland
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Soccer managers often have a fearsome reputation with tales of fiery dressing room confrontations almost as legendary as the games, but a change is under way in Scotland, where bosses have historically had a particularly infamous reputation — from the boot-throwing “hairdryer” tirades of Alex Ferguson to the menacing growl of Jock Stein.

  The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is offering its managers unique mental health awareness courses, sparked by the suicide of a promising player whose career was cut short by injury.

  Chris Mitchell struggled to adapt to life without soccer and took his own life in 2016 at the age of 27.

  The family were aware that Chris was contemplating suicide, but there was no structure in place to support players.

  “We came to the conclusion that there was very little in place to help people with mental health issues in Scottish professional football,” said Mitchell’s father, Philip.

  As a result, the Chris Mitchell Foundation was founded to raise awareness of mental health issues in the sport.

  Mark Fleming, the SPFL’s chaplain who runs the course, has already been asked to do bespoke training at top flight clubs such as Celtic and Rangers, and further afield in Liverpool.

  He is also giving mental health training to Scottish Rugby and would like to see it expanded to other sports — particularly after the apparent suicide of young British snowboarder Ellie Soutter last month.

  “Football is, by nature, ruthless and brutal, but most of the managers I know are not,” Fleming said. “Historically, some managers thought that by denigrating their players, by shouting at them, verbally abusing them, they might motivate them to a better performance.”

  Attitudes are changing within the game. Most notably, England manager Gareth Southgate earned plaudits for the way he handled left-back Danny Rose’s revelation before the World Cup that he had suffered from depression.

  “Nowadays, managers recognize that most people flourish under encouragement and affirmation, and I think Gareth Southgate is a great example of that,” Fleming added.

  Eddie Wolecki Black, 53, was one of many managers who were impressed by Southgate’s congenial style, which motivated England toward their greatest World Cup performance in almost 30 years.

  “It’s good when somebody works like that and is successful, because it shows you don’t have to be kicking boots at people, throwing things at the wall or smashing teacups,” Black said.

  Black saw the effect of aggressive management as a trainee coach under Dundee United’s fearsome Jim McLean — whose management career ended when he punched a BBC journalist.

  “Jim McLean was known for his ferocious temper,” Black said. “I don’t think you could get away with it these days. I think that style of management is gone.”

  Black also knows about the mental anguish of a career-threatening disability. A stroke suffered at halftime during a game in 2016 left him paralyzed down his left side.

  He was told he would never walk or talk again — but after treatment in the US, he went back to work as manager of Motherwell Ladies and has just signed on to manage Celtic Women.

  Black said he did not know how do deal with mental illness — in his players or in himself — until he attended the SPFL Trust course.

  “I’m now convinced I suffered from depression when I got back to work, but I was in total denial,” he said. “I was reading through the flip chart and I was putting names of players that I know against some of the conditions, so I’ve got a few issues to deal with when I go back to the clubs.”
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Fertility rate falls to lowest globally

  • 2

    ’Up to Xi’ on Taiwan, but would be ’very unhappy’ with a change in ’status quo’: Trump

  • 3

    China widens attack on Japan’s ‘nuclear threat’

  • 4

    Minister warns Taiwanese about Chinese passports

  • 5

    Marine Corps unit receives M4A1 rifles, source says