State of Mind takes over Super League Round 25
State of Mind will take over Super League for Round 25 to raise awareness of mental health issues, tackle stigma and signpost support to rugby league players and fans who do not access help.
The themed round kicks-off in front of the Sky Sports TV cameras on Thursday August 15, when Warrington Wolves host Widnes Vikings.
24 hours later, defending champions, Leeds take on Hull KR in what should be another thrilling fixture televised by Sky Sports.
Fans will be able to visit the State of Mind marquee – where they can interact with volunteers to learn about the campaign – at those two games along with Hull v Salford, London v Huddersfield and Wakefield v St Helens.
State of Mind volunteers will be parading the ground to hand out flyers and car stickers at Castleford v Bradford whilst Catalan and Wigan players will show their support by wearing branded t-shirts in their warm-up.
“The State of Mind programme was established in 2011 with the aim of improving the mental fitness, wellbeing and working life of rugby league players and communities and we want you to belong to the State of Mind Family,” said Phil Cooper.
“Whoever you support, you can join the State of Mind Family and be part of this amazing, award-winning movement.
“Show your support come and say hello to a volunteer at games, take a mental fitness card and wear our tee-shirt.”
Now in its third year, State of Mind explores and promotes initiatives relating to suicide prevention by targeting groups to deliver a range of awareness raising options focusing on mental fitness and resilience.
Almost 1000 players, coaches and support staff from Super League and the Championships, the three professional leagues in this country, have attended State of Mind sessions, with 95% of those attending never having had mental health training before.
Sessions continue to be run at Super League clubs in particular, most recently at Huddersfield and St Helens, focusing on mental fitness to ensure people can manage the ups and downs of life effectively and encourage people to access support if it is needed.
More information can be found on the website www.stateofmindrugby.com or on Twitter @SOMRugbyLeague.