From the top down, the game of rugby is looking for new initiatives and collaborations (like the one between the RFU and MIND) to help start the conversation around mental health and encourage people to speak up about any difficulties they’re experiencing. As a club we recognise the importance of this and therefore this is the start of our initiative at Beckenham. We are one of a few clubs who offer this as an additional layer to support our players, keeping them at the heart of what we do.

We now have 5 mental health first aiders across the club, and if anyone is struggling and wants to talk to somebody in confidence we can be contacted on Talktous@beckenhamrfc.com

One of the wellbeing volunteers (who are all trained in MH first aid) will then be in touch, support and help signpost you to appropriate sources of further help and support. Any contact is treated in the strictest of confidence.

Also, once COVID guidelines allow us to meet safely, we will be organising some wellbeing and inspirational speakers, talking about issues around mental health and sport, with a rugby focus of course.

We also have a very exciting collaboration with the charity blOKEs, to whom we are a partner club. Their ambassadors (pro players and other professional athletes) will visit the club to encourage openness and transparency when it comes to talking about mental health. Blokes has 3 partner clubs, us being one and we are very much looking forward to what we can achieve working together. You can find them on social media if you want to look up the great work their founder Tom Home is doing.

There are other aspects to what we’ll be doing like making sure you have all the recent communications from the RFU and MIND, organising some sessions on CPR - cardio pulmonary resuscitation (so we all know how to react in an emergency situation and use the defib), potential cardiac screening through Cardiac Risk in the Young (work in progress), and open access to the confidential email address above.

Any questions, or feedback, do please do get in touch.

Ali Boyd
Director of Player Wellbeing
2020/21