Football-themed film launched for World Mental Health day

A new film that tackles mental health and social media from the perspective of football influencers has been kicked off by Streaming Well and Healthware International.

Released today as part of World Mental Health day, 15 Minutes of Fury was produced with the help of Robbie Lyle, creator of Arsenal football fan channel AFTV, as well as a number of mental health experts.

The short film aims to reduce stigma around mental health conversations in underserved grassroots communities in the UK. As Lyle notes in the film: “It is an issue in football because we all think we're so macho, we just don't talk about these things.”

Another of the film’s contributors is Mind’s head of physical activity Hayley Jarvis, says in the film: “It's ok to show your emotions at the football and to talk about it there, how about in your daily life?”

Also appearing in the film are the football influencers DT, Claude and Ferry Flewers, plus Mark Rowland from the Mental Health Foundation, media and communications lecturer Dr Neil Ewan, media psychology professor Dr David Giles and psychotherapist Marya Goga.

Francis Namouk, CEO at Streaming Well, added: “15 Minutes of Fury explores the emotional impact on football influencers who have found sudden fame via social media platforms. It is my hope their stories will resonate with the footballing fan community in the UK and encourage them to speak out openly about their feelings to their loved ones.”

• View 15 Minutes of Fury