Estimate the likely scale of mental health support demand across your affiliated clubs — across players, coaches, volunteers and officials — and see what it means for county-wide response capacity, club readiness, workforce wellbeing and duty of care.
Player estimates apply the general adult benchmark of 1 in 4 (Mind / McManus et al.) for adults and 1 in 5 for under-18s (NHS Digital 2023). Coach figures use the 44% finding from Gouttebarge et al. (2019) — the most significant sport-specific mental health dataset in the UK context. Volunteer estimates use the general adult benchmark of 1 in 4.
The clubs-without-MHFA figure reflects the capacity gap — how many affiliated clubs are operating without a trained first-response capability for mental health. The "likely to seek support" estimate assumes 30% of those experiencing difficulties will do so if a trained, visible person is available — conservative given the well-documented low help-seeking rates in male sport environments.
These are planning estimates, not clinical prevalence data. They are intended to help County FAs understand the scale of mental health support demand across their county game and plan accordingly. The purpose is not to produce a perfect clinical number. It is to help County FAs see the likely support demand sitting in their system and the response capacity currently in place.
Sources: Mind, NHS Digital 2023, ONS Suicide Statistics 2022, CALM, Gouttebarge et al. (2019) Sport & Exercise Psychology Review, Sport England.
Enter your county's player and club numbers to estimate mental health support demand across your affiliated clubs — and understand what it means for response capacity, coach wellbeing, and county-level support planning.
Each group in your county game carries a different mental health profile. The coach figure — drawn from the most robust sport-specific dataset available — is the one that tends to stop County FA staff in their tracks.
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FMHA works with County FAs across England to turn figures like these into practical county-wide action — through Mental Health First Aid training, neurodiversity education, and tools that help affiliated clubs build a more consistent support response. The county partnership is free to County FAs and gives clubs a clearer pathway, not just more information.
The 44% figure — coaches currently experiencing mental illness — comes from Gouttebarge et al. (2019), a peer-reviewed UK study in Sport & Exercise Psychology Review. It is the most significant sport-specific mental health dataset available for this population. Grassroots and community coaches were most affected — above elite-level coaches, who typically have access to professional support structures they do not.
Volunteer grassroots coaches carry the emotional labour of managing players, parents, results, committee politics, and their own lives — with zero formal support, no clinical access, and an expectation of cheerful reliability every weekend. They are the most at-risk group in your county game. And the least likely to say so.
A County FA that provides no mental health framework has, in effect, placed its entire coaching workforce in a system with no first-response capability whatsoever.
Suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50 in the UK (ONS, 2022). CALM report 125 deaths by suicide every week in the UK. The majority of grassroots football participants are men in the 20–50 age bracket — statistically the highest-risk group in the country for suicide.
This is not included in the estimator as a headline output number — responsible communication of suicide statistics means framing them around prevention and intervention, not raw counts. But it is the context behind every mental health support demand figure this tool generates.
Early intervention is what changes outcomes. A trained Mental Health First Aider does not provide therapy. They provide the first human response — noticing something is wrong, having the conversation, and helping someone find support before crisis point. That is what MHFA training delivers. In a population where men aged 20–50 are least likely to seek help voluntarily, that first response is often the only one that happens.
Sources: ONS Suicide Statistics 2022, CALM, Samaritans. If you or someone you know is in crisis: Samaritans 116 123, text SHOUT to 85258.