{"id":61926,"date":"2021-12-16T15:24:45","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T15:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=61926"},"modified":"2021-12-16T15:53:23","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T15:53:23","slug":"gary-speed-and-how-welsh-football-is-tackling-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2021\/12\/16\/gary-speed-and-how-welsh-football-is-tackling-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten years on from the death of Gary Speed, how is Welsh football tackling men&#8217;s mental health?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The death of the Welsh legend and national team coach rocked the football world and sparked conversations about mental health across the sport<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"Two men vying for the ball in a game of football. Football can be beneficial for your mental health.\" class=\"wp-image-61928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-2048x1024.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1920x960.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1500x750.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1400x700.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"Two men vying for the ball in a game of football. Football can be beneficial for your mental health.\" class=\"wp-image-61928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-770x385.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-2048x1024.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1366x683.jpg 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1920x960.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-585x293.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1170x585.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1500x750.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-293x147.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/EDITforCMS-1-1400x700.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>A game a week can help to find your feet! Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@jaenix\">Jannik Skorna<\/a> on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><span style=\"color:#6d1f95\" class=\"has-inline-color\">F<\/span>ans of football will never forget Gary Speed. A prolific left winger, Speed bagged <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.co.uk\/gary-speed\/leistungsdaten\/spieler\/3459\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">112 goals<\/a> in 740 professional appearances, and remains the sixth most-capped player for Wales at the time of writing. Post-playing career, the Welshman enjoyed a brief stint in charge of Sheffield United, before taking the reins of the Wales national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 27 November 2011, Speed was found dead at his home in Cheshire, leaving a wife and two children. His death shook the footballing world, as former Swansea and Wales man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/extra\/k5nr8ca4o3\/Gary-Speed-death-day-that-shook-football\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neil Taylor recalls<\/a> to the BBC. In the decade that followed, men\u2019s mental health became a nationwide talking point, as harrowing figures showed the true extent of the epidemic, which revealed suicide as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-10098429\/Suicide-biggest-killer-men-50-construction-workers-four-times-risk.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">biggest killer<\/a> of men under 50 in the UK.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what has Welsh football done to change this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Playing football for mental health<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2021\/11\/06\/morunning-returns-to-raise-awareness-for-mens-mental-health-struggles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Physical activity<\/a> is often suggested when looking at ways to improve mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A study from the <a href=\"https:\/\/exercise.research.southwales.ac.uk\/blog\/does-playing-football-help-people-mental-health-difficulties\/?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=Orlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of South Wales<\/a> found that playing football had positive benefits for mental health, especially as part of a team where building relationships helped to normalise these feelings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philip Tyson is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of South Wales and was part of the study. He said, \u201cWe think that team sports play a special role in enhancing mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philip cites biological, psychological and social factors as being key to the success of football as a method of combating mental health. Releasing stress-reducing endorphins, providing distractions from low mood and forming friendships all help to boost wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>It&#8217;s all about coming together, giving ourselves a quick MOT on our mental health<\/p><cite>Luke Rimes<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mhfw.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mental Health Football in Wales<\/a> is a charity that was started solely for this purpose. Training sessions, competitive matches and tournaments are organised across South Wales to enable people to meet up and train as part of a team, with a focus on mental wellbeing through playing and connecting with others in a similar situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Football Association Wales (FAW) runs the \u2018<a href=\"http:\/\/wwtss.timetochangewales.org.uk\/home\/about-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">We Wear the Same Shirt<\/a>\u2019 campaign, which seeks to tackle not only the issue of mental wellbeing, but the stigma surrounding it. They claim that 90% of people with mental health problems suffer discrimination or stigmatization, which can prevent people from seeking the help they need. The campaign links with Wrexham AFC, Newport County AFC, Merthyr Town FC and Newtown AFC to offer weekly training sessions that get people involved with football and part of a community where they are able to share their feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even non-targeted activity can boost mental wellbeing. Luke Rimes, 25, from Cardiff Bay, plays 5-a-side football once a week, and describes the difference that it can make, \u201cAn evening a week is often all I need to reset from the pressures and stresses of daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSparing a moment to <em>properly<\/em> ask how we are is what it\u2019s all about: coming together, giving ourselves a quick MOT on our mental health,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Watching football for mental health<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>But taking part is not the only way to get involved. At Wrexham AFC, Stephen Lloyd has launched Dragon Chat, an online service that encourages men to speak up when suffering issues with their mental health. The service runs a 90-minute video call every Thursday, with the first half offering a space to open up about mental health challenges and feelings. The second half brings everyone together to discuss the club: everything from transfers and injuries to performance on the pitch is up for discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"Dragon Chat: How one man is tackling mental health through football\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Zfrj3oC1bY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Dragon Chat: How one man is tackling mental health through football\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Zfrj3oC1bY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><figcaption>Want to find out more about Dragon Chat? Watch this! Credit: Sam Cross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Stephen said, \u201cI think the stigma [surrounding mental health] is reducing and some of the guys who come along regularly are now happy to talk about their mental health with newer members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He hopes that more football clubs will follow suit, as they target the specific group of men most at risk of suicide in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The demographic of football supporters is a hell of a lot of men in the 18-49 age group<\/p><cite>Stephen Lloyd (Dragon Chat)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He added, \u201cMore football clubs paying attention and supporting mental health can only be a good thing; if you look at the demographic of football supporters, it\u2019s a hell of a lot of men in that 18-49 age group\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mental health in Wales by numbers<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/statswales.gov.wales\/Catalogue\/Health-and-Social-Care\/Mental-Health\/Mental-Health-Measure\/Part-1\/waitingtimesforalpmhssassessment-by-lhb-month\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to figures<\/a> from the Welsh Government, Cardiff is currently the worst area in Wales for dealing with primary mental health support, assisting only 26.5% of service users within 28 days. That is substantially lower than the second worst performing area (Betsi Cadwaladr) at 56.2% and the Welsh national figures at 62.3%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that the majority of those who are actively seeking assistance with their mental health are not receiving help in the timeframe set out by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in the together for <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.wales\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/2020-01\/together-for-mental-health-delivery-plan-2019-to-2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mental health pledge<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"522\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1024x522.png\" alt=\"A graph showing the percentage of primary mental health cases assessed within 28 days in Wales, by district.\" class=\"wp-image-62000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1024x522.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-770x393.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1536x784.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1366x697.png 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1920x980.png 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-293x149.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1400x714.png 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days.png 1960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1024x522.png\" alt=\"A graph showing the percentage of primary mental health cases assessed within 28 days in Wales, by district.\" class=\"wp-image-62000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1024x522.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-770x393.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1536x784.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1366x697.png 1366w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1920x980.png 1920w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-293x149.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days-1400x714.png 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/2zlTd-of-primary-mental-health-cases-assessed-within-28-days.png 1960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>Chart showing the percentage of primary mental health cases assessed within 28 days. Credit: Sam Cross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In general, the level of <a href=\"https:\/\/statswales.gov.wales\/Catalogue\/Health-and-Social-Care\/Health-Finance\/NHS-Programme-Budget\/nhsexpenditure-by-budgetcategory-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">government funding<\/a> for mental health problems has increased slightly, from \u00a3746k in 2017\/18 to \u00a3809k in 2019\/20. This includes a sharp rise in funding for child and adolescent mental health services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/peoplepopulationandcommunity\/birthsdeathsandmarriages\/deaths\/datasets\/suicidesintheunitedkingdomreferencetables\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Figures provided<\/a> by the Office for National Statistics show that men in Wales are 4-5 times more likely to die from suicide than their female counterpart, and this figure has remained relatively consistent over the last 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">W<\/span>atching Dan Walker\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/av\/football\/59440483\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heart-wrenching memorial<\/a> to Speed is enough to bring a tear to the eye but solace can be taken in the changes that have happened since his death. Men are starting to talk about their mental wellbeing and that will help to eradicate the stigmas carried with it. Wales is taking charge of using football to enhance that change and the early signs show that it can make a difference, one man at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Details of organisations that can be contacted if you need support with mental health issues.\" class=\"wp-image-61968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-770x770.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-293x293.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-390x390.png 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-585x585.png 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-900x900.png 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"Details of organisations that can be contacted if you need support with mental health issues.\" class=\"wp-image-61968\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-770x770.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-293x293.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-390x390.png 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-585x585.png 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout-900x900.png 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/12\/Pretty-Boxout.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption>A list of some services available in Wales. Credit: Sam Cross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The death of the Welsh legend and national team coach rocked the football world and sparked conversations about mental health across the sport<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":760,"featured_media":61927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7087],"tags":[727,7588,206,211,2581],"coauthors":[7375],"class_list":["post-61926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-long-reads","tag-football","tag-gary-speed","tag-mental-health","tag-wales","tag-wellbeing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gary Speed and how Welsh football is tackling mental health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The death of the Welsh legend and national team coach sparked conversations about mental health across the board.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2021\/12\/16\/gary-speed-and-how-welsh-football-is-tackling-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gary Speed and how Welsh football is tackling mental health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The death of the Welsh legend and national team coach sparked conversations about mental health across the board.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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