It’s Team William – how the Prince of Wales recruited a squad of football stars to help him get through to the young men of Britain…
- Gareth Southgate and Frank Lampard are helping on mental health
- The Prince believes that football can break through masculine reserve
William revealed during last year’s documentary, Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health, released last year, how football has become more important to him as the years pass.
‘You know it’s weird because, I’ve always loved football but I love football more now than I’ve ever loved it before and I don’t know what it is, whether it’s because I’m a parent now and I need football more in my life, I don’t know maybe it is that.’
So perhaps it makes sense that he has turned to a growing number of football figures such as England manager, Gareth Southgate, Peter Crouch and Thierry Henry to help him get his message over on a range of campaigning issues, including mental health.
David Beckham has lent a hand to promote the Prince’s environmental charity the Earthshot Prize.
And England international defender Tyrone Mings, who plays for William’s club Aston Villa, has played a role in William’s latest initiative – to combat homelessness and rough sleeping, something said to have been inspired by his own visits to the Centrepoint charity with his mother, Diana.
The Prince of Wales plays basketball with Aston Villa footballer Tyrone Mings during a visit to Reach Up Youth intitiative for young people in Sheffield
Tyrone Mings – and Homewards
Prince William has released a three-minute video on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official YouTube account to promote his Homewards campaign, featuring footage from Prince William’s UK tour.
Last month, William kick-started the Homewards initiative – which aims to make rough sleeping, sofa surfing and other forms of temporary accommodation a ‘rare, brief and unrepeated’ issue.
To kickstart the campaign, the Prince of Wales visited six UK cities in 48 hours, where he met with members of the public, charities and his celebrity ambassadors, including Aston Villa footballer Tyrone Mings.
READ MORE: Prince William roars with joy as he shoots hoops with footballer Tyrone Mings during visit to youth charity
Recording a voiceover for the video, Prince William said: ‘I am pleased to stand here today at the start of our path to ending homelessness.
‘Over the next five years, we have a unique opportunity to develop innovative new solutions and scale their tangible impact.’
After shooting hoops with William, Tyrone Mings – who experienced homelessness as a child – said during the Sheffield visit last month: ‘Being here is surreal.
‘The energy here is absolutely amazing. We can all learn so much from some of the local leaders that are here.’
The clip has amassed over 5,700 views and 1,300 ‘likes’ since it was uploaded this afternoon – and royal fans were full of praise for William’s new initiative.
William with footballer Tyrone Mings. The Prince undertook a whirlwind tour of British cities to promote his new homelessness initiative
David Beckham – Earthshot
David Beckham flew to the States to attend the Earthshot Prize gala in Boston in December.
The foundation was launched by Prince William and Princess Kate to highlight and promote innovative solutions to climate change.
Beckham was seen speaking with the Prince and Princess of Wales backstage as he prepared to take to the stage to present an award.
He had worked with the Prince in the past through his position as President of the FA.
David Beckham was seen mingling with the Prince and Princess of Wales backstage at the Earthshot Prize Gala in Boston in December 2022
Peter Crouch – Heads Up
In August 2020, Prince William appeared on a special episode of the footballer’s That Peter Crouch Podcast to talk about his Heads Up campaign and discuss his experiences as a football fan.
William invited the striker and the co-hosts of the BBC Radio Five Live’s podcast, Tom Fordyce and Chris Stark, to his Kensington Palace home.
Prince William took part in a special episode of Peter Crouch’s podcast to talk about his Heads Up campaign. William invited Peter, as well as hosts Tom Fordyce and Chris Stark, to his Kensington Palace home, pictured, in March 2020
The podcast sees the William, Peter, Tom and Chris discuss the importance of talking about mental health, and the role that football can play.
On the Heads Up campaign, William said: ‘we all have to stay mentally fit… It’s a strength to talk about your mental health, it’s not a weakness.
READ MORE: Prince William ‘binned off his next appointment’ to enjoy beer and curry with Peter Crouch while recording his podcast
‘You know if you’re not feeling well, something’s bothering you, talk about it – it’s not a problem.’
The Prince added that he’d ‘met a lot of players’ and that it was ‘very interesting’ to meet the teams from different sports and see how they behave in a changing room.
‘Whenever I go into an England team dressing room, there’s more pressure, you can feel it.
‘I don’t know what it is but guys find it a bit more difficult to relax.
‘We talk about physical fitness, we all want to go to the gym and stay fit, but we never really talk about mental fitness, and it’s the same thing.
‘We all have mental health, and we all need to stay mentally fit and no more so than professional athletes, who under special circumstances, when you’re playing for England under huge pressure, you’ve got to have your head razor sharp, as well as your feet, your legs all that.
Crouch – famously tall at 6’7″ – has previously admitted he struggled with his mental own mental health as a teenager following the verbal abuse he suffered because of his height.
Discussing opening up about his mental health and the effect of a being surrounded by men, Crouch said ‘I’m in the environment where it’s so male-orientated, and any weakness shown is an excuse not to make it.
‘When I started talking about it and opened up, I did feel so much better, and that was just through talking.’
Gareth Southgate, Thierry Henry – Mental health documentary
William joined England manager Gareth Southgate and footballers Peter Crouch, Thierry Henry, Danny Rose and Jermaine Jenas on a BBC documentary to discuss men’s mental health.
Filmed at the grounds of Cambridge United Football Club and presented by Dan Walker, the programme, A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health, was released in May 2019.
Prince William tells the documentary that: ‘Men are the hardest-to-reach audience on the subject of mental health. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men under the age of 45, and that’s an appalling statistic.
The one-off film featured William speaking to both current and former football stars including Peter Crouch, Danny Rose, Thierry Henry, Jermaine Jenas and Gareth Southgate about the importance of men’s mental health and mental fitness in May 2019
Suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 45 and the aim of this programme was to let the audience ‘eavesdrop’ on an open and honest conversation about men’s mental health
‘There needs to be a turning point where we can pass the message onto men everywhere that it’s okay to talk about mental health. We have to normalise the whole conversation.’
Each player revealed their own battles that range from depression and racism to career-ending injuries and emotional pressures – all as part of an effort to try to elevate the discussion about how men talk about their mental health.
Former England and Tottenham Hotspur footballer Jermaine Jenas turned pundit and One Show presenter said: ‘My biggest hope for this is that a conversation will be had.’
Frank Lampard – Heads Up
In August 2019, William launched Heads Up, a project aimed to use football as a way to get more men talking about mental health.
Speaking about the campaign, the Prince of Wales said: ‘As President of The FA I saw an opportunity to bring the sport I love – that many men talk about more than anything else in their lives – to help lead the next phase of the conversation.
A few months later in February 2020, William joined footballers from Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Manchester United to take part in a game of Jenga to encourage people to talk more and stop being worried about offending people.
The game featured questions on each block designed to stimulate conversation.
Drawing on their own experiences on and off the football pitch, the players shared personal anecdotes as they opened up about how they manage pressure.
Urging people to not be afraid of speaking out, William said: ‘I like for people to be able to share stuff that really matters, because that is what this is about.
The president of the Football Association (FA) looked smart as he met grassroots football players, coaches and fans from clubs across the country at Wembley Stadium in May 2019
The lifelong Aston Villa fan, joined footballers from Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Manchester United to take part in the game which featured questions on each block designed to stimulate conversation
Prince William and Frank Lampard watched on as England played against the Czech Republic in their Euro qualifier back in October 2019, before meeting fans who had been supported by the Mind and CALM charities
The Prince has been president of the Football Association since taking up the post in 2006
‘It’s not about making it into a big deal. We all have mental health. It’s about trying to understand somebody and understand what they’ve been through.
‘Part of this is about being more open about how we feel and about being able to talk about those feelings. Not to shy away.
I think we’re quite modest in this country. We don’t want to delve, we don’t want to offend anyone and we don’t really ask. We’ve got to be a bit more punchy.’
The Prince of Wales turned up at the Prince Albert pub in Battersea in south-west London to watch England take on the Czech Republic in their Euro qualifier back in October 2019.
He was joined by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard as the pair mingled with fans who have been supported by the Mind and CALM charities, who both strive to combat mental health and suicide problems.
William made the visit as part of his Heads Up campaign.
His royal highness and Lampard listened to fans talk about their stories in the pub, with each supporter joined by a person who has been an integral figure of support through their struggles.
Harry Kane and Declan Rice – Shout 85258
As a part of his mental health initiative, Prince William partnered with Shout 85258, a 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis who needs immediate support.
Shout is the first service from Mental Health Innovations, a digital mental health charity, which was founded in November 2017, with the support of the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Shout was developed with the Royal Foundation as a legacy of the Heads Together campaign and was set-up with a £2m grant from the Foundation.
In a special edition of Game of Fives, the royal sat down with England stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice as they discussed their fondest football memories and the ways it has bolstered their mental wellbeing.
During their conversation, the royal, who is referred to as just ‘William’, credited football for teaching him that ‘disappointment is a part of life.’
He said: ‘You learn by playing a number of times and many other things in life that disappointment is part of life and how you handle it is crucial.
‘Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard, I found that really difficult, because again the same euphoria that we had comes crashing down.
‘You feel high and all together, and then normal life just gets on again.’
The prince also recalled playing four simultaneous games of football with his entire set at school – around 60 pupils – using multiple balls.
Prince William spoke of how football ‘taught him that disappointment is a part of life’ during a candid discussion on a special edition of Game of Fives with a number of famous players
The Prince of Wales sat down with England stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice as they discussed their fondest football memories and the ways it has bolstered their mental wellbeing during a 25-minute video available on YouTube in 2022
He spoke about playing football at school, recalling it as ‘complete carnage and chaos’, adding: ‘That’s what led me on to wanting to play more and more football. I loved it.’
Spurs striker Harry Kane remembered his father giving him £5 after he scored his first goal when he was five years old, and spoke about the Harry Kane Foundation, which partnered with Shout.
The England captain said: ‘I’ve just launched a foundation which is really exciting for me.
‘My aim is to, especially to the younger generation, talk to them and try and provide ways of talking about mental health and wellbeing.
Raheem Sterling – The Raheem Sterling Foundation
In March 2022, William enjoyed a kickabout with England footballer Raheem Sterling on the Jamaican leg of his Caribbean tour.
William and Kate visited Trench Town to greet young footballers and the Jamaican bobsleigh team, who finished 28th in the recent Winter Olympics in Beijing.
While Sterling revealed that he got permission from Gareth Southgate to fly out for the match in aid of his Raheem Sterling Foundation, which helps disadvantaged young people by providing work placements and university scholarships.
William previously spoke out about why he is a fan of Aston Villa, and told the BBC in a 2015 interview: ‘A long time ago at school I got into football big time.
‘I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
Raheem Sterling seen playing football in Trench Town in aid of his Raheem Sterling Foundation
Prince William runs with a football as he participates in a game with local players in Trench Town on the first day of a tour of Jamaica
The Prince and Princess of Wales speak to Premier League stars Raheem Sterling and Leon Bailey during a visit to Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae music, in March 2022
‘I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional roller-coaster moments.
‘Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea.
‘It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.’
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