A message from our CEO
The year 2000.
The Sydney Olympics had seen Cathy Freeman win the 400m in a full body suit, England and Germany found themselves in the same group in the European Championships (neither made it out), and Tony Adams was 4 years sober, having originally sought help from a therapist to address his issues with alcohol. He had a plan to give footballers access to the same kind of support that he had received and which had done so much to get his life back on track. At the turn of the Millennium this plan became Sporting Chance. Most of our current athlete population had not been born.
Tony not only wanted players to have access to mental health support but he wanted to create an environment where it was as easy as possible for them to reach out and get help and this continues to be our goal in 2025.
The charity's work in the early years reflected the issues addressed by our founder, and we became experts in the treatment of addiction for those who played or had played professional sports. Sporting Chance provided support for players presenting with issues relating to alcohol, substances and gambling. Our addiction treatment program continues to include the only residential facility in the world exclusively working with athletes.
None of the above could or would have happened without the vision being shared by our founding partners at the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).
Sadly, the next evolution of our work was in part inspired by tragedy and the sad loss of two individuals by suicide. Both were loved and respected within the world of sport and left close family and friends whose love was unconditional. Their loss exposed the plight of many struggling with their emotional life and mental health as elite and professional sports men and women. With the continued support of the PFA, the charity was able to offer an expanded service which included a nationwide network of therapists and this meant athletes could access support for any issue relating to their mental health.
Undoubtedly, there has been a global societal change in attitudes to mental health in the last two decades. People’s emotional and mental health is now acknowledged as an important aspect of their being (it seems strange to think that this was not always the case). The sporting landscape has mirrored this development in life, and we have also had to acknowledge the unique experiences and challenges that those competing at the highest levels of sport accept and face on a daily basis.
The charity’s growth has come in the form of more relationships with players' unions, player associations, governing bodies, and leagues across many sports. It has also been fuelled by the need to tailor services to the different presentations of those who populate the landscape. We recognise that each sport has a flavour that is influenced by the demographic who compete in the sport and the demands of their environment, however, across the piece there is a shared common ground of being sports professionals.
Today, Sporting Chance offers 24 hour immediate access to confidential emotional and mental health expertise and treatment, whatever the concern or issue; support can be provided in the athlete's first language, either face to face or online. We continue to be the world's only treatment provider that offers a residential clinic exclusively treating athletes for alcohol, substance and gambling dependency. The charity's Education Department provides a range of athlete-facing presentations and workshops to those who compete in elite and professional sports.
There is still much work for us a charity ahead – both in terms of helping as many athletes as we can whilst ensuring our provision meets the wide ranging and evolving needs of the different athletes we support. Professional sport brings so much to the lives of those that engage in it, that attend games or events, that follow their favourite teams or individual stars on television and social media. The people that bring that about, the sportspeople that sacrifice so much to follow their dreams (many of whom who don’t achieve them or reveal the true extent of the sacrifices they make) deserve professional support and institutions that will fight their corner. Sporting Chance was created 25 years ago to do that – it has done that, and it will continue to do so.
This country leads the way in providing usable, professional, and confidential services for professional athletes. We will continue to work with sport to improve sport. We will use our 25th year as a platform to acknowledge the progress sport has made in raising the bar of mental health provision for players and athletes and the milestones we have passed, but also with the mantra that “the next twenty-five years starts now”.
Colin Bland MBE, CEO of Sporting Chance
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