A day at the Mental Health World Cup

Summer is upon us and the brief stint of sunshine we’ve had so far has many people looking like they have never even heard of sun cream. It is somewhat understandable, the summer almost creeps up on us in the UK, but one of the biggest advantages is the vibrance it brings, and many studies have equated exposure to sunlight with improved mental health.

With that in mind, last week was Mental Health Awareness Week.

The aim of the week is to spread raise awareness and promote support and understanding for ongoing mental health battles. The week was first held in 2001 after it was established by the Mental Health Foundation - the only UK charity solely focused on preventing poor mental health and building and protecting good behavioural well-being.

The week brings many articles and feel-good stories for people to indulge in, while also shedding light on the difficulties many are facing on a daily basis. One of the events I attended was the Mental Health World Cup – the UK’s largest five-a-side football tournament, specifically dedicated to raising money for initiatives concerning mental health.

It was the second time I had attended the event, held annually at Loftus Road – the home of QPR. One thing that stood out to me was the increase in spectators and higher profile feel to the event. This year marked the first time the charity football tournament would not only be held in West London. Another tournament also took place at Vicarage Road – home of Watford Football Club.

Increased awareness in recent years has allowed the tournament to grow to the point of lasting two weekends and being played both in London and Hertfordshire. While many of the blogs on FPH inevitably focus on some of the bad news within sector, it is certainly a positive step to seeing a tournament like this grow to this stature.

At Loftus Road, nearly 600 players across 72 different teams over two days did battle for the trophy, with many spectators including me paying the entrance fee to watch the entertainment.

The teams are made up of various businesses who pay to be involved in the tournament, with each company playing under a different nations banner. After the company representing Ireland replicated the performance of the Irish National team, I thought it best to support my friend who was representing the Albanian team. It ended similarly.

In the end, the companies representing the United States and Iraq faced off in the final. Political irony aside, it was a very competitive match, with the latter taking home the trophy.

Now for the important stuff - the event raised a lot of money. I received an email today saying the two days at Loftus Road alone, raised over £232,000 for mental health initiatives, with the goal being to surpass the target of £300,000. This really is a remarkable feat given the event is essentially a five-a-side football tournament. To raise nearly a quarter of a million pounds for two days of football at only one of their locations is something the organisers, the volunteers and the Mental Health Foundation should take great pride in.

Before this year’s iteration, the Mental Health World Cup had raised over £600,000 for mental health charities, with approximately 3000 footballers “playing against suicide” so far. In only two days at the home of QPR, the Mental Health World Cup had raised over a third of the amount it had previously given to charities in over ten years. The World Cup is clearly on the rise.

The event was founded by Giancarlo Gaglione 13 years ago after he tragically lost his younger brother to suicide – unfortunately an ever-growing problem amongst men in the UK.

On the day, Mr Gaglione spoke candidly of his appreciation for the event taking place and his pride in how it had grown from a more traditional tournament held in a park in North London, to finding a permanent home with QPR in 2019 and now expanding to Hertfordshire as well.

Truthfully, it is insensitive and ignorant to say that anything good can come as a result of suicide. The issue is growing yearly with the most recent ONS statistics showing there were 6,069 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2023 and the suicide rate for males in England and Wales increased to 17.4 deaths per 100,000 in the same year. Both figures represent the highest seen since in the UK since 1999.

With the problem seemingly worsening, society is reliant on people like Mr Gaglione and charities like Mind and FPH to continue to raise awareness and show that there is a way out of the suffering.

It was a beautiful day of sunshine, a couple of pints, some good football and honest conversation. Tip of the cap to QPR, Watford FC and most importantly to Mr Gaglione for continuing to raise awareness and money for mental health initiatives. The importance in doing so simply cannot be underestimated.