England Manager and LMA President, Gareth Southgate has backed a partnership, led by the League Managers Association (LMA) and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, which aims to help prevent suicide – as it is rolled out across the country following a successful launch in Greater Manchester in 2021.

To kick-start the national rollout of this ground-breaking partnership, a new film has been created featuring Gareth Southgate, Andy Burnham, all 20 Premier League managers and managers from across the EFL and WSL.

The film aims to use the managers’ influence and reach to raise awareness of the free online suicide prevention training, which nearly two million people across the country have taken so far.

The training is a crucial part of the Shining a Light on Suicide campaign, run by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership since 2019. The award-winning campaign works to bring the word suicide out of the dark, so that everyone can confidently start open and honest conversations about suicide and suicidal feelings.

Suicidal thoughts are more common than people realise, with suicide being the biggest killer of men under 49 and women aged 20 to 34. Research shows that using the word ‘suicide’ appropriately let’s other people know it is ok to talk about suicidal feelings and that the person asking is there to listen.

The film features managers of professional football teams across the country and the football leagues to ensure it is far reaching.

The 20-minute Zero Suicide Alliance training course, which is available for free to the public nationwide, helps participants to recognise the warning signs that someone may be thinking about suicide, understand how to ask them if they are thinking about suicide and help them access appropriate support.

England manager and LMA President, Gareth Southgate, said: “It was educational for me watching and going through the Zero Suicide Alliance course.

“It’s so important for somebody with suicidal feelings to feel support and, that one conversation, might be the thing that makes the difference. You might open the door to somebody actually seeking professional help or stop them at that moment when they are thinking of suicide. Those timelines and those moments can be really marginal, so, for somebody to feel that somebody is interested in what they are feeling, might have a greater impact than you might think.

“I would definitely recommend that everybody takes the 20 minute Zero Suicide Alliance online course. It’s changed how I thought about providing support, it’s changed the type of language I might use and it’s probably made me think about being more direct with people.“

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, added: “Mental health is in many ways the issue of our times. Yet we have a lot more to do to prevent suicide and break the taboo around suicide by having these most difficult conversations. We know that small actions can make all the difference for someone who is in distress.

“Greater Manchester’s Shining a Light on Suicide campaign is a ground-breaking campaign helping to save lives by bringing suicide out of the dark.

“Football is a pressure cooker and football managers become quite expert at reading people within the dressing room, lifting people and understanding what those people in their team are thinking and feeling.

 

“We’re really proud of this partnership with the LMA and are so grateful to the managers who have stepped forward to be part of this film, giving this campaign a significant boost, because their words matter to a lot of people.

“By working with the LMA to shine a light on suicide we will reach people who would have otherwise been missed and together we will save lives.”