It’s a goal!: basing a community psychiatric nursing service in a local football stadium

This paper describes the development of a community mental health project in a local football stadium, the Moss Ross stadium in Macclesfield, England, UK. This 3-year project was designed in 2003 and was able to secure funding from the Laureus Foundation’s ‘Sport for Good’ initiative. The project provides mental health promotion and mental health awareness input targeted initially at young men, a group who are often very difficult to engage in this type of work. Using group interventions and utilizing football as a metaphor, the project helps young men address issues about depression, self esteem and inclusion, and addresses the subject of suicide which remains the second biggest cause of death in young men in Britain. The structure of the groups and the evaluation of the first 2 groups to complete the process are also described.