Prince William criticises football clubs for neglecting player welfare and mental health

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

The Duke of Cambridge has called out football clubs for treating players as “assets” instead of people and neglecting their welfare.

Prince William who is President of the Football Association said clubs are not doing enough to support players and their mental health. He commented, “Many players come from difficult backgrounds and may have all sorts of issues going on…it’s a dereliction of duty I think – having these players not given the key building blocks or support.”

He warned too many players are not given the support they need in building a new life once they are let go by the club if they fail to reach a required standard. In support of this, he announced a new campaign around mental health with the FA, potentially staging a “Mental health FA Cup”.

The Duke, along with the Duchess of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, have been campaigning for several years on mental health issues, speaking regularly about the stigma and working with various charities and projects to raise awareness.

You may also like

View All

Sport Resolutions to continue supporting World Athletics at Tokyo 25 Championships

Sport Resolutions will support World Athletics during World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 by coordinating an independent ad hoc Disciplinary Tribunal panel to consider any expedited matters arising from the event

Read More

Referee to wear body camera in Serie A match

The referee for the Serie A match between Juventus and Inter Milan will wear a body camera for the first time in the Italian league

Read More

ITIA v Lleyton Hewitt

A decision has been issued by the Independent Panel in the matter of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) against Mr. Lleyton Hewitt

Read More