TAKING ACTION
IN YOUR SETTING
SPORT LIES AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITIES.
Nearly 40 million UK adults take part annually.1 Because of its reach and influence, sport is uniquely placed to help create environments where people feel safe, supported and able to seek help when they need it. From grassroots settings to elite sport, every organisation has a role to play in promoting wellbeing and enabling everyone in sport to thrive.
Sports organisations have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to protect the safety and wellbeing of the people who engage with them. For suicide prevention, this means recognising distress, creating a supportive culture, and having clear policies, training and support pathways in place.
Organisations are not expected to provide clinical care, but they must respond appropriately to risks and safeguarding concerns. At all times the safeguarding of children and adults at risk is paramount. Organisational policies should be in place, communicated, and followed.
Sports organisations can strengthen suicide prevention by:
UNDERSTANDING
the topic of suicide, identifying signs of distress, and signposting to support.
COMMUNICATING
respectfully using the appropriate language and sharing key messages across the organisation.
COLLABORATING
with local services and other organisations to share learning and improve access to support.
EMBEDDING
suicide prevention within policies, practices and culture, and regularly evaluating the approach.
By taking these steps, organisations can create a supportive sporting culture where everyone can:
FEEL SAFE
to speak openly and ask for help when they need it.
FEEL SUPPORTED
with their emotional wellbeing, particularly through challenging situations.
FEEL CONFIDENT
to ask the right questions and signpost to support.
THE STARTING 11
Many of the most impactful actions are simple, cost-effective and sustainable. These 11 actions are a great starting point for organisations to build a supportive sporting culture and make suicide prevention a priority.
01
APPOINT PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION
Assign clear responsibility for suicide prevention across leadership, awareness and support. Larger organisations may appoint different people to each function, while smaller organisations may combine these responsibilities within one role.
IN YOUR SETTING
Sporting environments vary in resource, capacity, governance, and influence, which can affect the extent to which suicide prevention can be championed within your organisation. These differences can also be strengths – smaller organisations may be more embedded in, and have stronger links to, the local community, while larger organisations may have more resources and access to specialist support.
Regardless of these differences, all sports organisations have a responsibility and opportunity to
support suicide prevention.
INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
THE CHALLENGE
- Can be isolating with limited support structures
- The coach role can be more intense and needs to be carefully selected and monitored
- More individual pressure and scrutiny
- More individual jeopardy when dealing with setbacks such as injury, loss or poor performance
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Use closer coach/athlete relationships as an opportunity to check in
- Create spaces for individuals to come together and socialise
- Suicide prevention initiatives should focus on individual preventative steps e.g. journalling, breathing exercises, mindfulness, goal setting etc
- Governing bodies lead on signposting and support networks
community recreation Spaces
THE CHALLENGE
- Hard to engage people in community activities
- Limited structure to wellbeing activities
- Reliant on volunteers with limited mental health/suicide prevention training
- Hard for leadership roles to prioritise suicide prevention
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Use public screens and noticeboards provide spaces to display messages about suicide prevention and signposting
- Encourage the discipline of using physical activity to promote wellbeing and recovery
- Provide an important community focus, encouraging people with no other support network to come forward
GRASSROOTS AND semi-pro SETTINGS
THE CHALLENGE
- Individuals feel injury or retirement harder, as they are closer to the heart and history of the club and community
- People are balancing the unique pressures of full-time work and sport
- Reliant on volunteers with limited mental health/suicide prevention training
- Hard for leadership roles to prioritise suicide prevention
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Utilise community spaces for different people to connect
- Offer support and safe spaces for inter-generational communities with long-term connection to the setting
ELITE SPORTS
THE CHALLENGE
- More focus on winning than individual wellbeing
- Bigger media scrutiny, also including families
- More pressure and bigger stakes/financial risk
- The highs and lows become harder to manage
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Invest in individualised care/support for athletes – sports psychologists, counsellors, general wellbeing, training etc
- Ensure individuals are protected from abuse, particularly online
- Engage fans in positive preventative messaging
- Support athletes through transition periods of deselection, injury or poor performance
- Include families in signposting, to create a holistic approach
- Build wellbeing into regular training/recovery programmes
- Recognise the wellbeing needs of squad players who are not playing regularly
GOVERNING BODIES
THE CHALLENGE
- A one-size-fits-all model won’t necessarily work. Need to recognise all individuals at all levels
- Need visibility and influence throughout the sport
- Can be hard to translate policy/procedure into real-time needs and actions
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Include suicide prevention in wellbeing policies, and appoint a lead in all settings
- Create bespoke, standardised training for their sport and disseminate it across settings
- Regularly interact with individuals during and between events
- Regularly review and update policy to reflect findings / feedback
- Demonstrate top-down leadership in wellbeing support to help embed policy and procedures
ACADEMIES
THE CHALLENGE
- Young individuals can develop rapidly, both physically and emotionally
- Take loss, rejection or injury personally
- Limited wellbeing awareness
- Won’t always open up or seek support with wellbeing issues
THE OPPORTUNITIES
- Promote wellbeing for young people, so as to build foundations for a healthier life both inside and outside of sport
- Provide suicide prevention and mental health training for coaches, who may be first to know if a young person is struggling
- Promote a safe and supportive environment which encourages young people to speak up
- Provide options for career pathways; avoid finality and rejection being ‘the end’
- Provide dedicated wellbeing buddies
1. EY (2025) Sports Engagement Index. https://info.ey.com/UKI-UK-Multiple-ED-2025-02-21-EY-Sports-Engagement-Index-Report-2025.html
