Mental Health Support
The WPBSA prioritises the mental health and wellbeing of its professional players and has developed working partnerships with specialist organisations designed to facilitate various levels of support for a range of issues including emotional health, depression, and addiction.
Sporting Chance
Sporting Chance is one of the world’s most innovative centres for the treatment of emotional and behavioural problems among professional and former professional sportspeople.
The partnership offers physio for the mind, body, and soul through providing responsive, confidential support to help World Snooker Tour (WST) players deal with the challenges of competing at the pinnacle of professional sport.
Sporting Chance was set up in the year 2000 by Tony Adams, MBE, to address the difficulties he experienced as a player in accessing professional, confidential support for his emotional and mental health. Twenty years later, the charity – which functions exclusively to support both current and retired professional sportspeople – is working with more sports than ever. Football, rugby league, cricket, horse racing and darts all benefit from the tailored services developed by the clinical team at Sporting Chance over the course of two decades and now, through an agreement with the WPBSA, its services are available to all WST players.
Having taken the significant step to make initial contact via a dedicated 24-hour helpline, players will undergo an assessment appointment to discuss in detail the problems experienced, and the level of support required.
Therapy sessions can be offered initially and reviewed on an individual basis. Treatment can take the form of telephone contact, Skype, or face-to-face meetings with the goal of helping the player to better manage and ultimately overcome their situation.
Learn more online about Sporting Chance.
Mental Health Charter
The WPBSA has signed up to support the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation. The Charter aims to:
- create a welcoming, inclusive, and positive environment for everyone to participate in sport and recreation
- encourage people to talk about mental health
- support people to seek help and support when needed
By signing up to the Charter, the WPBSA has committed to:
- promote wellbeing
- promote and adopt good mental health policies and best practice
- promote positive messages using diverse role models and ambassadors
- tackle discrimination
- support a pan-sport approach and share resources and best practice
- monitor your performance, assess progress, and take positive action on mental health issues
The Charter is being supported by the charity Mind. Mind has lots of useful information and resources around mental health. Find out about the most discussed mental health problems, including possible causes and how to access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
