THE idea for his book on football’s often strained and complex relationship with mental health issues arrived long before Covid-19 was even a thing. But Dominic Stevenson believes the ripples of the pandemic will be felt by those connected to the game for some time to come.
The Edinburgh-based author has explored football from every angle in Get Your Head In The Game, interviewing managers, coaches, doctors, physios and supporters from all around the world to learn about the support mechanisms that were in place – or not in many cases – to help them during their darkest days.
Stevenson provides a sympathetic ear to each subject including David Cox, the former Cowdenbeath player who has spoken bravely and at length in the past about his suicide attempts, Blair Hamilton, the transgender goalkeeper left frustrated by the intolerance shown by her fellow supporters, and writers Chris McQueer and Val McDermid who talk about their experiences as supporters.
Stevenson admits he has struggled with bouts of depression himself and worries for those football fans whose only meaningful social interaction traditionally comes on a Saturday at 3pm. Denied the chance to chat to friends at a match has left many of them feeling isolated.
“When I moved to Edinburgh a few years ago I didn’t have any Hearts or Hibs affiliation so I decided I’d start going to watch Edinburgh City,” he revealed. “I didn’t have any friends in the area at that time so I just took myself along to the matches and as a football fan I just loved that whole match-day experience.
“And I miss that feeling of being a part of something a bit bigger than yourself when you’re in a football crowd. There will be thousands of people all across the country in the same boat feeling a bit lost at the moment. A year on, I think people within football are starting to realise how much not being able to attend games is now starting to affect people and their mental health.
“For many people, going to a match may be their only meaningful social interaction of the week. And it’s not always necessarily with friends.
“It’s maybe the same people you’ve had a season ticket next to for years and you say hello and maybe a little chat at half-time. And even though you don’t really know them, you still miss that. I think I’ve been on one walk with someone in six months. And a lot of football fans will be in a similar position. We really have to be mindful of football fans and how they are coping at this time.”
In pre-lockdown times, Stevenson was also a youth coach with Spartans having previously worked with Edinburgh City’s under-16s.
“I’ve not been able to do any coaching with them since lockdown began because of restrictions on gatherings,” he added. “The club are doing amazing stuff with the kids like virtual coaching in their gardens. But I live in a flat so I’ve not been able to get involved. I miss the kids and the other coaches.
“I know it’s been hard for young people in general over the past year but not being able to play football and be with their friends has been really tough for the players.”
A lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan, the inspiration behind Stevenson’s book came from a desire to show there are people in football suffering regardless of background, profile or gender.
“There’s always ‘banter’ flying around in football and we don’t always think how it might affect the person targeted,” he added. “As a fan we think we have a right at a game to act and say what we want. And then afterwards people feel emboldened to abuse players in the streets or on social media, not for one second thinking how that might affect that player behind closed doors. So I wanted to talk to players, managers, fans and ex-players to show the journey they make from a young emerging talent to their life post-career.
“I’ve spoken to female players and coaches, people from the LGBTQIA+ community and people from minority backgrounds to hear all their different perspectives in being involved in football.
“This book isn’t going to suddenly fix everything. But I hope it will maybe shine a bit of light onto a lot of these issues.”
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