At Leisure Leagues we are proud that millions of people all around the world play in our leagues. People from all nationalities, backgrounds and beliefs all coming together to play one glorious sport.

6 a side football is the most inclusive sport in the world. The one where whatever your ability, everyone is welcome and everyone is equal and at Leisure Leagues, we are acutely aware of the tremendous power of sport to help people through their issues, but these issues are becoming ever more common. And the figures are incredible.

Mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide.

Mental health and behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety and drug use) are reported to be the primary drivers of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds, with more than 800,000 people die by suicide a year, making it the principal cause of death among people fifteen to twenty-nine years old.

Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the burden of suicide and ischemic heart disease.

It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem.

In the UK alone, in 2018, there were 6,507 deaths by suicide (a rate of 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people).

90% of our players are male, one figure in particular sticks out: Overall, men accounted for three-quarters of UK deaths by suicide in 2018.

But please, if you are struggling, seek help. Whatever goal you have and however much playing in one of our leagues means to you, your health is worth more and the battle to prevent suicide is truly worth winning.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/world-mental-health-day