The Rugby Players Association (RPA) has launched ‘Lift the Weight’ – a new rugby-led cause campaign that aims to remove stigma surrounding mental health issues and signpost support to those that need it.
The campaign objective is to drive awareness that one in four people in the UK will be affected by mental illness in any year (the most common being depression and anxiety) and that in some cases the pressures and strains that can act as a catalyst to mental health issues are magnified for professional sportspeople.
With sports stars coping with issues ranging from injury and intense pressure, to constant media scrutiny and high fan expectations, sports stars can experience a unique set of pressures and the campaign urges players and the public not to suffer in silence and aims to help #LiftTheWeight.
RPA members are offered access to 24/7 confidential counselling and can call 01373 858 080, while members of the public are encouraged to seek support and information from two key partner associations: the mental health charity Mind (http://www.mind.org.uk/ / 0300 123 3393 / info@mind.org.uk) and the Samaritans (http://www.samaritans.org/ / Tel 116 123 / jo@samaritans.org).
The #LiftTheWeight campaign itself aims to connect with members of the RPA by sharing the stories and experiences of team-mates and peers in order to create a greater understanding of mental health issues within the sport.
It features a squad of current and former professional rugby players – from the UK and overseas – talking about their own experiences of mental health, including: James Haskell, Jonny Wilkinson, Nolli Waterman, Ollie Phillips, Jono Kitto, Matt Hankin, Netani Talei, Duncan Bell and Kane Palma-Newport.
The campaign was launched on 18 February by a hero film fronted by England back row star James Haskell.
The spot that is being amplified across the organisation’s digital and social platforms from YouTube to Facebook and Twitter.
This central video is further supported by a digital series of additional player-fronted, subject-specific spots and cut down clips hosted on the campaign digital hub on a microsite section of the RPA’s website at http://therpa.co.uk/lifttheweight/ (which includes around 30 interviews on six related topics).
These include ‘#LiftTheWeight – James Haskell: Dealing with Anxiety’,
‘#LiftTheWeight – Netani Talei: Getting Help’
‘#LiftTheWeight – Kane Palma-Newport: Stress of Playing’
and ‘#LiftTheWeight – Jono Kitto: Perfectionism Complex’.
The RPA,
Everybody struggles. Don't suffer in silence.
Visit: https://t.co/EPbjvKpRO5
Watch: https://t.co/YNCGS7y5Jv#LiftTheWeight pic.twitter.com/eKuxfA8jEI
— The RPA (@theRPA) February 19, 2017
1 in 4 suffer from mental health issues in any given year. Sportsmen and women are no different. Don't suffer in silence. #LiftTheWeight pic.twitter.com/JCHhWJhKes
— The RPA (@theRPA) February 19, 2017
players,
Incredibly proud of this campaign.
We all struggle, it's not "soft" to ask for help.
Speak to anyone. #lifttheweight https://t.co/vvaSrsxjhJ
— Kane Palma-Newport (@kanokano123) February 19, 2017
A growing issue in sport… Don't suffer in silence, share the burden #LiftTheWeight https://t.co/GXmwz1Aw0l
— ugo monye (@ugomonye) February 20, 2017
the Premier League
We are proud to support this campaign from @theRPA … Don't suffer in silence #lifttheweight https://t.co/Fgzw7apF7Q
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) February 19, 2017
and its constituent clubs, as well as other related organisations like Sport England
"You're not alone"@theRPA's #LiftTheWeight campaign aims to help remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues among rugby players. https://t.co/YGMt1QcCrL
— Sport England (@Sport_England) February 20, 2017
and Restart Rugby
NEWS | @theRPA has today officially launched its new #MentalHealth campaign – #LiftTheWeight.
Find out more: https://t.co/b9XdmcQGxA pic.twitter.com/1gxtGXsO22— Restart Rugby (@RestartRugby) February 20, 2017
are all supporting the initiative socially.
‘This campaign is something I feel strongly about because it is an area that gets neglected quite a lot. I’ve always used a sports psychologist from the early days when I started playing,’ comments Haskell.
‘People will always have varying degrees of “issues” whether it is a serious thing, or confidence to play, dealing with ups and downs or whatever it might be. I’ve found speaking to her all the time very useful in terms of preparing for games, how to deal with ups and downs, where others will let it go,’[ the England and Wasps flanker continues.
‘You are surrounded by team-mates all the time and statistics say there are going to be people with problems off the field. We’re all driven by different things and what the RPA has done is highlight it, encourage people to go out and speak. There is that macho element to rugby and I think sometimes people don’t think they can open up.’
Another current player participating in the campaign is Leicester Tigers scrum-half Jono Kitto, who himself has struggled with mental health issues.
‘It’s vital [to talk] and it’s life-saving to a certain degree. Stats suggest one in four people in general are going to be affected by mental illness at some point during their lives,’ Kitto said.
Activative Comment:
This campaign follows on from a previous RPA initiative (involving Duncan Bell) which saw a 131% rise in the number of players contacting the body’s confidential counselling service with Cognacity (with 2016 seeing a record number of players using the service).
Despite a number of high-profile elite athletes speaking out about their own struggles with mental health – including other rugby led campaigns such as NRL’s ‘State Of Mind’ campaign in Australia (see case study), the stigma around these issues remains and this kind of campaign remains vital.
Another interesting aspect of this initiative is its launch timing – which coincides with the heightened public interest in rugby due to the 6 Nations.
The 6 Nations is the world’s most watched annual rugby property and rugby rights holders and sponsors who aren’t directly part of the 6 Nations are split as to whether to tactically leverage the 6 Nations, or to avoid activating during the tournament for fear of being drowned out by the weight of marketing and the associated leverage noise around the game’s blockbuster competition.
The RPA is clearly in the former camp and they are not alone: others who have decide to leverage peak rugby interest created by the 6 Nations despite all the tournament associated marketing noise range from fellow CSR initiatives such as Aviva’s #DriveSafer campaigns (see case study) to British & Irish Lions campaigns from sponsors Land Rover (see case study) and Gillette (see case study).
Links:
Rugby Players Association
www.therpa.co.uk/lifttheweight
https://www.youtube.com/user/RugbyPlayersAssoc
https://twitter.com/theRPA
https://www.instagram.com/therpa_/
https://www.facebook.com/TheRugbyPlay…
Samaritans
http://www.samaritans.org/
Mind
Premiership Rugby
http://www.premiershiprugby.com/home.php
http://www.facebook.com/PremiershipRugby
http://twitter.com/premrugby
https://www.youtube.com/user/PremiershipRugby
https://plus.google.com/u/0/106489083114376580006
