Flintoff adds PCA Mental Health Ambassador role to Presidency Andrew Flintoff, the new President of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has continued his support for the Association’s mental health awareness campaign by becoming a PCA Mental Health Ambassador. Flintoff, who was elected only the seventh President in the PCA’s history at the recent annual meeting, will promote the Association’s pioneering work in de-stigmatising mental health issues in sport. Just a few days after the first annual Mental Health Charter day, led by the Sport and Recreational Alliance and Mind, Flintoff, has further pledged his support to the organisation in order to continue education and raise awareness on this important subject. Flintoff is not new to the subject, after openly discussing his issues with depression in a documentary that he led in 2009, called ‘Freddie Flintoff: ‘Hidden Side of Sport” for BBC, where he interviewed a number of high profile cricketers and sportspeople, who have suffered mental health issues, including, Steve Harmison, Neil Fairbrother, both dressing room colleagues whilst playing cricket, Neil Lennon, Graham Dott and Ricky Hatton. The PCA used aspects of the programme, in the formation of its own core, online mental health awareness programme, ‘Mind Matters’ where Flintoff, features in the Anxiety and Depression module. https://kvgo.com/TheHall/MM_Anxiety_and_Depression In 2014, he addressed the PCA’s 3rd annual Rookie camp where all newly contracted cricketers gather to receive valuable information on the career that lays before them and of the benefits that may lay in waiting, for a long career in the game. LINK Flintoff has also played a key role in contributing to the PCA’s confidential helpline online video messaging, by encouraging members to seek help if there is a need, and in-line with all directives to get people to talk about their feelings, he urges people to take action and discuss their feelings ” In these circumstances, there is no such thing as a time waster” {{Flintoff-mental}} “This subject isn’t a new subject for me, and again, I’m delighted to offer my support to the PCA’s push to help educate and raise awareness in this area. I feel they are really leading the way on this subject, probably since Marcus Trescothick opened up to his difficulties in 2006. I want to help carry on this momentum and ensure that we help as many people as possible,” Flintoff said. PCA’s Assistant CEO and Head of member services, Jason Ratcliffe, said: “To have Freddie put his support behind such an important and topical issue is incredibly powerful. By primarily ensuring our core cricketing population understand that one in four of us may suffer a mental health issue at any point of our lives, we hope the messaging will resonate with the wider population as well and encourage people to seek help as early as possible.” Graeme Fowler , the former England, Lancashire and Durham batsman, is currently addressing all county squads during PCA pre-season visits talking about his experiences with depression and the PCA will shortly announce more Mental Health Ambassadors, who will all help drive this key agenda over the coming months and years. {{ak_sharing}}
