logo
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers

GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers

Glasgow Times21-07-2025
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers.
Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010.
The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants.
Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher.
He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness.
Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community.
'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation.
'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media.
'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you.
'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad.
'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.'
A view of the fixture board on Another Way near the stadium, before the Sky Bet League One match at The Bolt New Lawn Stadium, Nailsworth (Nick Potts/PA)
He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options.
'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.'
Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants.
He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms.
The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23.
He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something.
'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.'
Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game.
The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16.
The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green.
There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend.
Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club.
Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations.
Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party.
He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this.
'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well.
'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.'
He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.'
Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995.
'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said.
'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems.
'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them.
'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.'
He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Morecambe on brink of being thrown out of National League as final deadline is missed
Morecambe on brink of being thrown out of National League as final deadline is missed

The Sun

time8 hours ago

  • The Sun

Morecambe on brink of being thrown out of National League as final deadline is missed

MORECAMBE are on the verge of being chucked out of the National League. Panjab Warriors were trying to buy the 105-year-old club from owner Jason Whittingham's Bond Group Investments. 1 But tonight it was confirmed that a deal had not been reached. The Shrimps are suspended from football's fifth tier until August 20 over a failure to comply with the league's rules. And if they fail to satisfy National League chiefs, they will be expelled. It now seems likely they will go the same way as Bury and Macclesfield and be forced to reform. Morecambe are set to go out of business in the coming days, with a statement from Panjab Warriors last week saying: "As of Monday, 4th August: The Club is officially shut. " £0 in the bank and no cash on site means operations cannot continue. "Senior staff have taken the heart-breaking decision to stop working after months of holding the Club together under impossible circumstances. "Without an agreement today: The Club will rapidly disintegrate. "Staff and players are leaving - soon there will be nothing left to sell. "Jason Whittingham your legacy is in your hands. "You will be remembered in Morecambe not for your intentions, but for the outcome of today. Do the right thing, stop the suffering." Morecambe were relegated from League Two last season following an 18-year spell in the EFL. They are currently suspended by the fifth tier National League for failing "to meet its financial obligations for the 2025/2026 season". This all comes after the Panjab Warriors had a takeover bid approved by the EFL in June. After the board tried to force through the sale, Whittingham responded by sacking the entire board before later inviting them back. Rugby club Worcester Warriors were expelled from the Premiership under Whittingham's management three years ago.

Forest Green sign Coventry forward Dausch on loan
Forest Green sign Coventry forward Dausch on loan

BBC News

time14 hours ago

  • BBC News

Forest Green sign Coventry forward Dausch on loan

Forest Green Rovers have signed forward Aidan Dausch from Coventry City on a season-long 19-year-old USA youth international has made two senior appearances off the bench for the Sky played nine National League South matches and scored two goal on loan for St Albans City as the Hertfordshire club were relegated in 21st follows fellow Coventry loanee Isaac Moore to the New Lawn Stadium for the 2025-26 season."Aidan is an exciting talent that we're delighted to work with here at Forest Green," Rovers manager Robbie Savage said."We're thankful to Frank Lampard and Coventry City for allowing us to bring Aidan and Isaac to the football club. We're excited to see them both develop and help us in our quest for promotion."Rovers begin the National League season away at Solihull Moors on Saturday.

Division-leading Phillies like view with Orioles visiting
Division-leading Phillies like view with Orioles visiting

Reuters

time21 hours ago

  • Reuters

Division-leading Phillies like view with Orioles visiting

August 4 - The Philadelphia Phillies are back in first place in the National League East and the ultimate task is staying there. The Phillies hold a half-game lead over the New York Mets as they enter a three-game home series against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. Philadelphia took two of three from the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers over the weekend, including a 2-0 win on Sunday night. Kyle Schwarber clubbed his 38th homer of the season to match Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL lead. Schwarber likes what he sees from a team eyeing a fourth straight playoff berth. "The biggest thing is we have a group where we know we can go really far in the playoffs and be where we want to be," Schwarber said afterward. "It's a day-by-day challenge. Obviously, we have our goals before that. We want to win our division." New closer Jhoan Duran notched his second straight save Sunday since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins before the trade deadline. "I think the overall message was we got a guy in the back end of the bullpen to where we know that if you hand him the ball, it's going to be tough to beat the guy," Schwarber said of Duran. The Orioles have lost three of their last four games, including a painful 5-3 loss to the Cubs on Sunday when Chicago pinch hitter Justin Turner hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning. Baltimore traded center fielder Cedric Mullins to the New York Mets and right fielder Ramon Laureano and first baseman Ryan O'Hearn to the San Diego Padres at the deadline, so there are openings in the lineup. One player who will receive a long look is Jeremiah Jackson, a second baseman whose path is blocked by youngster Jackson Holliday. Though he played in the outfield for just three games in the minors this season, Jackson was recalled after the deadline deals and started in right field for the final two games of the three-game set against the Cubs with Tyler O'Neill (illness) out of the lineup. Jackson, 25, was the designated hitter Friday in his big league debut. He went 3-for-8 with a walk in the series. Jackson batted fifth on Sunday. "Really just sticking to an approach," Jackson told reporters. "Just being ready and competing in the box, I think that's really been the biggest separator for me." Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Jackson was a great fit for the No. 5 hole. "I just need someone to make contact in that five-hole right there," Mansolino said. "You've got your four best hitters, and the odds are if you're going to create traffic, it's going to be with those four guys at the top. Whoever is sitting in that five-hole has got to put the ball in play. ..." Orioles left-hander Cade Povich (2-5, 5.15 ERA) will be activated off the 10-day injured list Monday to start against Philadelphia. Povich, 25, has been sidelined since mid-June due to hip inflammation. His last appearance came in relief when he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels to get the win. Povich has never faced the Phillies. His lone win in 12 starts this season came against the Washington Nationals on April 24. Philadelphia counters with left-hander Jesus Luzardo (9-5, 4.31), who blanked the Chicago White Sox on two hits over seven innings in a 6-3 win on Tuesday. Luzardo, 27, hasn't allowed an earned run in five of his victories and gave up just one run in three others. Luzardo is 0-2 with a 5.59 ERA in 9 2/3 innings over two career starts against the Orioles. --Field Level Media

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store