Latest news with #InsideMatters
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mental health struggles not a sign of weakness
Newcastle defender Dan Burn has opened up about his mental health, saying it is "not a weakness but a sign of strength" to ask for help if you are struggling. Burn, 33, made his Premier League debut with Fulham in 2014 and went through what he described as "a bad patch". Speaking to former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer for Mental Health Awareness Week, Burn said when he was younger he found it hard to speak about the issues he faced. "I think I was embarrassed," he said. "At the time I'd been playing Premier League football and I was like: 'How can I be feeling like this? Premier League football, 21 years old and I'm having these problems.' "But mental health doesn't discriminate, it affects everybody. You think you're the only person going through that, but when you speak about it and open up to people you realise everybody's got something going on and it affects everyone. I was very lucky I had a good network around me." Burn believes improved awareness of mental health these days means more people are feeling they can speak about their struggles, especially within football. "I think it's become better as my career's gone on," he said. "I think at the start the mental health thing was quite taboo, it was seen as quite a weak thing, but I think it's the opposite. When you need help it takes so much effort to [ask for it]. "It's not a sign of weakness, it's a strength to say you're struggling." All Premier League matches on 10-11 May were dedicated to Inside Matters - a league campaign to raise awareness of mental health and encourage fans to check in on the wellbeing of others. Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone
Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League bosses forced to postpone tournament one week before first match
Premier League bosses have been forced to postpone a major youth tournament in Mumbai. The Next Gen Cup has been scrapped because of rising military tensions between India and Pakistan with growing security and safety fears. Prem officials have followed the example of other sports with the Pakistan Cricket Board already announcing they are moving the remaining eight matches of the Pakistan Super League to the United Arab Emirates. Several top flight teams were due to take part in the youth football tournament to be held in Mumbai next weekend. They have held extensive talks and discussions about the event after closely monitoring the situation and have taken the decision with the safety of the players at the forefront of their minds. It was due to be the sixth edition of the under-19s tournament with teams from the Premier League, Indian Super League and South Africa taking part. The Next Gen Cup has been in conjunction with the Indian Super League and Reliance Foundation charity with different English teams invited each year. This year would have been held just weeks after the Premier League announced it was opening an office in India. The Premier League announced: 'Based in Mumbai, the new office will build on the Premier League's long standing work to engage local fans and partners and promote football in India, while supporting the continued growth of the League and its clubs.' But the Next Gen has now been put on hold for this year amid the escalating tensions. Meanwhile, the Premier League is running a mental health campaign entitled Inside Matters around this weekend's fixtures. It will be a visible campaign with logos, videos and messaging to encourage fans to make a call or to check in on friends and family. It includes West Ham boss Graham Potter, who speaks with his brother, and Brentford's Thomas Frank, who checks in with his mother-in-law. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: ' Football has a unique ability to bring people together and spark conversations. We want to harness this power to encourage fans to check in on those they care about.' Newcastle United defender Dan Burn is another player supporting 'Inside Matters'. He recently met Toon legend Alan Shearer to discuss the importance of talking about mental wellbeing in a BBC showthat will air this weekend. Burn said: 'Mental health does not discriminate, it affects everybody. You might think you're the only person going through difficulties, but when you speak about it and open up to people you realise that everyone has something going on. 'When I have struggled, I was very lucky that I had a good network around me to help me through difficult times. I would always encourage people to take the time to check in on others.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.
The Guardian
31-01-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘We're not blind': Richard Masters on the pyramid, ticket prices and the Premier League's soft power
It is 5pm in Brighton, the sun has set, but the skies are still teeming with rain. On a five-a-side pitch at the top of one of the city's many inclines, a group of determined girls are being put through their paces by a coach from Albion in the Community. They're running hard, working through passing exercises, keeping warm. And at the side of the pitch is the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, standing under an umbrella looking happy. Masters describes the community and social programmes his competition supports as 'the other half of the Premier League'. His trip to Brighton commemorates the beginning of a process that will anoint 100 'community captains', celebrating the work of individuals in clubs up and down the football pyramid. He says: 'I've always said if other stuff might be getting you down and you need an injection of enthusiasm, just go to a community programme and you'll feel better about what you're involved in.' Since taking the top job at the world's biggest domestic football league in 2019, Masters will have likely needed the odd injection. Called 'The Master of Corruption' by one Everton banner aggrieved at the club's profitability and sustainability punishments, he is also regularly labelled as a puppet, either of the so-called big six, or maybe the red cartel, or the collection of clubs that feature on the mobile hoarding regularly parked outside Premier League shareholder meetings reading 'Richard's Masters'. He is the face of opposition to the football regulator and the man who puts noses out of joint when he doesn't congratulate Erling Haaland on getting a new contract. He gets it in the neck most days. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, therefore, he feels the Premier League's work in the community does not receive the credit it deserves. 'I think that Premier League football is part of British culture,' Masters says. 'It doesn't define it, but it's part of it. There are more than 6,000 people employed by community foundations across the country, the Primary Stars [educational] programme is active in 19,000 schools. So yes, I do think we're culturally relevant.' He also stands by the social values the league looks to articulate across the season. No Room for Racism, Rainbow Laces, the mental health campaign Inside Matters – all share a thread of inclusion, and the league's support for equality and diversity comes at a time when such values are under direct attack from politicians. 'The message that football is for everyone is non- negotiable,' says Masters, who rejects any claims of politicising sport. 'I would just ask the question: 'To what extent is making clear statements about discrimination, about racism, political?' I don't believe it is political. We are an apolitical, politically neutral organisation with multi-faith. Everybody is welcome. So to me these are not political statements.' This season the Rainbow Laces campaign was the subject of pushback from some players, including Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui and the Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, who objected on religious grounds. Masters says the protest had 'made us think about [the campaign] again' but not to change position. 'It's a very simple message of inclusion,' he says. 'Everyone should feel like they are welcome at Premier League matches. It's not enforced on players, it never has been, and to some extent it's a shame that it's been mildly politicised during that period. So whether it's that message or another message we'll continue to make sure that the LGBTQ+ community know that they're welcome at Premier League football matches and Premier League grounds, whether that's on the pitch, in the stands or in the employment chains.' Masters says the modern Premier League is 'four things together'. Not only 'a fantastic football competition, it's also an amazing story of soft power around the world, of inward investment and community social impact [which] make it unique. I can't think of anyone else or anything else that does it in quite the same way. Of course we're immensely proud of that and we'd like to keep all four of those things spinning at the same time in a positive direction.' The task of spinning plates usually ends with at least one smashing to the floor, and Masters does acknowledge some tensions between his four pillars. Such as the increase in ticket pricing which has caused outrage and organisation among match-going fans. Masters cites stats that show average ticket prices across the league are £39, and the £30 away ticket rule. However, with season tickets going up and concessions under threat he acknowledges clubs have work to do. 'So our clubs, in my view, fully understand their fanbase,' he says. 'We are 99% sold out at matches, that is a great thing and our clubs know the value of that. I think they will get it right in the end and ensure that football remains affordable to a broad cross-section of people.' As for the regulator, Masters remains unwaveringly sceptical, suspicious of mission creep and the throttling of the jeopardy he says is the key ingredient behind the Premier League's success. 'The essential theory is that in the interest of trying to do good in football, the regulator may come in and affect that ability to invest, that ability to inspire and the ability to deliver jeopardy,' he says. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion When it is suggested that such jeopardy is already challenged, with Manchester City champions for the past four seasons and all three promoted clubs in danger of being relegated – just as they were last season – despite a net transfer spend of about £230m between them, Masters does not buy the analysis. 'I'm not blind to these things, but also we shouldn't overreact to one or two seasons,' he says. 'City have won the league four times in a row, but two of those were final-day finishes, and every single one was a massive mountain to climb. Whilst we have got the same name scratched on the trophy, it's incredibly competitive still to win the Premier League. We're not blind to long-term trends, and we do understand that we have a responsibility to the rest of the pyramid.' Masters has clearly grown into his role, more confident and relaxed than the man who had to hold the tiller as football was thrown around by the crises of Covid. Read between the lines of some of his remarks and there also appears to be more flexibility than previously. There are bigger challenges to come, Manchester City's 130 charges foremost among them, a topic Masters says he doesn't want to discuss. It's an unrelenting job but one that has its benefits, and sometimes they can be found as the rain bounces off the astroturf.
