Three UK is using former hardman footballer Vinnie Jones in a campaign with Chelsea F.C. and Samaritans to address mens’ mental health issues
In an online video, Jones talks abouth is own mental health issues with Chelsea players Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Robert Sanchez and Alfie Gilchrist and encourages them to ‘talk more’.
Jones said: “I grew up in an era when mental health wasn’t even a thing, yet it’s something I struggled with without realising. Now I want to empower men and women to talk about it. To those of us that love football; we need to use those connections we have made to talk about more than just football. If I can do it, then you can too.”
The campaign follows research of 2,000 UK football fans that found that around 67 per cent) of football fans have struggled with their mental health, while a third have never spoken to anyone about it. The research found that one in four (27%) fans said that seeing well-known people talk more regularly about mental health would help them do it too. A further two-thirds (65%) would like to know how to broach the subject and 62% would like a prompt to talk about it more regularly.
Three UK & Ireland Marketing Director Aislinn O’Connor, said: “We want communities to use their shared passions, like football, to open up about mental health. We want them to have meaningful conversations with one another.
Three and Samaritans are offer ingfree virtual and in-person listening skills sessions for football fans to learn how to have more supportive conversations
The ad can be seen on – @ThreeUK on Instagram, @ThreeUK on X, @ThreeUK on TikTok or Three UK on YouTube.
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