Mental Health A "Big Issue" for Players During COVID-19 - Terry
John Terry has opened up about the mental health of players during the COVID-19 lockdown in a exclusive interview with Keys & Gray
John Terry says he would “struggle” to cope without football in his life and has urged footballers to use the current suspension of the sport during the COVID-19 outbreak as a chance to think about future careers.
A recent study by the global players’ union Fifpro showed that the number of footballers reporting symptoms of depression has doubled since the sport shut down. Anxiety symptoms have also risen amid significant concerns about the long-term impact that coronavirus may have on the football community.
Speaking on the Keys & Gray show, the Aston Villa assistant manager said it’s a serious problem but could provide positive opportunities for the future; “I don’t think you can ever replace it, I really don’t. I think I’m lucky because I’m a coach and I’m on the football pitch daily. If I weren’t, I think I’d struggle to be honest without that in my life."
“Mental health’s a big issue that we’re talking about, so I think this will give a lot of players a taste of what’s to come when they retire. It’s not actually always greener on the other side, so it might just be an opportunity for players to kick-start their coaching careers, whether they’re 20 or 25, or really think about what they want to do with their careers after football”
Premier League fixtures have been put on hold until further notice due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Hopes of an initial return to action behind closed doors as early as May have been quashed.
Terry believes more time will be needed even after a scheduled return date to get the players back to optimum levels of performance.
“I think everyone’s been in the same boat, so from that side of it, we’ve had great feedback from the lads and the physical work that they’re doing, but like I said it’s also managing that. You don’t want them to work too hard now because when we go back, we’ll probably have to do a mini pre-season and some physical work as well just to get them up to speed again."
“Right from the start, we had bikes sent out to them, dealing with those individuals, making sure they’re doing their work. But, also, you don’t want them to burn out as well, so it’s very much led by the gaffer [Dean Smith]."
"He’s in full charge of that, probably having more contact with the players than I am, just knowing everyone is staying fit, kind of raring to go really once we’re given the green light”
You can hear more fro John Terry on a Keys & Gray special on Thursday the 30th of April, in the meanwhile, you can watch the whole series via Youtube.
