About Us

Talking Platform is a Mental Health project management association for the football community.

We are not associated with any football club, but are run by football fans who want to help build a network of mental health support groups, for our fellow fans, within football clubs.

Our Vision

Our vision is to see a Mental Health support project operating in every area of the football community, be it in the fan base of every club, supporting players (current and retired), or supporting officials and management staff.
The football club support groups should be able to offer support to members of their local community, as well as members of their fan base.
We are working to assist every area of the football community to take up this opportunity to support their local community, be it inside or outside the stadium.

We aim to put into place a supportive structure that will allow the fans of football clubs to start these projects with little management skills, just the willingness to have a conversation.
We plan to provide services and support to these groups to help them operate to the best of their abilities, including Mental Health First Aid training and support networks from fellow groups and professional organisations.

Our Objectives

1. To be a non-profit-based, inclusive, independent, and democratic organisation designed to encourage the conversation about mental health, within the football community.
2. To establish fan-lead mental health projects within the fan base of football clubs.
   1. Each project to register as an affiliate member.
   2. These projects are to operate independently from their clubs.
3. To encourage each project to train fans as Mental Health First Aiders.
4. To establish a network of support between the projects.
   “Where mental health has no colours” is aimed at removing the club rivalry from between the projects.
5. To provide additional services to these projects, allowing them to concentrate on the support they offer to their fans.
6. To become the connecting link between recognised professional organisations and the everyday fans.
7. To provide guidance to every level of the football community on how to tackle the issues around mental health and to find the required support from professional organisations.
8. To support projects and national organisations with campaigns around mental health issues, bringing anyone from within the football community or others, attention to the issue at hand.