Prince William has called for suicide prevention to be embedded into sport, as he launches a new toolkit to help people recognise when someone is struggling.
The Prince of Wales has created On Your Side with the Royal Foundation, which brings together resources designed to make suicide prevention ‘as much a part of sport as warm up, training and performance’.
Over 70 organisations are supporting the scheme, including the Football Association, Premier League, Team GB, British Cycling and mental health charities.
‘Through my work on mental health, I have met people whose lives have been changed forever by suicide,’ Prince William said. ‘But I have also met people whose lives have been saved because someone stepped in to help.’
William said that while there was valuable work already taking place, ‘initiatives are fragmented’ and ‘support is inconsistent, particularly at a grassroots level’.
News of the programme coincides with World Suicide Prevention Day. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 6,190 people took their own lives in England and Wales in 2024.
Suicide also remains the biggest cause of death for men under 50. The suicide rate among males was 17.6 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 5.7 among females.
A short film was released to mark the launch of On Your Side, featuring England men’s football captain Harry Kane, Formula One driver George Russell, boxer Carl Frampton and Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark.
The toolkit will be launched at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, where a ‘talking bench’ was installed in memory of former Wales captain Gary Speed.
Speed, who also played for Leeds, Bolton, Newcastle and Sheffield United, lost his life to suicide in November 2011.
Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s record goalscorer and a close friend of Speed, said this new project is ‘very personal’ for him.
‘We can’t always know when somebody is struggling, but we can all be better at asking, listening and helping someone find the right support,’ he said.
‘You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t have to have all the answers, but I hope that everyone in sport will use the toolkit.’
In total, the Royal Foundation take the toolkit took two years to make, during which the NHS, Samaritans and Mind were consulted.
Image: Shutterstock
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