Chester RUFC is very pleased to be working closely with mental health charity Looseheadz. Our work as a Looseheadz Superclub is exciting, and we are proud of our role. We were recently invited to speak at a workshop about the progress we’re making at Chester in promoting mental well-being and support for all our players, coaches and families.

Clubs from across the North West attended the workshop hosted by Looseheadz and Sale Sharks. They were all there to get started on the Looseheadz partnership programme and were looking for support to take the first steps in instituting their own mental health support programmes. As a Super Club we were able to share our experiences of getting our mental health Initiatives up and running.

Our key message for these clubs was “a small change can make a huge impact”. At Chester, we have worked hard to make small changes in how we operate across the club, knowing that they will make a difference.

Looseheadz recently came along to CRUFC to create a film to showcase to others how successful our relationship has been with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT6RntWVwHE

Here are some examples of the small changes we’ve made over the last few years:

Introducing well-being talks at the start of training sessions
Having a healthy eating menu option in the clubhouse
Promoting workshops and seminars for mental health awareness for parents and coaches
Open, visible access to local mental health support groups
Events in the clubhouse marking Mental Health Awareness day
Providing free sanitary products for players in our women’s and girls section
Setting up a second-hand kit shop as part of the M&J Hub
Instituting a new payment platform for club communications and instalment payments
Holding a start of season coaches social night
Sponsored team meals

Working with our catering partners Dougherty and Allen, we have the clubhouse open most evenings to encourage social connections. We’re also really pleased the club will be showing all the Autumn International games with meal deals too, so we can come together and enjoy rugby on the pitch and on the big screens.

These small steps help to normalise areas of mental well-being and make it a second nature within the club. We know from feedback that players and families are benefiting from having a safe and comfortable environment for all.

You could be forgiven for thinking ‘, but this happens in all clubs’ - it doesn’t. Chester is leading the way in the rugby community highlighting mental well-being awareness - a beacon we are delighted to shine! Our team of volunteers work hard behind the scenes to make these changes happen, and they’re actively supported by the club committee - another key strength of our club!

We’ve done so much work over the last couple of years to increase mental health well-being awareness at Chester, and it can seem overwhelming to clubs just getting started. As the workshop demonstrated, there are huge barriers to overcome within the rugby community to get mental well-being acknowledged. As a Looseheadz Superclub, we are happy to support local clubs to get started on the path, and welcome them to Hare Lane to see what we are doing, an invitation that many are keen to take up.

If you would like to speak in confidence about any mental issues you are experiencing or would like to see how you can help or contribute to the programme – please contact gemmachester1@outlook.com