Athletes need more help with mental health

A GEELONG-based publicist is supporting calls for the AFL to implement a stronger mental health plan for its players, following last month’s incident involving Kangaroos star Majak Daw.

According to a survey by the AFL Players’ Association, mental health was the biggest concern of players, with many highlighting the scrutiny levelled at them via social media.

The AFL is now considering making it compulsory for clubs to allocate money in their football department cap towards hiring mental health experts.

Publicist and founder of social media consultancy The Digital Athlete, Carly Post, has seen first-hand the way that social media has changed sporting culture, and said Daw’s incident was exactly why she had started the business.

“Athletes simply aren’t being educated and empowered, or given the tools they need to adequately navigate the digital world we find ourselves in, and it is severely impacting their mental health.

“Misuse of social media in sport is rife but the vast majority of it isn’t malicious; it’s through a lack of understanding.

“Athletes need to better grasp the social media landscape from privacy and permanency to legality, the concept of ‘the digital self’, plus the potential impact on athlete performance and how to manage it.”

She said older generations of management and coaches who had not grown up with social media did not understand it or want to deal with it, but it was “irresponsible and really quite foolish to instruct players to simply stay off social media”.

“It is the responsibility of major sporting organisations, clubs, coaches and even individual players to ensure that this base is covered, particularly for new draftees who go from virtually unknown to superstar overnight. More must be done.”

Ms Post has recently returned from a research tour of the US and is working closely with retired professional basketball player Chris Anstey, professional golfer Jack Wilson and track athlete Luke Mathews, as well as delivering sessions to a number of schools, sporting clubs and other athletes earmarked for potential draft.