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It’s not very often that we stop and really reflect on how far we’ve come, but this Mental Health Awareness Week I'm inviting you to celebrate some recent and significant milestones in embedding mental health in sport and physical activity.

Over the last decade, the sector has been on an incredible journey to take positive action on mental health.

This kick-started with the launch of the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation in 2015 and since then we’ve seen some key milestones, such as:

• Mind’s groundbreaking #OnYourSide partnership with the EFL, including the logo on the back of football shirts
• over 50,000 people accessing the Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity eLearning course (new one coming soon!)
• the launch of Safe and Effective Practice, a toolkit co-designed with the support of people with lived experience of mental health problems and over 180 organisations, including the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The assets provide guidance, tools and a checklist to help anyone to create inclusive and accessible environments, supporting participants and deliverers. This work is already bridging the gap between physical activity and health with local commissioners such as North Yorkshire Combined Authority funding safe and effective physical activity programmes through North Yorkshire Sport’s Movement, Activity and Sport fund.

“So, Ben, are those the significant milestones you’re referring to?” I hear you ask, and of course they’re significant! But there’s still more to do to support people’s mental health through sport, physical activity and movement.

Back in 2017, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's Duty of Care report contained clear recommendations including:

• the introduction of the sector-standard mental health training for coaches and physical activity professionals
• the need by national governing bodies (NGBs) to include mental health issues in the content of coaching and other sport-related courses, which filtered down to clubs.

Recently we’ve done just that and CIMSPA’s Coach and Swimming Teacher professional standards now include a section on mental health awareness with knowledge points on:

• mental health definitions
• professional boundaries
• providing support to people with mental health problems
• the importance of self-care.

Plus did you know the sport and physical activity sector now has a dedicated professional standard for working with people with mental health conditions?

This means NGBs and training providers can benchmark qualifications and training when delivering programmes specifically aimed at people with mental health problems.

Championing activity and wellbeing

This is hugely significant because, believe it or not, the sport and physical activity sector is leading the way!

And I'm not being biased as, out the 322 organisations surveyed in CIMSPA’s 2025 Workforce Development Tool, nearly half (48%) identified mental health awareness as a specialised skill they will need in the next 12–24 months.

Oh, and we haven’t stopped there!

We’ve also created licensed mental health content for NGBs and for the Sport England system partners to use in their training and qualifications for free!

Nowadays I’m working with NGBs to embed this content into their coach education pathways, with British Rowing leading the way.

Their head of qualifications and training development, Rachel Hooper, mentioned that our licensed content has been invaluable in ensuring they use modern and credible information to support coaches.

“Completed it, mate?”  Well, not quite because there’s still a long way to go to truly embed mental health across sport and physical activity.

Getting in touch

Too many people are battling with their mental health, often in silence, but we know physical activity can be a powerful tool for both preventing and managing mental health problems.

So, this Mental Health Awareness Week I’m inviting you to take action and to be part of the journey, because great mental health care isn’t just clinical; it’s human.

It’s the sports coach who asks, “is everything ok?” when you miss a session or the fitness instructor who checks how they can support you before your first exercise class, but mental wellbeing is also about building a supportive and friendly environment where people can move and thrive.

So if you’re unsure where to start, that's what we’re here for! Let’s talk, let’s start the conversation and let’s fight for mental health for the next 10 years and beyond.

You can reach us by email, online or follow us on LinkedIn. We look forward to hearing from you.

It’s only been a few weeks since I completed my first year as CEO of BAFA and I’ve been reflecting on the journey we’ve taken.

It’s been over 12 months of learning, growth and of laying foundations for the future of American football in the UK and this week I’m proud to share Together to Inspire – our new three-year strategy to inspire the next generation of British American football players, coaches, officials and volunteers by bringing the Britball (British American Football) community together alongside its partners and supporters.

Since securing our initial investment by Sport England we’ve made strong strides as a national governing body.

One of our first priorities was to reset the National Flag Football League under BAFA’s direct management, while reconnecting with clubs and players and also fostering a more inclusive, development-focused culture.

The support from the investment has allowed for some immediate short-term participation growth, but we now have a big opportunity in this space to grow the sport as we build towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

We’ve also invested in our digital infrastructure – recognising that sound systems and processes are critical for long-term sustainability.

Platforms like JustGo are being enhanced to capture better data, helping us understand who’s playing and how to support them.

And in the meantime, our team continues to balance the efforts of our incredible volunteers with the consistency brought by skilled staff and contractors that then align into our chair and board members.

It hasn’t always been easy, but we think all these efforts are vital to our future.

Leading for now and what’s next

A key lesson this year was balancing ‘the urgent and important’ with the long-term priorities.

There’s always something pressing – a complaint to attend to, another scheduling to fix or a new opportunity for growth to be pursued.

But for me it’s been key to be able to step back away from the day-to-day business and connect with members across the game to ask them about the kind of sport we want to build.

That’s what our new long-term strategy aims to answer.

With Together to Inspire we’re not just solving today’s problems – we’re building tomorrow’s potential.

And we’re doing so in continuing our alignment with Sport England’s long-term strategy, Uniting the Movement, by creating a sport that’s inclusive, connected and sustainable.

Whether it’s supporting clubs, widening access or growing the workforce, we’re proud to be part of that mission and the work we have delivered in year one.

Listening, learning and leading with community

The biggest insights in our strategy have come from conversations.

Hearing from coaches, volunteers, officials and players has shaped our understanding of what’s needed, but this is an ongoing activity.

Through National Flag League resets, youth competitions and GB performance camps, we’re creating more spaces for meaningful dialogue – not just consultation, but connection with our community.

U19 regional 11v11 pilot

In 2024, we piloted a regional 11v11 league for under-19 players – removing barriers while offering meaningful development.

It reached 400 players across 12 camps and six fixtures, and it led to 80 additional GB trial invites.

The result? A boost of 16% in under-19 registrations!

The pilot also developed new coaches, several of whom now contribute to GB performance teams.

This model reflects the Uniting the Movement’s focus on youth engagement and inclusive talent pathways.

Strengthening safeguarding

This year, we implemented MyConcern – a secure case management platform powered by First Advantage.

It streamlines case-tracking and integrates DBS checks via JustGo to streamline the process and make it easy and secure for the user.

We’re also working with CPSU and NSPCC to ensure our policies reflect best practice, by furthering a safe and trusted environment for all.

Looking ahead

There’s a lot to be excited about, including:

• reimagining our participation pyramid around accessibility and values
• building a flag-performance system for LA28 and beyond – backed by uksport
• strengthening clubs, empowering volunteers and investing in coaches and officials.

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a huge opportunity for us, not just for visibility, but for exciting partnerships with the likes of the NFL UK and BUCS that’ll aid long-term growth together.

We look at these games as the beginning, rather than the end.

Looking back, I’m proud of how far we’ve come – and even more excited about what’s next.

We’ll keep working with our clubs, volunteers and partners to build a thriving future for contact and flag football in the UK.

Together to Inspire is more than a strategy – it’s a goal to work with our partners to create a sport that is values-driven, to make a difference for our clubs, workforce and athletes.