Town Manager on being an Ambassador for the EFL & Mind’s partnership
- Danny Cowley discusses the importance of Mental Health
- Town’s Manager speaks to Mind during Mental Health Awareness Week
- Watch the full interview on #HTTV later
Huddersfield Town Manager Danny Cowley has stressed the importance of talking about your own mental health and well-being, particularly during the current lockdown.
Cowley, who is an Ambassador for the partnership between the EFL and Mind, spoke during Mental Health Awareness Week about the importance of showing your emotions and feelings.
“I feel very proud to be an Ambassador for the EFL and Mind. For me, mental health is so important. I think we’ve come so far in recent times. Particularly, just allowing people to talk about their mental health.
“I think for us it’s important to not see it as a weakness. I think it actually portrays confidence if you’re willing to talk about the things you’re having problems with; I see that as a strength in people.
“My biggest message is to be willing to talk about your issues because we all have them; it doesn’t matter what walk of life you are in.”
Over the last few years there has been a greater emphasis on speaking about mental health and the old stigma around men - and particularly football players - discussing that is diminishing, something that Town’s Manager is pleased with.
“It’s extremely important how far mental health has come in recent years. Now the Mind Charity finds itself on all the kits, which is magnificent.
“I think women naturally find it easier to talk about their emotions and feelings, but maybe historically particularly men, of our age, don’t. Sometimes men feel that talking about their emotions and feeling can be a sign of weakness.
“I think it’s great now that our younger players are so much freer in terms of being able to talk about how they are feeling and have a better understanding of their emotions.
“To be able to get your emotions in check is a skill; you have to understand yourself, your feelings and be able to put your feelings and emotions in the right place for the given context.
“For me, in my life, I have to have a different emotion for a training day, a match day and when I step back in my house with my young children. It’s all about self-regulating and self-checking.”
Cowley also admits that the football family can come together to help people feel safe to talk and how the topic of football, and in particular, Huddersfield Town, should be able to help supporters to get to know each other and open up.
“The great thing about football, for me, more than the game itself, is the sense of belonging football creates.
“For me, on a Saturday we go to the John Smith’s Stadium and it’s like a family. We’ve all got the shared passion and shared love.
“The great thing about football for me is that we can all support each other, not just the 11 players on the pitch, but that everyone can support each other; that’s why I love football.”
