Football's Awareness of Depression Football Community. A place where Football players, coaches and managers suffering with or have suffered with mental health issues caused by or related to football can come and share their experiences via our website. As an ex footballer myself, I lost my career abruptly 17 years ago . Since then, I have not been able to face Football, I couldn't even bear to hear the word and so I went into a massive spiral of depression so severly I were self harming, taking over doses and planning my own death. Basically, if I couldn't play football I wanted to be dead. After years of taking anti depressants and having many sessions of bereavement counselling to get over the loss of my career, I have finally returned to the game. I have recently contacted my local MP in regards to making Mental Health First Aid training compulsory within ALL football clubs. This could prevent situations like Gary Speed, Darren Eadie and even Gazza in the future, and just like Gazza once stated ''All football clubs should have their own counsellor''. At the moment, a few clubs send players who suffer with mental illness to the club medical staff and then on to the PFA).. My belief on this is that players probably won't want their personal details passing to all and sundry and that having club counsellor is more confidential and ''There'' when you need it. I have recently spoken to a few professional football players who state they would feel more confident in speaking to an In-House counsellor instead of going through medical staff right through to the PFA. One ex player who is now serving in a UK prison after turning to crime due to the lack of after-care of his career states, if he had after care when his career were ending, he wouldn't have turned to crime. I would like to ask, if you would support these points by signing the petition