National Health Youth Mental Health Foundation headspace are excited to partner with the AFL as one of the sporting organisation's official charity partners for the next three years.
The new partnership was announced at an event at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday, with headspace and Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) joining existing charity partner FightMND as the official charity partners of the AFL.
headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said the partnership with the AFL is an important step in supporting young Australians' mental health.
"headspace is incredibly grateful to come on-board as one of the official charity partners of the AFL. The AFL does so much in promoting help-seeking and reducing the stigma around mental ill-health and through this partnership, we look forward to helping even more young Australians feel supported and access the help they need," Mr Trethowan said.
"Footy clubs are often the heartbeat of local communities - they play a crucial role in connecting young people to their communities, and we know that staying active and socially connected is vital for good mental health. Today's partnership announcement between headspace and the AFL is a further step towards improving the mental health of all young Australians."
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said it was important to align with partners who have a shared commitment to the community.
"The AFL is delighted to welcome headspace and Disaster Relief Australia as official charity partners as we continue to work together to support the broader community."
"The health of our elite AFL and AFLW competitions is directly related to the health of our grassroots football community. Both headspace and DRA's commitment to working in and supporting local communities across the country is part of the reason we're excited to have them on board for the next three years," Dillon said.
"We know mental health remains one of the biggest challenges facing our football communities and have seen the recent devastating impact natural disasters can have on people, both on and off the field.
"We look forward to working with our new charity partners headspace and DRA, along with our longstanding partner FightMND, and use our collective platforms to promote their integral work."
headspace has been working with the AFL for several years, delivering mental health training and support for the AFL's 'Talent Pathway' programs.
The AFL talent pathway programs, including the Marsh AFL National Academy, Marsh AFL National Championships (U18), Marsh AFL National Development Championships (U16), and Marsh AFL National Futures, aim to identify and develop young Australian football players for the AFL and AFLW competitions.
headspace centres have facilitated Ahead of the Game's interactive workshops to teams of young players and umpires in community football club changerooms, before, after, or during training.
