Professional footballers, particularly those who spend a career on short, fixed-term contracts, fear that a significant injury could have a potentially devastating impact on their careers and long-term financial stability.
The players’ union confidentially surveyed over a thousand players from across the Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League (WSL) on a range of issues related to their mental health and wellbeing.
The anonymised surveys help to inform future areas of focus and research for the PFA, and also offers the union a discreet way to provide direct wellbeing support to members.
The assessments found that 68% of players said that the fear of injury impacted their mental wellbeing, the most prevalent football-related issue. On-pitch performance (45%) and the fear of being dropped (41%) were also prominent concerns negatively affecting mental health.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Michael Bennett, Director of Player Wellbeing at the PFA, said:
“Football is an incredibly insecure career for many of our members. Players often find themselves employed in a string of what are ultimately very short, insecure contracts.
“For that reason, they can feel as if they have very little control over their futures. What our survey results highlight is that these ‘on-pitch’ concerns – like injury and performance – can and do affect footballers’ mental health.
“This exercise is incredibly important to us and allows us to see ‘the person’ behind the player, and we’re always encouraged that players choose to disclose these concerns with us.
“Being able to track ongoing and emerging wellbeing concerns helps us tailor our support and also advance important research in the field.”
The PFA’s wellbeing surveys also found that over a quarter of players (28%) said online abuse negatively affected their mental health, while alcohol use (17%) and gambling (15%) were the leading ‘non-industry’ hazards impacting player wellbeing. Snus use also remained an issue of concern for players.
In May 2024, the PFA and Loughborough University published findings from a joint research study into the use of Snus in professional football. The report found prevalent Snus use across the professional men’s and women’s game, with most players using the substance as a way to ‘unwind’ from the adrenaline of training and matches.
Off the back of last season’s in-club visits, the PFA made over 330 wellbeing interventions with members, including over 60 direct referrals for further therapeutic support.
Last season, around 530 PFA members, past and present, also received mental health support from the union’s wellbeing partners Sporting Chance. Low mood (24%), addiction (15%), anxiety (13%) and gambling (8%) were among the highest prevalence issues facing those attending the clinic.
