Mark Carruthers' non-league verdict: Mental health matters, no matter what level of the game we are discussing

There have been great strides made at the top end of the game when it comes to discussing mental health issues in the public domain.

There is an increasing level of openness and acceptance – but there is still more to be done before the stigma of mental health is well and truly shaken.

Over the last decade, a number of initiatives have been launched to get people talking about their battle with mental health and showing the methods of support they can find in their darkest moments.

Last season, the Duke of Cambridge fronted the ‘Heads Up’ campaign and was able to draw support from the likes of David Beckham, Gareth Southgate and Steph Houghton.

The pressures of competing in the elite of football, where the stakes are high and the coverage is wall-to-wall, are all too obvious – but what about those players and managers that ply their trade away from the bright lights of the Premier League and Football League?

I have held a whole host of conversations with a number of figures in the North East non-league scene about their concerns over their mental health – and there is a feeling that they are struggling to make their voices heard, even when there is more acceptance over opening up.

The issues they are suffering, and the causes involved, are like those being discussed by the elite of the game – but these men and women also carry the burden of day-to-day life.

What happens on the pitch during those 90 minutes that can become an escape from the mundane can also have a detrimental effect on life as a parent, a partner or as a working man or woman.

The precarious balancing act of working, family and social life coupled with the pressure of being a football player in these uncertain times can impact on anyone.

Only last week, Sunderland RCA player-coach Craig Hodgson gave an open and honest assessment of how becoming a parent for the first time impacted on every part of his life including his on-field efforts in the Northern League.

The initial response to that admission can be one of surprise – but delving deeper can bring a greater understanding of how darkness can creep in during the most joyous of times.

The additional pressure of being a providing emotional support, protection and guidance to a new-born child can be overwhelming and only adds to the weight of working on a day-to-day basis and trying to achieve success at a competitive level of football.

Working life is another pressure that can be added in an unhealthy mix as the risks of life between the white lines can immediately impact on your income.

A serious injury is an obvious risk of competing at any level of football – but the danger of taking time away from work, and the loss of earnings that can cause, are another concern of players that have opened up.

It would be a safe bet to say that one of the biggest causes of mental health issues and depression at the top end of football is what happens when a player decides to bring an end to his playing career.

Coaching roles and media work are limited, and a career spent focusing on on-field success often means that they are unprepared for life away from the game that has given them so much.

There are a number of examples of how key figures within football have struggled with retirement and not being involved with the team-mates and staff they have worked alongside season after season.

Yet the same issue can be discussed in non-league football, where the bonds formed playing and competing alongside lifelong friends is commonplace across the pyramid.

Life in the dressing room – not to mention the much vaunted Whatsapp group – can be challenging at the best of times as the ‘banter’ flies around in the name of enhancing team spirit.

But both of those environments – whether it be in person or in digital form through the glow of a mobile phone – can also become an essential mechanism of support for those directly involved.

They become a place of trust, openness, and inclusivity.

A place to open up, to ask for help, to offer a quiet word, an arm around the shoulder, a quiet pint and moment of solace.

But what about when they are taken away by career-ending injury or simply a decision to retire from playing?

What happens when the ping of a mobile phone notification falls silent, the weekly calls don’t ever arrive, and the buzz of the dressing room becomes a distant memory of days gone by?

These are very real concerns that matter as much to those involved in non-league football as they do to those in the Premier League or Football League.

Just because these men and women are not showing their talents in front of tens of thousands of people as millions watch on from in front of their television screens does not mean that their struggles should be ignored.

Mental health matters, no matter what level of the game we are discussing.

It’s time to talk – and more importantly, it’s time to listen.

Their voices must be heard.