AFL clubs to spend minimum $250,000 a season on mental health care for players
The AFL will shine a light on the pressures of coaching and clubs will be allowed to spend up to $450,000 a season to support their players under the league’s mental health reforms.
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The AFL has pledged clubs will have few limits on funding mental health care for their players with all 18 clubs to now spend a minimum of $250,000 per season.
And the league has committed to investigating the links between concussions and mental health as head knocks become an increasing concern in the game.
The AFL has announced a charity partnership with Lifeline Australia that will see the league helping fund services for its 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention service.
New AFL head of mental health Kate Hall told the Herald Sun the league wanted to remove the impediments to clubs spending to support their players.
Sydney coach John Longmire has long fought the AFL to spend money on mental health outside the football department soft cap.
The Herald Sun can reveal clubs now must spend $250,000 — up from $125,000 last year — and can spend as much as $450,000 outside of the cap.
Then they can ask for exemptions above that figure for mental health innovation projects and other “extraordinary” expenditure.
Hall said the recent industry mental health review had made clear clubs wanted capacity to help their players.
“It was very clear the clubs needed to have those resources and build capacity within their clubs to respond to mental health issues. It’s ensuring clubs can be innovative in that space and bring in expertise to promote mental health and wellbeing in their workplace.”
Former players Matthew Robbins and Shaun Smith believe there are links between head knocks and severe depression, with Hall open to exploring those links.
“We are confident the people who are experts in concussion in this building are part of our mental health strategy. And that we have joined with them to ensure our clinical governance structures align with what is occurring in concussion.
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“So for us we know they are a critical piece that will inform how we respond to mental health treatment and we hope to work really closely with them in our mental health strategy too.”
Hall said the stresses associated with senior coaching also needed further exploration given their unique position in the game.
Former AFL coach Danny Frawley took his own life this year and James Hird also made an attempt on his life amid the fallout of the Essendon supplements scandal.
Hall said they had extreme stresses but also a role to play in helping the mental health of their playing lists.
“The coaches are definitely one of our primary stakeholders, not just for their own mental health and wellbeing but also their incredible important position with players.
“We know the stresses faced by coaches are absolutely insurmountable but they are highly resilient so I am looking forward to meeting with the AFLCA to understand the particular stresses that come with that role.”