Mental health took centre field when Nangwarry Football and Netball Club and Kalangadoo Football and Netball Club played their inaugural mental health awareness match.
The match was played at Nangwarry and will now be held annually, alternating between Nangwarry and Kalangadoo each year.
Nangwarry Football and Netball Club’s Celeste Raymond and Kalangadoo Football and Netball Club’s Adam Box developed the initiative during conversations while Raymond was a committee member involved in creating charity football match ‘Switch the headspace’ in January this year.
“We discussed that it would be good to keep the message going about the importance of mental health during a normal round of football and netball,” Raymond said.
“We thought it was really important just to have an awareness raising day and keep conversations going about the importance of seeking support and reducing stigma.
“The theme was green because that is the worldwide colour for mental health awareness, all the senior grades from senior colts up and senior netball wore green armbands, and we had green ribbons given out at the gate.”
A ceremony was held on the oval, where the Nangwarry and Kalangadoo football and netball players from senior colts up, along with club Leadership stood united.
Raymond spoke about mental health awareness before balloons were released and green colour cannons were shot in the air.
“The feedback we have received from the day has been hugely positive,” Raymond said.
“We believe this initiative will help to safeguard the wellbeing of our community now and for our kids into the future.”
To further highlight the initiative, a ‘Player of the Match’ medal was introduced for the senior football and senior netball.
Ben Gregory of Kalangadoo Football Club won the senior football medal and Abbey Duncan of Kalangadoo Netball Club won the senior netball medal.
“Thank you to Celeste and the Nangwarry Football and Netball Club for inviting us to be involved in such an important initiative whilst promoting a really important message,” Box said.
“It was great that so many players, members and supporters from both Kalangadoo and Nangwarry really embraced the concept of the match.
“We look forward to being able to host the game at Kalangadoo next season.”
Raymond is a passionate mental health advocate, and she sees it first-hand as a social worker and mental health counsellor at her practice FeelBetter Limestone Coast.
“I am currently seeing lots of males and females ageing from elderly people to young people and children with various mental health concerns,” she said.
“We can see the benefit of people seeking support and improvement to their lives by seeking that support.
“It is important to me to be an advocate in that space because I can see the positive difference it makes when people seek that support.
“Nangwarry Football and Netball Club have embraced and really are on board with any initiative attached to mental health and wellbeing to support their club people and the wider community to be well.
“We really want to thank Kalangadoo Football and Netball club for coming on board, in particular Adam Box for beginning this partnership this year, which we envisage will hopefully be around indefinitely to keep spreading awareness and reducing stigma.”
