On 5 and 6 October, Red Deporte y Cooperación hosted the third transnational meeting of the European project TEAM – Tackling the Mental Health Stigma in Youth Football in Madrid. Through research, training and collaboration between sports professionals, TEAM aims to improve understanding of mental health, help identify potential warning signs, and provide practical tools for young footballers, coaches and families.
Two Days of Work and Coordination
During the meeting, the partners reviewed the project’s progress and agreed on priorities for the coming months. One of the main objectives was to coordinate the next phase of work, which will focus on testing the training materials developed so far and preparing a Good Practice Manual that can be used in real youth football settings.
The manual will build on the resources developed during the previous project phase and include practical exercises, real-life case studies, discussion scenarios and tools for young footballers, coaches and families. The materials will cover topics such as understanding mental health, injury prevention, managing stress and anxiety, building confidence, positive communication, and the role of families in supporting young athletes’ well-being.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to coordinate upcoming communication and awareness-raising activities, as well as the organisation of national workshops to share the project’s results with clubs, sports professionals, families and other relevant stakeholders.
What’s Next?
The next step will be to test the manual’s materials in November 2026 across the five participating countries. The sessions will involve young footballers aged 15 to 19, coaches and technical staff, as well as parents and family members. Their feedback will help assess the clarity, usefulness and practical applicability of the resources and contribute to improving the final version of the manual.
In addition, each country will organise a national awareness-raising workshop. In Spain, Red Deporte y Cooperación plans to hold its workshop in April 2027. The project will conclude in May 2027 with an international event in Cyprus, where the final results will be presented.
At Red Deporte y Cooperación, we continue to work alongside our European partners to ensure that mental health takes centre stage in youth football and that young athletes, coaches and families have access to tools that contribute to a more positive and healthy sporting environment.
