Perth welcome The Good Chat Foundation as Mental Health Partner

The Perth Football Club would like to welcome The Good Chat Foundation as our “Mental Health Partner.”

As our community experience the COVID-19 pandemic and period of social isolation, our club creed of “Together, we are better” is more important than ever. By partnering with The Good Chat Foundation, we are growing our club’s capacity to support to our players, staff and stakeholders through these unique circumstances.

“We are all living in some pretty unique circumstances right now,” Russ Clark, General Manager of the Perth Football Club stated.

“Seeking a partner who can support our club’s people through this was of utmost importance. The great thing about The Good Chat is that they will assist our Club in growing connections with our Junior Clubs and create a sustainable culture of mental health support and acceptance.”

Following COVID-19, this partnership will provide support to the Junior Clubs within the Perth catchment area. It will facilitate practical and sustainable mental health support within these clubs, while also allowing the club increased connection within the district clubs.

The Perth Football Club is about bringing people into our community and supporting them – we exist to facilitate connection. Working with The Good Chat Foundation will equip our club and our people to truly become that hub and offer a well-rounded level of support to everyone who comes in contact with the Perth Football Club.

 ”We are very excited to partner with the Perth Football Club. Our goal is to work together to support the community in normalising mental health help-seeking behaviours. We are all aware of the importance of good mental health, our clubs form an important part of our support networks.

“The importance of help-seeking behaviours is crucial to the early intervention of mental health concerns. We will provide clubs with the support they need to have a caring and inclusive culture. Anyone reaching out for help will always start with friends and family, for the football community the club provides a natural environment for making good mental health a part of a normal life,” Dr Domenic Crouch, COO at The Good Chat Foundation.

ABOUT THE GOOD CHAT FOUNDATION

The Good Chat Foundation believe sport is a powerful tool to engage and help children and youth. A new organisation, The Good Chat Foundation are working directly with youth, State Sporting Organisations and clubs. The Foundation acts to place children with mental health concerns who can’t afford to take part in sports within sporting organisations, taking care of registration and other associated participation costs.

As the Foundation grows, they will be able to assist in the creation of mental health structures (within the existing governance frameworks), act as a liaison and support in times of need, frame the messaging of mental health discussions and assist in creating a culture of mental health awareness, acceptance and sustainable support.

You can find out more about The Good Chat Foundation here.