Prince William: Football's mental health approach a 'dereliction of duty'

The Duke of Cambridge, who is the English Football Association's President, has criticized professional clubs in England, accusing them of failing to take the mental health of their players seriously. Speaking during a trip to Northern Ireland, where he visited the country's Windsor Park national stadium, Prince William described the sport's failure to fight the issue as a "dereliction of duty."
He pointed to clubs' willingness to move players on without regard should they fail to make the grade, without considering the adverse effects the treatment could have on their individual well-being, leaving them without the necessary support to move on with their lives.
"Some of these clubs don't do anything about mental health," Prince William said. "They pick a player up, he plays football, 'no good,' move on.
"If we've got to change anything, we've got to change the whole way we look after players.
"Many players come from difficult backgrounds and may have all sorts of issues going on.
He added that clubs were often guilty of treating players as little more than "financial assets", with young players "not given the key building blocks or support."
A 2015 study organized by the World Players' Union FIFPro showed that 38% of players and 35% of former players reported from suffering from symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
The FIFPro study also found that professional footballers who had sustained three or more severe injuries during their career were two to nearly four times more likely to report mental health problems than those who had not suffered from severe injuries.