Chelsea Urge Fans To ‘support Someone Else’ This Christmas
Chelsea has teamed up with its shirt sponsor Three to launch a new initiative to encourage fans to ‘support someone else’ this Christmas.
The campaign urges people to take time to reach out to our friends, family and loved ones over the festive period in a bid to shine a light on loneliness, isolation and mental health issues.
‘Support Someone Else’ sees the pair partner with Three’s long standing mental health charity partner Time to Change, which provides help and guidance to those that either want to participate or those that are themselves in need. A recent report released by the charity found that, on average, men have three fewer people in their support network since the pandemic hit, while some men cited not being able to meet face-to-face – such as at a football match – as a reason they had fewer people to turn to for support with their mental health.
“Christmas is all about giving back and helping others,” said Aislinn O’Connor, Marketing Director, Three UK.
“This year has been so hard for many different reasons, with most of us having life as we know it turned on its head. Christmas in itself is going to be so different and it’s a time that can often magnify solitude and mental health issues.
“As a brand with connectivity at its heart, we wanted to drive a clear message for us all to reach out and support one another this Christmas. Make that call you’ve been meaning to make. Send that message. Check-in on others. It may just be a small gesture but it could make all the difference.”
To launch the initiative, Chelsea managers Frank Lampard and Emma Hayes sent an appeal to football fans nationwide to back the campaign, encouraging fans of all teams to start a more meaningful conversation and stay connected over the festive period.
Guy Laurence, Chelsea FC CEO, said: “We loved this idea from the moment Three started discussing it with us and we’re proud that our teams and managers will be championing the idea to ‘Support Someone Else’.
“Everyone has had their struggles this year. While there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, we need to continue to support each other as much as we can. Christmas will be different for us all, but both ourselves and Three want to do all we can to encourage our fans and the football community to get behind this initiative and support each other more than ever during this festive period.”
Throughout 2020, Chelsea footballers have also spoken out about the stigmas around mental health and the importance of talking about it. Ben Chilwell, along with teammate Mason Mount as well as women’s team players Millie Bright and Fran Kirby have been involved in the club’s campaign.
