Man United Launch ‘ignored’ Mental Health Campaign
Manchester United have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the importance of language and the impact it has on mental health.
The IGNORED campaign, which comes on the back of the club’s 2019 HATRED campaign, which took aim at racism and discrimination, features members of the club’s men’s and women’s teams encouraging fans to overcome stigmas around mental health, and raising awareness that those who are suffering often do so in silence as they feel ignored.
United’s campaign comes as part of the club’s support for the Heads Up campaign, championed by the Duke of Cambridge, which seeks to harness the influence of football to normalise conversations around mental health. The campaign was prominent in the Premier League over the last two weeks, with the league, its clubs and The FA supporting the initiative.
Richard Arnold, Group Managing Director, Manchester United, said: “Manchester United has a long-standing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. As part of that commitment, we have a responsibility to raise awareness and tackle the important issues in society, such as mental health.
“This film follows on from our HATRED campaign last year, which challenged racism and discrimination on and off the pitch. It sparked debate and discussion and we hope that IGNORED can do the same in the area of mental health.
“We are delighted to be joining clubs across the country to support the Heads Up campaign and play our own part in getting the nation talking about mental health in a more considerate way.”
United’s campaign lays down a challenge to its fans and viewers around the world to think about the impact of language and consider how the use of words such as ‘psycho’ or ‘mad’ can alienate those experiencing mental health problems.
