Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs to compete in The Mind Series
Together for better mental health
Tue 22 June 2021, 16:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
The Club shall come together with Arsenal and Chelsea to support better mental health by taking part in The Mind Series this summer.
The three clubs will take on each other in a first-of-its-kind series of pre-season friendlies in August, as a curtain raiser to the 2021/22 season.
Funds raised from the series will be split between Mind and the respective club Foundations*, that each deliver projects to support mental health and wellbeing in communities both at home and overseas.
Mind – the UK’s leading mental health charity – and the clubs, using their huge global reach and platforms, will promote mental health awareness as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Demand for Mind’s services, including its Infoline, has increased exponentially during the pandemic, with latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics showing one in five adults experiencing symptoms of depression, compared to one in 10 prior to the pandemic. Mind’s own survey of 16,000 people during the initial lockdown also found that two in three young people (68 per cent) and three in five adults (60 per cent) said their mental health got worse.
The schedule of friendly matches played will be as follows:
• Arsenal v Chelsea: Sunday 1 August, Emirates Stadium, kick-off 3pm UK
• Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur: Wednesday 4 August, Stamford Bridge, kick-off 7.45pm UK
• Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: Sunday 8 August, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kick-off 2pm UK
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said: “We’re delighted that Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have come together to back Mind’s work through the Mind Series. We know from our work in the sector, including our charity partnership with the EFL, that football has the power to create real change, not least around mental health. The platform that these three huge clubs can provide us with will allow us to get our message out to thousands more people that they have somewhere to turn when they need support. The Mind Series is not only a brilliant way to raise awareness about mental health, it will also provide vital funding for our services at a time when more people than ever need Mind’s help. Our message to fans is simple: whoever you support, Mind is here to support you.”
Fabio Paratici, Tottenham Hotspur Managing Director, Football, said: “We are delighted to be participating in The Mind Series – another fantastic example of how football clubs can unite in support of such important causes. We expect the matches to be fiercely competitive London derbies that will get the fans excited for the season ahead, whilst providing perfect preparation for the players. The interest this will create will in turn provide a huge and much-needed boost to Mind – a charity that has such a vital role to play in the lives of so many following the difficult times we have all experienced – as well as our own Foundations.”
Further details on ticketing, permitted attendances and where fans can watch from home will be communicated in due course.
*£5 from each ticket sold will support charitable projects, with Mind receiving 25 per cent of proceeds from each of the three matches in the Mind Series and with each club’s Foundation receiving 75 per cent of proceeds from that club Foundation’s respective home match.
