The sports mental health charity Sporting Chance has announced a partnership with Collection Pot and become the group collecting platform’s first Charity Partner of the Month.
Sporting Chance was founded in 2000 by former Arsenal and England football captain Tony Adams MBE. Initially set up to support footballers, the charity now helps current and former sportspeople across a wide range of sports in the UK, providing access to its national network of talking therapists and a purpose-built residential clinic for the treatment of addictive disorders. The charity’s education department also provides seminars and workshops for professional sportspeople and organisations, including first team squads and academies, covering issues relating to mental health.
Collection Pot is used by workplaces and individuals to raise money for every kind of occasion but is also increasingly used by charities for fundraising.
Colin Bland, CEO of Sporting Chance, said the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to an increase in demand for the charity’s services:
“For over 20 years now we have been working with professional athletes and former professional athletes struggling with their emotional and mental health and even in ‘normal’ times, the need for our services has always been there. The pandemic will only add to that, I think the repercussions are yet to fully materialise. It’s had an impact on people’s mental health across the length and breadth of the country and sportspeople aren’t exempt from mental health issues, whatever level they are performing at.
“Both our treatment and education services are as relevant as ever, and perhaps more crucial. Our partnership with Collection Pot will help us to achieve what we need to achieve to help more sportspeople develop a sense of emotional literacy and feel more comfortable in engaging in support in the same way they would if something wasn’t quite right physically.”
Mark Brown, board advisor for Collection Pot, who has also worked as global head of the personal development programme for athletes at KPMG, said the competitive environment can be particularly tough for sportspeople.
“There is the perception that life as a sportsperson is all glamour. Only a small percentage make it through to play sport professionally, and if they do, the pressures are immense. Having had personal experience of working with sportspeople, it is essential they have access to excellent support networks, wellbeing and education. Sporting Chance provides this in abundance and much more. It’s about making a difference in difficult times and we hope through this partnership it will provide additional support to Sporting Chance.”
Collection Pot is used by a number of charities to fundraise, including foodbanks and charities supporting homeless people. The group collecting platform doesn’t charge charities for gift aid processing, and there is no monthly fee for charities to appear on Collection Pot. The Charity Partner of the Month is a new initiative from Collection Pot to reflect and support its increasing user base of charities. A percentage of all fundraising via Collection Pot this February will be donated to Sporting Chance.
https://www.collectionpot.com/