Name of organisation: Newton Stewart FC
Activity: Sponsorship of senior football team
About the initiative
The player manager of Newton Stewart FC (Neil Hyslop) used to work for NSF (Scotland). He ran a peer education programme which aimed to raise young people’s awareness about mental health issues. ‘see me’ were actively involved in this programme and worked in partnership with NSF (Scotland) in order to come up with new ideas to get the important messages across to a wider audience.
Involving ‘see me’
‘see me’ offered to sponsor the team at the start of the 2006/2007 season. This sponsorship was launched on the day before the season started and representatives from ‘see me’ made their way down to Blairmount Park to work with local press and TV. Advertising boards were displayed at the ground, the team wore strips with ‘see me’ logos on them and adverts were placed in match programmes and posters around the town. At the Scottish Cup game against Linlithgow Rose ‘see me’ representatives handed out leaflets to all in attendance.
The challenge
The main challenge faced was probably getting the media onside and encouraging them to attend the launch day. Once the initial barriers were overcome the overall coverage was fairly comprehensive. This has continued throughout the venture and Newton Stewart FC suggests new ways of targeting different groups of people.
Resources
• Staff time and commitment
• Posters and leaflets
• Football strips and tracksuits
• Continued support of Newton Stewart FC
What we did
Newton Stewart FC has worn their ‘see me’ sponsored kit at a number of different venues across the South West of Scotland. The games are covered by local papers like the Wigtown Free Press and the Galloway Gazette. This ensures regular exposure for ‘see me’. Other papers (in Dumfries and Galloway) and radio stations (like Westsound) also help to get the message across. The Newton Stewart squad can be seen in and around various towns before games and a lot more people in the South West of Scotland are now aware of the work that ‘see me’ does. Plans are underway to get ‘see me’ involved with Newton Stewart’s youth set up – Galloway Thistle. Galloway Thistle holds a national youth football tournament in May each year which attracts teams from all over the UK.
What we learned
• A lot of people in the football world originally knew very little about mental health issue
• Those that were not aware were prepared to listen though
• Attitudes have changed and most of the footballers and supporters would now think twice about the many inappropriate stereotypes that people with mental health problems are often subjected to
• This was a good way to get young males to think about a topic they wouldn’t have done previously
• There is no need to be afraid of tackling the issues
• If people don’t know what ‘see me’ is all about they tend to ask once they see the strips
• This has been a worthwhile venture for both parties. The football club are pleased to have helped raise awareness and have a genuine interest in the excellent work that ‘see me’ do.