Prince William criticises football clubs for neglecting player welfare and mental health

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

The Duke of Cambridge has called out football clubs for treating players as “assets” instead of people and neglecting their welfare.

Prince William who is President of the Football Association said clubs are not doing enough to support players and their mental health. He commented, “Many players come from difficult backgrounds and may have all sorts of issues going on…it’s a dereliction of duty I think – having these players not given the key building blocks or support.”

He warned too many players are not given the support they need in building a new life once they are let go by the club if they fail to reach a required standard. In support of this, he announced a new campaign around mental health with the FA, potentially staging a “Mental health FA Cup”.

The Duke, along with the Duchess of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, have been campaigning for several years on mental health issues, speaking regularly about the stigma and working with various charities and projects to raise awareness.

You may also like

View All

PGA of America CEO apologies to McIlroy family due to Ryder Cup abuse

The Professional Golfers’ Association of America CEO Derek Sprague will apologise to the family of professional Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy for the abuse they faced during the Ryder Cup

Read More

Paris 2024 Olympic Games had modest economic impact

According to France’s Court of Auditors, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games only produced a modest economic impact

Read More

WADA 2026 Prohibited List

The World Anti-Doping Agency has published its 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods which it agreed in a meeting on 11 September 2025 and will bring into effect on 1 January 2026

Read More