Examining the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in Australian sports clubs

ABSTRACT

Organised sport is increasingly recognised as a culturally acceptable site for mental health and wellbeing promotion. To date, however, there is limited knowledge pertaining to how exactly mental health and wellbeing is supported in such contexts. The present study aimed to provide insight into mental health and wellbeing promotion practices in Australian sports clubs. An online cross-sectional survey examined the current provision of mental health and wellbeing initiatives in sports clubs, barriers and motives to such promotional efforts, and perceptions of psychological safety within club environments. The survey was completed by 302 stakeholders of Australian sports clubs (M_age= 41.3 ± 15.7 years, 46.7% male). Fewer than half of stakeholders (47.7%) reported that their sports club had implemented initiatives to support mental health and wellbeing. Insufficient resources (e.g. knowledge, finances) were identified as the most prominent barrier to such promotional efforts. Sports clubs reported using various initiatives to promote mental health and wellbeing, although evidence-based resources (e.g. Ahead of the Game) were rarely implemented. Stakeholders in sports clubs that had implemented initiatives to support mental health and wellbeing perceived their club as a more mentally healthy environment and attained higher mental health literacy scores. Ongoing efforts to increase the utilisation of sports settings to support mental health and wellbeing are necessary.

KEYWORDS:

• Sport
• mental health
• wellbeing
• psychological safety
• mental health literacy

Introduction

Urgent action is necessary to address the global mental health crisis (World Health Organization, 2022). In Australia, for instance, 4.2 million people (16–85 years) are reported to experience a mental health condition (most commonly anxiety or affective disorders), a figure that continues to increase (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022b). Mental health conditions are most prevalent among young Australians (16–24 years), and tragically, suicide is a leading cause of death in this subpopulation (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022a, 2022b). It is perhaps not surprising that mental ill-health is a leading contributor to the total burden of disease in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2022) and has a substantial negative economic impact, costing the economy AUD $60 billion annually (Australian Government National Mental Health Commission, 2016). As such, there is growing consensus that marked transformation to existing mental health promotion approaches is required (World Health Organization, 2022). The utilisation of community-based settings, for example, is recommended by the World Health Organization’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030, targeted at establishing a world wherein mental health is valued, protected and promoted (World Health Organization, 2021).

Organised sport is one such community setting that has the potential to improve population mental health and wellbeing (Swann et al., 2018; Vella, 2019), especially as settings-based approaches are strongly advocated for in health promotion scholarship (Kokko & Baybutt, 2022). This setting presents novel prospects for large-scale mental health (i.e. capacity to cope with the normal stressors of life and function productively; Fusar-Poli et al., 2020) and wellbeing promotion efforts (e.g. positive affect, perceived satisfaction with life, optimal social functioning; Keyes, 2002). Globally, many adults participate in organised sport (Hulteen et al., 2017). For example, in Australia, 46.5% of adults (≥15 years) participate in sport, and many (60.3%) do so within organised sporting contexts (e.g. clubs) (Sport Australia, 2022). A growing body of evidence suggests that sporting environments are indeed appropriate for improving the provision of mental health and wellbeing support (Drummond et al., 2022; Ferguson et al., 2019; Hurley et al., 2017; Petersen et al., 2023a; Swann et al., 2018). Petersen et al. (2023a) for example, found that stakeholders of Australian youth sports clubs strongly endorsed the importance of clubs promoting mental health, and notably, indicated willingness to engage in such promotional efforts. These efforts are particularly important given evidence suggesting that organised sport may pose some risks for mental health and wellbeing (e.g. burnout, anxiety, disordered eating), particularly among young people (Vella, 2019). Increased recognition that organised sport is a valuable medium to support mental health has fuelled the development of a range of sports-based mental health programmes that show promise in their capacity to improve mental health outcomes (Breslin et al., 2022; Petersen et al., 2023b; Sutcliffe et al., 2021). For instance, Tackle Your Feelings, a mental health literacy programme targeted at leadership in community Australian Rules Football (AFL) clubs is shown to improve mental health referral efficacy, general help-seeking, knowledge of resources to support mental health, and decrease stigmatising attitudes (O'Connor et al., 2023). Programmes such as these may therefore have immense potential to establish sport settings as psychologically safe environments (i.e. environments free from psychological harm; Vella et al., 2022) that prioritise wellbeing.

Despite the spotlight afforded to organised sport as an opportune site for mental health promotion, it is currently unclear how exactly mental health and wellbeing is supported in such environments. In 2017, Liddle et al. reviewed the websites of Australian national sporting organisations, and reported that few (11%) mentioned mental health, or initiatives targeted at promoting mental health. More recently, in an audit of AFL academy programmes from publicly available data (e.g. websites), Diamond et al. (2023) found that the provision of resources to address mental health are inconsistent (and limited).

To date, however, it is not clear how sporting environments are routinely engaging in supporting mental health and wellbeing (i.e. ‘what is happening on the ground’). Therefore, the present study aimed to provide a comprehensive insight into mental health and wellbeing promotion practices in Australian community sports clubs. This included examining: (1) the current provision of mental health and wellbeing initiatives, (2) motives and barriers to mental health promotion within sporting settings, and (3) implications of such promotional efforts (e.g. perceived psychological safety of club environments). In doing so, this study has the potential to enhance the utilisation of sporting environments as settings that proactively support mental health and wellbeing.

Method

Participants

Stakeholders of Australian sports clubs (e.g. sport participant, parent/ guardian of sport participant, committee member) aged ≥17 years, were eligible to participate in this study. Sports clubs and organisations (e.g. Rugby SA) were contacted via email (on one occasion) and invited to disseminate the study information (and survey link) to their member databases. Stakeholders were also recruited via social media (Facebook, Twitter). A total of 449 stakeholders responded, of whom 147 did not provide complete data in relation to the variables of interest. This resulted in a final sample of 302 stakeholders. This sample size was adequate to detect a medium sized effect (d = 0.5, f² = 0.25) with 80% power and alpha level of 0.05 (G*Power; Faul et al., 2007).

Procedure

Ethical approval was obtained from the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee (Protocol ID 4182). An online survey was administered between August 2022 and May 2023 using the Qualtrics platform. All participants provided informed consent electronically prior to participation, and those aged 17 years were required to obtain consent from a parent/guardian. The survey (approx. 10 min) incorporated measures that assessed the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sports clubs, barriers and motives to such promotional efforts, and perceptions of psychological safety within club environments. Stakeholders were invited to enter a raffle to win one of five AUD $100 gift vouchers as reimbursement for their time commitment.

Measures

Demographic Information. Stakeholders reported their age, gender, residential postcode and sports club involvement (i.e. main role, sporting code). Residential postcode was used as a proxy for socio-economic status derived from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indicators for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Disadvantage. Higher values reflect higher socio-economic status (range 1–10) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018).

Perceptions of the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sports clubs. Stakeholders were asked to rate the prioritisation of supporting mental health and wellbeing by their sports club, with response options ‘low priority’, ‘moderate priority’, or ‘high priority’ (O'Connor et al., 2020a, 2020b). Following Petersen et al. (2023a), they were also asked to indicate their satisfaction with the club’s current level of mental health related support on a 5-point Likert Scale (1 = not at all satisfied, 5 = extremely satisfied).

Provision of mental health and wellbeing initiatives in sports clubs. Stakeholders were asked to indicate the current initiative(s) their sports club provide to support mental health and wellbeing from a list of response options (e.g. fundraising for mental health charities, guest speakers), including the option to specify ‘Other’ initiative(s) or ‘None of the Above’. The response options were derived from O'Connor et al. (2020b) and reviewed by a team of experts in the field. Stakeholders that reported the provision of an initiative(s) were subsequently asked to indicate the importance of such initiative(s) in supporting mental health and wellbeing within their club on a 5-point Likert Scale (1 = not at all important, 5 = extremely important). They were also asked to indicate their sports club’s provision of any evidence-based mental health and wellbeing programmes (e.g. Ahead of the Game, Read the Play, Tackle Your Feelings), with response options based on findings from an industry-led review of mental health programmes in Australian sport (Purcell et al., 2020). Finally, stakeholders were asked if their sports club has any policies or codes in place to promote mental health and wellbeing (Yes, No, Unsure).

Perceived motives and barriers to mental health and wellbeing promotion in sports clubs. Perceived motives and barriers to promoting mental health and wellbeing in sports clubs were measured using an adapted version of the scale developed by Meganck et al. (2015). The scale incorporated four items assessing intrinsic (2 items; e.g. our club wants to contribute to the mental health of youth) and extrinsic motives (2 items; e.g. our club wants to profile itself as supporting mental health). An additional 10-items assessed barriers to sports clubs supporting mental health and wellbeing. Barriers pertained to internal support (e.g. lack of interest in mental health promotion among committee members) and external support (inadequate support from governing bodies), and insufficient resources (money, time) (Meganck et al., 2015). Participants rated all items on a 5-point Likert Scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree).

Psychological safety in sport settings. The Sport Psychological Safety Inventory (Rice et al., 2022) was used to assess stakeholders’ perceptions of psychological safety within their sports club. The Inventory consisted of 11 items, comprising three subscales assessing mentally healthy environment (i.e. perceived organisational support for mental health problems; 4 items), mental health literacy (4 items), and inclusive attitudes (i.e. low self-stigma; 3 items). Items were rated on a 5-point Likert Scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A score for each subscale was calculated by averaging the representative items (after reverse scoring appropriate items). In the present study, internal reliability of the subscales was high, mentally healthy environment (α = .91), mental health literacy (α = .86) and inclusive attitudes (α = .83).

Data analysis

Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 28 (IBM, Corp). Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the associations between variables. Independent sample t-tests, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and chi-square analyses were used to assess differences between those in sports clubs that currently provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives and those in clubs that do not. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.

Results

Sample characteristics

The sample comprised of 302 stakeholders of Australian sports clubs aged 17–85 years (M = 41.3, SD = 15.7 years, 46.7% male). Most were located in South Australia (72.5%); however, all Australian states and territories were represented in the sample. Stakeholders were largely players (37.7%), parent/ guardians of a sportsperson (16.2%), coaches (16.6%), committee members (12.6%), or presidents/ CEOs (8.3%). The predominant sporting codes included AFL (16.6%), tennis (13.2%), cricket (12.6%), soccer (11.6%), basketball (9.9%), rugby (7.6%), and netball (5.3%).

Examining perceptions pertaining to mental health and wellbeing promotion in sports clubs and psychological safety of the sports environment

Descriptive statistics and correlations are presented in Table 1. Over half of stakeholders (66.9%) perceived that their sports club’s prioritisation of supporting mental health and wellbeing as either high (29.5%) or moderate (37.4%), and 33.1% rated it as low. Prioritisation was positively linked to satisfaction with the mental health support provided by the club (see Table 1). Both prioritisation and satisfaction were positively associated with perceptions regarding a mentally healthy environment and mental health literacy. Satisfaction was also positively correlated with inclusive attitudes towards mental health.

Table 1. Descriptive statistics and correlations among perceptions pertaining to mental health promotion in sporting clubs and psychological safety.

	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.
1. Prioritisation of mental health by club^a	0.68**	0.58**	0.22**	0.09	0.03	0.04
2. Satisfaction with mental health support provided by club	1	0.69**	0.19**	0.19**	0.02	0.07
3. Mentally healthy environment		1	0.23**	0.24**	−0.05	0.04
4. Mental health literacy			1	0.14*	−0.13*	−0.002
5. Inclusive attitudes				1	0.12*	0.02
6. Age (years)					1	−0.009
7. SEIFA Rank of Location						1
Overall, M (SD)	2.7 (1.2)	3.4 (0.9)	3.5 (0.8)	3.9 (0.9)	41.3 (15.7)	6.0 (2.8)

^a Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients.

^b,c Means with different subscripts demotes significant differences (p < .05).

Note. *p < .05, **p < .01.

Mental health and wellbeing initiatives in Australian sports clubs

Overall, 47.7% (n = 144, 50.0% male) of stakeholders indicated that their sports club currently provides at least one initiative to support mental health and wellbeing. The most commonly reported initiatives were mental health days (23.2%), provision of educational information and resources (20.2%), and promotion of mental health services and supports (17.5%) (see Table 2). The initiative perceived as most important to supporting mental health and wellbeing in sports clubs was a dedicated mental health team or officer(s), while fundraising for mental health charities was perceived as the least important. Stakeholders reported limited implementation of evidence-based programmes such as Mental Health First Aid Training (8.6%), Mental Health in Sport (5.0%), Ahead of the Game (3.6%), Tackle Your Feelings (3.6%), and Read the Play (2.3%). Finally, 10.9% of stakeholders (n = 33) reported that their sports club has a policy (or code) in place to promote mental health and wellbeing, and these stakeholders were also more likely to report that their club has implemented mental health and wellbeing initiatives (X² (2) = 27.8, p < .001).

Table 2. Mental health and wellbeing initiatives currently provided in sporting clubs.

	Provision of initiative in sporting clubs, n (%)	Perceived importance of initiative in supporting mental health and wellbeing, M (SD)
Mental health days/ rounds	70 (23.2)	3.9 (0.9)
Educational information and resources	61 (20.2)	4.0 (0.7)
Promotion of mental health services and supports	53 (17.5)	4.1 (0.8)
Fundraising for mental health charities	49 (16.2)	3.7 (0.9)
Mentoring programmes	39 (12.9)	3.8 (0.9)
Guest speakers with expertise in mental health	38 (12.6)	4.0 (1.0)
Mental health first aid training	29 (9.6)	4.1 (0.8)
Mental health workshops, webinars, or educational days	29 (9.6)	3.8 (1.0)
Mental health programme(s)	28 (9.3)	4.0 (0.9)
Guest speakers sharing experiences of mental ill-health and recovery	28 (9.3)	3.8 (1.0)
Dedicated mental health term or officer(s)	26 (8.6)	4.3 (1.1)

Comparison of stakeholders in Australian sports clubs that do (and do not) currently provide initiatives to support mental health and wellbeing

Table 3 presents differences among stakeholders in sports clubs that currently provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives and those in clubs that do not. A larger proportion of those in mental health and wellbeing promoting clubs reported a high (rather than low prioritisation) of mental health (X² (2) = 47.4, p < .001), and were more satisfied with the current level of mental health related support their club provided, t(300) = 6.8, p < .001. There was also a significant difference in relation to psychological safety (F(3, 298) = 18.0, p < .001, Wilks’ Lambda = .85, partial eta²= .154), such that those in mental health and wellbeing promoting clubs perceived their club as a more mentally healthy environment and had higher mental health literacy scores.

Table 3. Comparing stakeholders in sporting clubs that do (and do not) provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

	Participants in clubs that provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives (n = 144)	Participants in clubs that do not provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives (n = 158)	p-value	Effect Size
Prioritisation of mental health by club, n (%)			<.001	Φ = 0.40
High priority	59 (41.0%)^a	30 (19.0%)^b
Moderate priority	65 (45.1%)^a	48 (30.4%)^b
Low priority	20 (14.0%)^a	80 (50.6%)^b
Satisfaction with mental health support provided by club, M (SD)	3.1 (1.1)	2.3 (1.0)	<.001	d = 0.76
Psychological Safety, M (SD)
Mentally healthy environment	3.7 (0.8)	3.0 (0.9)	<.001	ηp^2= 0.14
Mental health literacy	3.7 (0.7)	3.4 (0.9)	<.001	ηp^2= 0.04
Inclusive attitudes	3.9 (0.9)	3.8 (0.9)	.082	ηp^2=.010

No significant between group differences in age, gender or SEIFA.

^a,b Means with different subscripts demotes significant between group differences (p < .05).

Perceived motives and barriers to mental health and wellbeing promotion in sports clubs

Table 4 indicates that all motives (intrinsic and extrinsic) for mental health and wellbeing promotion were endorsed to a greater extent among stakeholders in clubs supporting mental health relative to those in clubs that were not (F(4, 290) = 13.6, p < .001, Wilks’ Lambda = .84, partial eta²= .159). Overall, intrinsic motives (e.g. contributing to the mental health of youth) were scored higher than extrinsic motives (e.g. optimising sporting performance). In relation to barriers to mental health and wellbeing promotion, across the sample, the highest perceived barrier was a lack of resources (e.g. lack of money, mental health knowledge and expertise). The lowest rated barriers were a lack of interest in mental health promotion among parent/ guardians, committee members and youth members. There were also significant differences in perceived barriers to mental health promotion among stakeholders that were (and were not) in clubs currently providing mental health and wellbeing initiatives, F(9, 278) = 4.8, p < .001, Wilks’ Lambda = .86, partial eta²= .136. More specifically, barriers including lack of stakeholder interest, inadequate external support, and insufficient knowledge and expertise were endorsed to a greater extent among those in clubs that were not currently implementing mental health and wellbeing initiatives (Table 4).

Table 4. Motives and barriers to mental health promotion in sporting clubs.

	Overall	Stakeholders in clubs that provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives (n = 144)	Stakeholders in clubs that do not provide mental health and wellbeing initiatives (n = 158)	p-value	Effect size (ηp^2)
Motives
Intrinsic Motives
Contribute to the mental health of youth	3.5 (1.1)	3.9 (0.9)	3.1 (1.0)	<.001	.132
Take up its responsibility in the community	3.4 (1.0)	3.8 (1.0)	3.0 (0.9)	<.001	.137
Extrinsic Motives
Optimise sporting performance	3.0 (1.0)	3.3 (1.1)	2.8 (0.9)	<.001	.068
Profile itself as supporting mental health	3.2 (1.1)	3.5 (1.1)	2.9 (1.0)	<.001	.091
Barriers
Lack of internal support
Lack of interest amongst parents/ guardians	3.0 (1.0)	2.7 (1.0)	3.2 (0.9)	<.001	.046
Lack of interest amongst committee members	2.9 (1.1)	2.5 (1.1)	3.3 (0.9)	<.001	.128
Lack of interest amongst youth members	2.9 (0.9)	2.7 (0.9)	3.1 (0.8)	<.001	.045
Lack of external support
Inadequate support from state or national governing bodies	3.3 (0.9)	3.2 (1.0)	3.5 (0.9)	.004	.029
Inadequate support from local government	3.4 (0.9)	3.3 (0.9)	3.5 (0.9)	.047	.014
Lack of resources
Lack of mental health knowledge and expertise	3.7 (0.9)	3.6 (1.0)	3.9 (0.9)	.005	.028
Lack of money for mental health promotion	3.7 (0.9)	3.6 (1.0)	3.8 (0.9)	.082	.011
Lack of time for mental health promotion	3.5 (1.0)	3.4 (1.1)	3.6 (1.0)	.083	.010
Lack of human resources for mental health promotion (e.g. insufficient volunteers)	3.7 (1.0)	3.6 (1.1)	3.8 (0.8)	.145	.007

Discussion

The aim of the present study was to examine the current landscape of mental health and wellbeing promotion in Australian sports clubs. This included assessing sports club’s current provision of mental health and wellbeing initiatives, the implications of such promotional efforts, and perceived motives and barriers to mental health and wellbeing promotion within sporting settings.

The findings indicate that only around half (47.7%) of stakeholders reported that their sports club currently provides an initiative(s) to promote mental health and wellbeing. This is perhaps surprising given the growing recognition of sporting environments as a valuable setting to promote mental health and wellbeing (Drummond et al., 2022; Ferguson et al., 2019; Hurley et al., 2017; Petersen et al., 2023a; Swann et al., 2018). Indeed, our findings highlight the potentially beneficial outcomes of sports clubs supporting mental health and wellbeing. Stakeholders in clubs that had implemented mental health and wellbeing initiatives perceived their club environment as more mentally healthy (i.e. perceived greater organisational support for mental health) and attained higher mental health literacy scores; key dimensions underpinning psychologically safe environments (Rice et al., 2022). This is notable given psychologically safe sporting environments are known to foster a range of positive individual (e.g. personal development, wellbeing) and interpersonal outcomes (e.g. social connection, team membership) (Vella et al., 2022). The promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sport settings may be key to cultivating psychologically safe sporting environments, wherein stakeholders perceive greater support for mental health and have higher mental health literacy, and this may encourage the disclosure of mental health difficulties and foster appropriate help-seeking behaviours. It is also possible that psychologically safe sporting environments may be more conducive to the implementation of mental health and wellbeing initiatives; and given the cross-sectional nature of the present study this warrants exploration in future. Nevertheless, our findings speak to the importance of ongoing efforts to harness sport settings to support mental health and wellbeing.

The present study also shows that Australian sports clubs are currently utilising a variety of initiatives to promote mental health and wellbeing. Initiatives targeted at raising awareness (e.g. mental health days/ rounds, fundraising for mental health charities) were frequently implemented, yet were viewed as having limited value in promoting mental health and wellbeing. On the other hand, dedicated mental health personnel were perceived as most important to promoting mental health and wellbeing in clubs. However, they were not commonly reported as existing structures of sports clubs. In a sample of stakeholders from rural South Australian football clubs, Hutchesson et al. (2021) similarly found that designated personnel were perceived as necessary to support the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in such settings. This is perhaps not surprising given a body of evidence suggesting that organisational capacity, and more specifically, the presence of leaders that will champion change is critical to driving health promotion efforts in community settings (Lane et al., 2022; Shelton et al., 2018). Prominent implementation science frameworks (e.g. The Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) compilation) also recognise organisational leaders as an important component of facilitating sustained implementation of health promoting initiatives (Powell et al., 2015). Leaders, especially those that are well connected and/or influential (e.g. members of club committees), have the capacity to foster stakeholder buy-in and help to navigate competing priorities, and thus, establish sporting cultures that value mental health and wellbeing (Vella et al., 2019). It is possible that the integration of dedicated mental health personnel into club leadership structures (e.g. mandated role on club committees) could be critical to the ongoing prioritisation of mental health and wellbeing promotion in sports clubs, particularly given the inherently transient nature of such environments.

The findings further suggest that evidence-based mental health and wellbeing programmes are infrequently utilised in Australian sports clubs. More specifically, there was limited implementation of programmes such as Mental Health First Aid Training, Ahead of the Game, Tackle Your Feelings, and Read the Play. It has been suggested that highly structured (multi-component) programmes (e.g. Ahead of the Game) that are inherently resource intensive, may not be appropriate for sporting settings, many of which are reliant on volunteers (Walton et al., 2021). To date, there is a dearth of research that has evaluated the implementation (e.g. facilitators, barriers) of sports-based programmes targeted at mental health and wellbeing promotion. In other community settings (e.g. schools) however, there is a growing body of literature in relation to facilitating the adoption and sustained implementation of evidence-based health interventions in real-world settings (Lane et al., 2022; Nathan et al., 2023). This knowledge could be harnessed as a template to bolster translational efforts of sport-based programmes, and ultimately, increase the utilisation of evidence-based resources in sporting environments.

Our findings shed important light on the current landscape of mental health and wellbeing promotion in Australian sports clubs. More specifically, they suggest that: (1) relatively few sports clubs are promoting mental health and wellbeing, (2) a variety of initiatives are utilised in clubs (however many are deemed futile to supporting mental health and wellbeing), and (3) evidence-based programmes are infrequently implemented. Many stakeholders do, however, perceive that mental health and wellbeing promotion is a priority within their club. This is in line with other research further suggesting that stakeholders strongly endorse the importance of clubs promoting mental health and wellbeing, and are likely to engage in such promotional efforts (Petersen et al., 2023a). Collectively, this suggests that there is a possible disconnect between sports club (and stakeholder) ‘buy-in’ to promoting mental health and wellbeing and their provision of supports to do so. Providing sports clubs with greater guidance in ‘how best’ to support mental health and wellbeing may be critical to bridging this gap. Existing efforts to provide such guidance have been met with critique (e.g. key priorities/ considerations for mental health promotion in sport; Breslin et al., 2019; Liddelow et al., 2024), with recognition that sports clubs require more practical (and explicit) direction in relation to supporting mental health (Vella & Swann, 2021). The Mental Fitness Charter (Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation, 2022), for example, launched by SportSA in South Australia, provides sports clubs access to a range of resources (e.g. workshops, training, print/ digital resources), with a mission to embed mental health and wellbeing in sporting communities. Resources such as these, could, however, be further enhanced to provide clubs with more explicit guidance in relation to supporting mental health and wellbeing. This could for example, include a stepped approach that scaffolds mental health and wellbeing promotion efforts by providing a continuum of resources adaptable to sports club’s capacity (e.g. readiness for supporting mental health and wellbeing; Elliott et al., 2024).

Finally, this study provides novel insights into the barriers and motives to mental health and wellbeing promotion in Australian sports settings. Our findings indicate that inadequate external support (e.g. support from governing bodies) and insufficient resources (e.g. time, money, knowledge) remain prominent barriers to the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sport settings. Elliott et al. (2024) cited several challenges (e.g. cultural resistance, minimalistic attitudes, deferred responsibility) that youth sporting clubs may encounter in establishing and maintaining the provision of mental health support. Recently, there has been a call to action for national sporting organisations and governing bodies to develop (or endorse) policies or actionable guidelines to inform the promotion of mental health in community sport settings (Vella et al., 2021). Our findings suggest that few sports clubs have a mental health policy (or code), and notably, this was linked to the clubs’ provision of initiatives to promote mental health and wellbeing. This fits with the settings-based approach to health promotion which suggests that the macro-level (e.g. policies, guidelines, leadership) is important to supporting increased health promoting capacity (and culture) of a sports club (Kokko et al., 2014). Explicit guidance from overarching leadership may be critical to improving the utilisation of sport settings as sites of mental health and wellbeing promotion by addressing key barriers (e.g. inadequate mental health knowledge, deferred responsibility) shown to impede existing efforts.

The findings from the present study show that stakeholders perceived that intrinsic motives (e.g. contributing to the mental health of youth) underpinned sports clubs mental health and wellbeing promotion. This is notable, given it has been well-substantiated that intrinsic motives for change are likely to drive sustained, long-term action (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Extrinsic motives (e.g. optimising sporting performance) may, however, usefully place mental health on the agenda and drive the initial enactment of changes to establish sporting environments that value mental health and wellbeing. This could, for example, include increased recognition that there are inextricable links between mental health and physical health outcomes (e.g. risk of physical injury), and as such, wellbeing enhances (rather than inhibits) performance (Purcell et al., 2022; Walton et al., 2021). In a sporting society wherein a win at all costs mentality remains omnipresent, this shift in the stigmatised discourse surrounding mental health may pave the way to cultivating sporting cultures that proactively commit to prioritising and protecting mental health and wellbeing.

Implications

The present study has important implications for the utilisation of sports clubs as sites for mental health and wellbeing promotion. There is considerable scope to improve the provision of mental health and wellbeing supports in such settings. Our findings suggest that the current landscape of mental health and wellbeing promotion in Australian sports clubs is ‘each club to its own’, and as such, establishing standardised best-practice approaches is critical. More specifically, few sports clubs were found to utilise existing evidence-based programmes, suggesting that an overhaul to the structure (and format) of these programmes should be considered to improve their use. Adaptable resources (e.g. a tool kit), for instance, that provide sports clubs with explicit, tailored guidance, may be most appropriate for sporting environments, and may overcome barriers to mental health and wellbeing promotion efforts in this setting (e.g. inadequate mental health knowledge). Strategies to support the sustained implementation of such resources (e.g. internal and external leadership) should be considered from the outset, and could usefully be guided by implementation science frameworks (e.g. ERIC compilation; Powell et al., 2015). Relatedly, moving forward we must evaluate both the efficacy and implementation of mental health and wellbeing resources in sports environments. This is critical given the paucity of research that has evaluated the implementation of sports-based programmes targeted at mental health promotion, and the known links between successful implementation and programme effectiveness (Durlak & DuPre, 2008). Finally, this study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sport settings has beneficial outcomes (e.g. fosters psychologically safe environments). Ongoing efforts to optimise the utilisation of these settings to support mental health and wellbeing, are therefore necessary.

Conclusion

The present study provides novel insights into the current promotion of mental health and wellbeing in Australian community sports clubs. The findings indicate that few sports clubs are supporting mental health and wellbeing, and evidence-based programmes are infrequently implemented. This represents a missed opportunity to cultivate psychologically safe sporting environments that have the potential to drive widespread change in population mental health and wellbeing outcomes. As such, ongoing efforts to optimise the utilisation of sporting settings are necessary. The development of standardised, best practice approaches to the promotion of mental health and wellbeing in sporting environments should be considered a priority in future.

Availability of data

The dataset used during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing SA. The funding source had no role in the study design, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.