Josh Ginnelly shows his support for Swansea City AFC Foundation’s Talk Club
Swansea City forward Josh Ginnelly recently visited Swansea City AFC Foundation’s Talk Club to show his support for the men’s mental fitness programme, and open up about the challenges he’s faced while being injured.
Talk Club is a weekly catch-up session which offers a safe space for men to speak, listen and seek to improve their mental wellbeing in a small, supportive group.
The sessions always start with the questions: How are you? Out of 10? Encouraging the group to explain how they’re feeling, with the aim to check out at a higher score come the end of the session.
Everyone has mental health and there are many factors which can influence how someone feels, with injury being a key issue among footballers, in particular.
Ginnelly has been sidelined since September due to an Achilles injury, bringing physical and emotional challenges, which the forward shared at Talk Club.
“It was a good experience to meet the men here and get things off my chest, and also listen to them as well,” said Ginnelly.
“I think a lot of men feel isolated when it comes to these things and feel they can’t speak to people, me included, so to have this around the corner or local to you is something I’d suggest coming along to definitely.
“We had a check-in at the start and then at the end everyone checked out on a higher number, so it’s really positive and I’m delighted to have been a part of it.
“From when we all got in the room everyone was bouncing off each other to feel safe to speak and not be judged for it, so I really enjoyed that.
“I would definitely say to come along. It’s not hostile in any way, it’s really welcoming. I’ve met some great people who have come out and shared their problems with me and I’ve shared mine with them, so it’s a really important session.”
Health and wellbeing officer at the Foundation, Robin O’Brien, praised the programme’s effectiveness, and thanked Ginnelly for his positive impact.
“It can be quite a difficult thing to talk about, especially as I think there’s still a stigma around men’s mental health,” added O’Brien.
“I think it’s been brilliant for people to come into a safe space and benefit from it. Some of the men started seven to eight months ago and they’re still coming on a weekly basis.
“It was great to hear how Josh has coped with injury. I found it really inspirational and it was really interesting to hear things from his point of view, so we’re really grateful that he could come and share that with us.”
Talk Club runs every Monday from 7pm to 9pm in the Press Room at the Swansea.com Stadium. To find out more, please contact Tony Sharpe on tony.sharpe@swanstrust.co.uk or Robin O’Brien on robin@swansfoundation.org.uk.