Coach points out benefits of Kick Start to Recovery
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE coach of a football programme, which consists of players who have mental health difficulties, wants to raise awareness about the FAI’s Kick Start to Recovery Programme, which allows the participants to use football as a platform for enabling them to improve their mental health.
The programme is run in conjunction with the HSE and is referral-based – it allows participants to reap both the physical and social benefits of the programme.
Coach Glenn Kelly teaching the programme
Glenn Kelly has coached the participants in the Kilnamanagh AFC grounds since 2016, and while he also coaches children’s teams, he said that his work with the Kick Start to Recovery Programme participants is “very rewarding”.
“Over time, the participants’ physical and social skills improve,” explained Mr Kelly. “Some of them have demonstrated natural leadership qualities, while others are great at supporting others.
“It can be very rewarding when you see someone who struggles to make eye contact and then begin to improve.”
The participants range in age from late 20s to late 40s, however, the only age requirement for participants is that they have to be over 16 years old, and while the team currently consists of men, women are also welcome to join if they receive a referral from their occupational therapist.
“We have people of different levels of ability,” said Mr Kelly. “We also have a representative from the HSE who’s there every week, so we have supports for the participants.”
All of the participants had to receive referrals from their occupational therapists to get onto the programme, and the participants have varying levels of mental illness.
Looking ahead to the impact Mr Kelly hopes the programme will have on the participants, he said: “I would love to see them become more incorporated into local clubs.
“They could become volunteers or supporters [in their local football clubs]. I just want there to be some kind of inclusivity, and for the participants to identify with being part of a club.”
