Sporting Chance: Summit 2024 on October 10th at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, welcomes mental health professionals from all corners of professional sport. Join us on World Mental Health Day, as we bring support staff and practitioners together under one roof to have the conversations that truly matter. Hear from Andy Ryan and Damien Freeleagus as they offer a brief insight into the history and the growth of their company, and what they are bringing to conversations about mental health in professional sport.
Andy Ryan and Damien Freeleagus are founders and co-directors of THiNK ABOUT iT, a company dedicated to creating functional conversations and conducting theatre workshops, with various clients across the Australian sports industry. Growing from their roots in Australian theatre and film, they draw upon such skills to engage athletes across National Rugby League, Swimming Australia, and the Australian Football League. Looking to support their acting careers, the two actors first began their work in the sports industry through a chance meeting with a representative of the National Rugby League in Australia.
“For some reason … it worked. Players responded really positively. They hadn’t been exposed to these issues before without a PowerPoint or a test. We gave them the platform to express their own thoughts and opinions, which led to truly productive conversations and genuine progress.”
Andy Ryan on their first workshop with the NRL.
They grounded their workshops in their experiences within the acting field, as they have encouraged athletes to act out real-life scenarios and then reflect on the issues that arise. Since their founding in 2012, the pair have since gone on to script and deliver hundreds of workshops dedicated to tackling various issues, with mental health at the forefront. From gambling and drug addiction to social media and domestic violence, they have worked across every major sporting code in Australia, enjoying huge success across the industry. Addressing such topics in this novel and unique manner has received a truly positive reception from various athletes, who have attested to the destigimitisation that such workshops have facilitated, through their creation of a dynamic platform that encourages dialogue on mental health and wellbeing.
“In a club environment we will have players come up and thank us ... that they now feel like they have permission to speak about the issues that have been troubling them.”
Andy Ryan on the successes and breakthroughs they have enjoyed.
Upon the conclusion of their sessions, Ryan and Freeleagus are often met with genuine gratitude from players who feel a new sense of freedom to discuss issues that have long troubled them. Such workshops have given players a license to seek help, which both believe is so crucial within these settings, where athletes are often judged solely on statistics and results as they seek to bring some humanity back into these environments. Entertainment is paramount to their philosophy on education, that the process they create for athletes is extremely cathartic, injecting humour into often drab and dull topics. They do not wish to create a traditional workshop, defined by rigidity, but rather allow the players to direct these processes, allowing flexibility and fluidity.
“We seek to communicate to athletes in their language, creating an active process whereby they are able to express their emotions, thoughts and feelings.”
Damien Freeleagus on the process they have created.
They believe that part of their success draws upon the similarities between acting and sports. Both industries are defined by their competitive and often ruthless nature; both players and actors are judged by performance and are often under a harsh spotlight, exposed to significant criticism. Such common ground from their backgrounds in the Australian entertainment industry allows the pair to empathise with the struggles of players and athletes, and truly tap into the issues in a manner that engages these individuals, to produce productive results.
“There’s a really nice ‘marriage’ there, between actors and athletes”.
Damien Freeleagus on their empathy with sportspeople.
Through their exposure at the summit, the pair hope to illustrate that there is an alternative way to create these conversations around mental health, in a more organic and dynamic fashion that allows athletes to respond in the most productive manner possible, in a language that is their own, driven by their own input. They hope that this unique approach will be taken up by other support staff and practitioners across the globe, to allow athletes to address critical off-field issues to better both performance and their wellbeing.
Hear on such issues and more as Andy Ryan and Damien Freeleagus of THiNK ABOUT iT join us as part of our panel of speakers on October 10th as we welcome mental health professionals and delegates from all corners of professional sport.
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