Everton In the Community Open Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub
March 10, 2023
Everton in the Community (EITC), the charity arm of Everton F.C., has become the first charity attached to a Premier League club to open a purpose-built mental health and wellbeing hub. "The People’s Place" officially opened its doors this week to provide a dedicated space for EITC to provide its award-winning mental health provision across its 15 affiliated programmes.
The centre, located in Liverpool in Merseyside county where Everton F.C. is based, is open to anyone, regardless of age, gender or location, and will provide positive mental health support alongside services related to suicide awareness and prevention. Data shows a stark difference in mental health issues in England with Bidston Hill in Wirral, Merseyside, having the second-highest prevalence of depression in the country (20.2%). It is also estimated that up to 40% of calls for assistance to the Merseyside Police are now related to mental ill health.
Alongside support services, the hub will run sport and physical activities designed to improve mental and physical wellbeing whilst offering education and employment opportunities. Professional support through a team of onside GPs and mental health professionals will also be supplied.
Since 1988, EITC has been at the forefront of social intervention across Merseyside, offering more than 40 programmes covering a range of social issues including health, employability, anti-social behaviour, crime, education, dementia, poverty, youth engagement, youth justice and disability. Operating 24/7, EITC supports the most vulnerable and underprivileged members of local communities.
The People’s Place builds on EITC's long-standing work in mental health, which began in 2008 when the charity became the first Premier League club to create a targeted programme on the issue. Launched in partnership with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Imagine Your Goals provided a series of activities for service users, enabling them to access football coaching sessions and education, volunteering and employment opportunities as well as compete in a local league and regional, national and European competitions. This programme paved the way for EITC to expand its reach in mental health provision and also led them to win Beyond Sport's Health and Wellbeing Global Award in 2017 for the project.
In the 15 years following, EITC has launched many mental health and wellbeing-focused programmes to help targeted vulnerable groups in the community. Its Inside Right initiative in 2009 supported wellbeing for veterans through physical activity, and in 2014, Girls on Side focused on women’s only mental wellbeing. In 2017, its Premier League-funded Stand Together programme combatted social isolation amongst pensioners and vulnerable adults.
EITC is considered one of the Premier League’s leading community schemes due to the quality and reach of its programmes. The People’s Place will allow for a vast expansion of EITC’s new and existing mental health and wellbeing initiatives, allowing the charity to increase its impact in the mental health space.