Liverpool FC To Help Players Deal with Online Trolling
January 28, 2022
The UK's Liverpool FC (LFC) has become the first Premier League club to appoint a mental health therapist to help players deal with an increase in online trolling and abuse, with a specific focus on young players new to the pitch. The club has hired expert psychiatric therapist Ishbel Straker to hold one-on-one clinics with upcoming stars, helping them to cope with racist abuse, sudden fame and addiction issues.
The recruitment comes after prominent LFC players, Sadio Mané, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keïta were harassed last season on social media. The players were sent racist emojis and comments via Instagram after the Champions League quarter-final loss to Real Madrid. In December, captain Jordan Henderson raised concerns that 'nobody really takes player welfare carefully'.
Online abuse is spiking considerably, particularly on race and gender lines, as technology and social media use and platforms continue to expand. As a result, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel announced earlier this year that the government would extend legislation, currently addressing racist or homophobic chanting, to cover online hate offenses. The move was prompted by the staggering racial abuse Black players on England's football team were subjected to online following the Euro 2020 final.
Mental health is an area that the club has started to address over the years. In 2020, the LFC Foundation launched mental health projects aimed at helping children, young people and adults across its programmes. However, this is the first time the club – or any other Premier League club – has targeted the player's mental health focusing on the social media toll it can take on players.
The Premier League’s data from their monitoring of abuse against players also shows that around 70% of cases involving abuse are coming from social media users outside of the UK, revealing a global issue on online trolling.
Straker, who founded I Straker Consultants in 2000, has been working with the club for the past three months serving as an external consultant for the academy, which includes the under 23s and under 18s teams.
“The club is very keen to make sure the young players who are coming through, or just breaking into the first team, are prepared for what can come their way online,” a source told the Daily Mail.
“Trolling for some footballers has been as bad as it ever has been in the last 12 months and most young players are locked into social media. The new mental health consultant is giving young players the chance to talk about the abuse they get and get bespoke advice on how they can cope with that.”
LFC's website notes that the Liverpool-based therapist 'also has a specialist interest in performance enhancement, which supports those who may be struggling with work due to their mental health'.
Source: The Daily Mail