FIFA: International federation to launch research project on mental health of professional players

"To help lift the taboo on issues surrounding mental health in elite athletes" and "to build a foundation for the development of treatment and information materials for team physicians, coaches and players" are the objectives of the research project "Mental Health and Sport" launched by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) on 29/08/2014.

"Despite some prominent cases, mental health problems are rarely reported in football and other sports. Any scientific data on the mental health of athletes is rare, and almost no scientific study has yet investigated the mental health among football players," said the international federation.

Birgit Prinz, the former German football player and psychology graduate, will lead the research project "Mental Health and Sport", in collaboration with Edgar Schmitt, the former striker and project ambassador. The studies will be conducted by Hamburg's (GER) Medical School. It will take the form of an online survey sent, initially, to former Bundesliga players (men and women), and then to players in other countries. The first results of…