91Èȱ¬

Prince William has teamed up with David Beckham and other football stars aiming to create a 'mentally healthy culture' in the sport.

The Duke of Cambridge has approached governing bodies, leagues and organisations from across UK football and asked them to sign a "collective game plan" to tackle the issue of mental health in football.

"I'm delighted to announce that today the entire football system across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has united around a common goal, to develop a mentally healthy culture across the game by signing a landmark Mentally Healthy Football Declaration," he said.

"Football is a team sport and, for the first time, there is a collective game plan to make mental health the top part in the game."

Following on from the announcement, Prince William took a video call with former England captain David Beckham, England Women's captain Steph Houghton, Aston Villa player Tyrone Mings, Crystal Palace's Andros Townsend and Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti.

During the call, the football stars spoke about their own experiences of dealing with mental health issues, and the importance of having support.

David Beckham said: "I made a mistake in '98 [getting sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup] and the reaction at the time was pretty brutal.

"If social media was around when I was going through that time, it would have been a whole different story. But I was lucky, I had a support system within Manchester United, the manager, and obviously family.

"But did I feel it was okay at the time to go to someone and say I need help? No, because it was a different era, and I just felt that I had to keep it all in and deal with it myself.

"Whereas now I'm the one preaching to my kids and to other kids that I talk to out there that it's really important to talk. We all know now that it's okay not to be okay, and it's okay to say that. It's okay to come out and say I need help."

England and Manchester City captain Steph Houghton also warned against the negative effects of social media in the women's game.

Houghton spoke of the "unbelievable highs" and lows of her career, including missing a penalty in the World Cup semi-final against the United States last year.

"It wasn't intentional missing a penalty but at the same time people make you feel like that, so I think it's important we have that kind of awareness and to have that kind of conversation within teams for the younger generation coming up, to go 'right, OK, social media is a great thing for a lot of things, to promote campaigns, build people's profiles, but at the same time it can be quite hurtful."

England and Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has set up his own academy for kids to enjoy playing football without the pressure of always getting results.

Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, said he wants speaking about a problem to be seen as a sign of strength in an environment where footballers are "encouraged to stay on top of their mental fitness, just as they do their physical fitness".

Last year Prince William began a Heads Up initiative which has been encouraging football fans to talk about mental health issues in their lives and support others.

The FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea is being staged on Saturday 1 August and has been renamed the Heads Up FA Cup Final to promote the Duke of Cambridge's message.