Movember and the Rugby League World Cup: Improving Men's Health

As part of Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021)’s Mental Fitness Charter (now played in 2022, following delays due to COVID), Movember’s ground-breaking Ahead of The Game program has been delivered to 8,000 young athletes, their families, and 400 coaches through community rugby league clubs. The aim is to improve mental resilience in adolescent athletes and raise mental fitness literacy and awareness among players, families and their coaches.

In addition, over 700 tournament volunteers and 1000 players from the 32 competing teams, match officials and RLWC2021 staff, will receive mental fitness awareness training.

Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14 and 75 per cent by the age of 24. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people aged 10-24 and 75% of those who die by suicide are male.

This has been a key opportunity for Movember to get into towns and cities which are home to some of the most socially deprived communities and the highest suicide rates in England and make a positive impact on people’s lives - in the communities that need it most.

Movember’s Ahead of The Game is being delivered by our partner Rugby League Cares and a squad of 13 professional and former professional players including New Zealand’s Robbie Hunter-Paul, England’s Keith Senior and Amy Hardcastle.

The evidence-based program has already made a positive impact on the wellbeing of thousands of people, according to RLWC2021’s interim Social Impact Report launched earlier this year.

Movember is also playing a crucial role in the tournament’s mental fitness campaign, to raise mental fitness literacy amongst supporters. It will also help us to create a post-tournament legacy plan to ensure the impact of the Mental Fitness Charter is felt long after the final whistle at the final game.

To find out more about Movember’s flagship mental health program, visit Ahead of The Game.