(Reuters) – Former Manchester Metropolis supervisor Mark Hughes has known as for extra psychological well being assist for younger soccer gamers, who might battle to deal with the ups and downs of the sport.

Higher Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and a member of the League Managers’ Affiliation (LMA), together with Hughes, have launched a brand new partnership that goals to encourage conversations about psychological well being.

As a part of this initiative, LMA members will obtain a coaching course on learn how to enhance “suicide consciousness”.

“It is essential that younger gamers get the assist they want,” mentioned Hughes. “Many golf equipment have participant welfare providers and providers that tackle this. However not all golf equipment have the identical sources.

“There are quite a lot of feelings and disappointments, extra disappointments than successes … and it is about when somebody grapples with these disappointments.”

Hughes’ former Wales teammate Gary Pace ​​was discovered hanged within the storage of his residence in Huntington, close to Chester in 2011.

Police mentioned on the time there have been no suspicious circumstances and the coroner mentioned there was not sufficient proof to say whether or not it was unintended or intentional.

“I’ve had teammates who’ve had psychological well being points and misplaced their lives to suicide,” mentioned Hughes. “Now we have a chance (as managers) to assist.”

(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Modifying by Peter Rutherford)