“Depressed on 200,000 a week!? Get over it!"

The problems that professional footballers face with depression.



Clinical depression effects different people from all walks of life and is characterised by a loss of pleasure in normally enjoyable activities and low self-esteem. The symptoms are often reported by the sufferer themselves, family or friends and then results in an examination of the person, followed by treatment, it can effect anyone, regardless of how successful that person is. 

In 2011 the world of football was stunned by the news that former Wales International Gary Speed had taken his own life. Speed was happily married with two children, initially, reports suggested that Speed was depressed, this theory was subsequently rejected by Speeds agent Hayden Evans. 

However, the Sporting Chance Clinic which helps sports professionals address various issues in their life said that they were contacted by ten footballers in the wake of Speeds suicide. Chief Executive Officer of the foundation Peter Kay revealed “Ten players have contacted me to seek help since the news broke, that’s an usual amount”. 

He continued by explaining that it was players from all the divisions who contacted the clinic “We’re talking about players from across the leagues, mental health doesn’t preclude anyone, regardless of profession wealth or status”. Here, I will look at players who have graced English footballs top division and how all the fan adulation and riches that come with the game, doesn’t necessarily equal happiness and fulfilment.

In 2008 Dean Windass was playing for his home town club Hull City at Wembley against Bristol Rovers for a place in the big time, The Premier League.

 In the 38th minute with the game still goalless, tricky front man Frazier Campbell dribbled to the by-line looked up and picked out Windass on the edge of the box, what happened next has gone down in Hull City folk law as one of the clubs most iconic moments.

Windass sent an unerring volley crashing into the top corner to give his team the lead and ultimately the victory which saw Hull enter the elite of English football for the first time in the clubs history. 

The striker described the moment as the best in his career and something he would never forget “The good thing is the memory will never go away” he said after the game.After the incredible high reality soon set in for Windass during the new season.

The man who helped to get the club to the Premier League made just five appearances, the frustration the player felt was evident during the campaign when Windass revealed in January 2009 that the then manager Phil Brown hadn’t spoken to him since Christmas.

Windass was frozen out at Hull, communication with the manager had broken down, and the club were considering loaning him out to lower league clubs.The player summed up his feelings and disillusionment by saying “It’s fair to say I’m getting frustrated, I have no idea what is happening with my situation, I haven’t spoken to the manager in three weeks” he revealed. 

Later that season Windass was loaned out to League One outfit Oldham Athletic, he had gone from securing a place in the Premier League to the third tier of the football league in less than 12 months.

Windass had spells at Darlington, Northern Counties East side Barton Town Old Boys before ending his career at Scarborough. When Windass called full time on his days as a professional footballer he struggled to cope without the sport that he loved.His desperate attempts to get playing time wherever and whenever he could was testament to his desire and love of the game.

In 2012 Windass made the shock revelation that he had tried to commit suicide in January that year, he said that “I hit rock bottom and tried to end it all” and continued by revealing intimate details of his failed attempt “I first took an overdose, and when that didn’t work I tried to hang myself. I felt so alone and felt I had nothing to live for”.

Windass had been suffering from personal problems as well as the end of his playing career his marriage ended and he felt ashamed of his state of mind. A study by Phillips & Murray (2001) cites that some mental disorders can be the result of some underlying biological basis, as already mentioned, Windass was struggling with other aspects of his life before attempting suicide. 

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and is thought to be a major contribution to feeling good about one’s self and general happiness (Young 2007) those who have attempted suicide have lower serotonin levels that most people and is at its lowest with people who have completed the action (Stoff & Susman, 2005).

After the attempt on his life Windass talked about the shame he felt in admitting to be being depressed “The hardest thing to do is to admit you’re depressed” he explained, “There are a lot of people who are depressed but don’t want to come out because of the shame”. 

A study by Brown & Wingate (2005) ‘The psychological and neurobiology of suicidal behaviour’ explains that being a burden on others, hopelessness and other forms of emotional pain are common risk factors of clinical depression. 

Windass turned to drink to try and help ease the pain he was going through but only made the situation worse for him, perversely, he says that it was being at his lowest ebb that was the kick start he needed to change his life “I blamed other people for everything and in the end you just go down and down until you hit rock bottom, I’m fortunate that I’ve came through the other side”.

Leon McKenzie was another player living his dream whilst playing in the Premier League for Norwich City.He was being paid £15,000 a week and was happily married before gambling, flash cars, and numerous nights out with friends and teammates led to a bitter divorce and ultimately an attempt on his own life. 

In 2000, McKenzie moved to Peterborough United from Crystal Palace, scoring 46 goals in 90 appearances for the club. Life was good for the centre forward until he received news from home that his sister Tracey had died aged 23.

 McKenzie admits that he didn’t know how to deal with something as powerful as a family bereavement “Clubs taught me how to score goals, but never how to deal with something like that” he said. 

Despite his own personal grief McKenzie continued to shine for Peterborough and earned himself a move to the Norwich City where his good form continued  and eventually led him and the club to the Premier League. 

But the success on the field wasn’t mirrored in his personal life, halfway through the season his marriage had fallen apart and he was in the process of a divorce and losing the right to see his children.

He admits to being emotionally vulnerable and seeking the support of his mother “I used to go home, call my mum in tears, I was spending too much time alone” he goes onto explain about the split from his wife “Divorce was another trigger, I spent a lot of money on it, it might have been my fault but it didn’t seem fair”.

In 2006, McKenzie moved to Coventry City after an injury ravaged year with Norwich, the divorce from his wife was proving to be expensive even for a professional footballer and the injuries kept the centre forward from doing what makes him happy, scoring goals. 

McKenzie says that not playing took its toll “I love scoring goals, but it was being taken away from me” he continued by saying that supporters didn’t realise what was happening in his life “Who knows that I lost my sister and I’m going through a divorce?” he explains “the crowd expect you to score the winner, that’s one reason it can make people depressed, you can’t always give them what they want”. 

Depression can be triggered as a result of various life events such as disputes with family or friends, bereavement and losing a job or income (Schmidt 2005) , whilst McKenzie didn’t lose his job, he wasn’t able to take part in what he loved doing which had similar effects on his mood.

McKenzie was on the move again in 2009, back to South London where it all began for him, this time at Charlton Athletic. But similar to his experiences at Coventry he found his time consisted of lying on the treatment table rather than playing for the club and that was it.

He’d hit rock bottom and describes his days sitting in a hotel room not interacting with anyone, his family in Northampton and the niggling injuries still persisting “I would sit there for a couple of hours crying” he revealed “I thought it would pass, but it got worse, when you’re injured it’s a lonely world”. 

Salmans (2007) explains that depression can affect a person’s thoughts and well being, people who are depressed will feel hopeless, worried and sad, they may also contemplate or attempt suicide. 

McKenzie reveals how he wanted to end his life, “end the pain” as he puts it “I got a bottle of Jack Daniels, a load of sleeping pills and must have knocked back about 40 tablets” he confesses. He had rang his father moments before the attempt on his own life then stumbled around the room before passing out.

McKenzie woke up in a hospital bed with his family around him in tears, he was told by the doctor that he was fortunate to still be alive but he still felt numb due his playing career coming to end and not knowing how to handle the situation. 

Whilst at Kettering Town he received counselling and help whilst accepting his own actions and has overcome his depression. He works closely with the FA offering guidance and one-to-one session with footballers facing emotional difficulties.

 McKenzie knows what the players are going through; he’s scored goals in the top two divisions of English football and has been injured and on the treatment table for parts of his career and knows the highs and lows that can accompany a player from one season to the next. 

He knows where suffering in silence can lead a person “I was scared to own up to feeling depressed, because it’s a male macho environment and you’re not supposed to show any weakness” he continues by saying “Now I know the bravest thing to do is call for help, that is a strength”.

With depression amongst elite level athletes becoming increasingly common The Sporting Chance Clinic was established in 2000. The clinic has set out to create an environment where people who participate at any level of any sport can go and address various issues that are affecting their life. 

The clinic is also partially funded by the PFA and they have collaborated on a guidebook that will help athletes based on the contributions of their peers. Former PFA Chairman Clarke Carlisle, who himself has had battles with alcohol addiction in his career said that the book “will raise awareness levels and get the message out there that help is available”. 

The former England Under 21 International Carlisle revealed how he himself wanted to seek help for his own personal problems and was pointed in the direction of Sporting Chance by former manager Ian Holloway “I went to my manager (Holloway) who passed me on to sporting chance, I got the help that I needed” he continues by saying “It was only through treatment that I was able to come through the other side”. 

The booklet that helped Carlisle and includes contributions from other footballers such as Andrew Cole, Neil Lennon and Stan Collymoore is entitled ‘The Footballers Guidebook’, and contains advice, helpline numbers and studies on depression.

Similar to McKenzie, Carlisle was worried that the macho nature of football meant that he couldn’t openly share his problems with team mates or managers “football is a very alpha male dominated industry, people think that depression is a sign of weakness”.

It was only when he took it upon himself to ask Ian Holloway for help that he started to recover and also to find that the footballing community was much more sympathetic to his plight than he originally feared. 

The message that Carlisle and Sporting Chance Clinic want to put out there is that depression isn’t something that can or should be dealt with on your own but it can be more than useful, lifesaving in some instances to seek help and confront the problem, Carlisle says that ”You do not have to fight this on your own. The most important thing you need to do is share it with someone”.