Steven Caulker is an English professional footballer whose career has spanned multiple leagues and teams, including stints with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Southampton, Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers. While his early years showed promise—earning him a call-up to the England senior team in 2012—his career later became more tumultuous. His athletic abilities as a defender often made headlines, but so did his personal struggles off the pitch.

Throughout his career, Caulker has been candid about his battles with mental health, including depression and addiction. He's spoken openly about the lack of mental health support in football, revealing that his struggles led him to the point of contemplating suicide.

Steven's honesty about his mental health struggles has added another layer of complexity to discussions about well-being in football. He's admitted to alcohol and gambling addictions, which he says were exacerbated by the high-pressure environment of professional football and the lack of adequate mental health resources within the sport.

His experiences have opened up a wider conversation about the importance of mental health support in football, including for players at the grassroots level. He’s become an advocate for change, urging clubs and governing bodies to take mental health more seriously, providing a cautionary tale but also a source of hope for those facing similar challenges.

By sharing his story, Steven Caulker has become a prominent figure in the push for better mental health support within football. His journey serves as a powerful reminder that even those who have reached the pinnacle of professional sports are not immune to mental health struggles. The struggles he faced—both professionally and personally—offer valuable lessons for the football community, emphasising the importance of a comprehensive mental health support system for all involved in the sport. His life story makes a compelling case for why initiatives like mental health training, self-awareness programs, and resources for dealing with addiction are essential components of a responsible and caring football community.

Steven now also heads up ‘Behind the White Lines’, the first ever Aftercare Academy run by professionals for professionals. BTWL offer a range of programs which give players the opportunity to play regular fixtures, train 5 days a week, and earn vital qualifications.

With almost three decades of experience playing and working in football, Billy has cultivated a strong reputation and extensive network across all echelons of the sport.

Currently, as the Head of Football Operations at Astra Partners, he collaborates closely with his clients and their families, with his primary focus being he ensures his clients make informed decisions that benefit their careers both on and off the pitch.

This role harnesses all the skills Billy has honed over the years to maintain his players' motivation and discipline. He strives to keep them grounded and humble while aiding them in realising the potential he knows they possess.

His passion for the game remains unabated. Billy's had the fortune of encountering diverse experiences in football, interacting with a variety of coaches, managers and players and visiting countless clubs throughout the UK and Europe.

Waking up each day and knowing that he's making a positive contribution to a player's career is an incredible feeling that Billy says he never takes for granted.

Billy also represents and supports many current and ex-pros in their lives outside of the game. One notable Client is Blackpool's Jake Daniels, who became the UK's first active male professional footballer to come out publicly as gay. 

Tasha is a Relationally trained Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor. She has DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy) Level 1 and is a Certified Autplay Therapist which is a specialist play therapy devised specifically for Autism and other neurodivergent people.

Tasha worked for eight years within a cluster of schools in Leeds and now has a private practice.

She has a special interest in therapeutically supporting and advocating for children & young people and adults who are Neurodivergent.

Tasha offers training in Neurodiversity and other areas such as working therapeutically with domestic abuse.

Martin is one of the UK's leading voices on the lived mental health experience.

A teenage survivor of the Hillsborough disaster, Martin shares his vulnerability by speaking openly about that fateful day and how unbeknown to him, it would be the catalyst of what would be another personal fight for survival some 28 years later.

Martin found himself in 2017 on the brink of suicide following the death of his mother, his father’s cancer diagnosis, his wife developing a rare bone tumour and having to relive Hillsborough all over again through the ongoing legal proceedings.

Martin got as far as planning how he would take his own life but thankfully said the most important words, “I need help”. What happened from there not only saved his life but began to change his professional career in a completely new and exciting direction. On reflection, Martin would say that for many, many years that fateful date and experience defined him but he is proud to say that it is no longer the case. What defines him now is the lives that he has impacted through his talks and workshops.

A true leader is someone who balances humility with vulnerability; someone who can inspire through their words and actions. Martin does all of this and more. He shares his most vulnerable experiences with his audiences so that he can make a difference. He has taken his darkest moments and used these to shine a much-needed light on others.

James is an ex-Everton and Huddersfield Town coach and founder of Yorkshire Elite Football Academy. He is a well-known and well-respected figure in the grassroots game across the North of England. YEFA is a leading academy for developing youth footballers across Yorkshire. James' academy model caters for all players of all abilities aged 4 -16 and provides a clear pathway for players to develop and enter the professional game.

James started his professional coaching career at Huddersfield Town working for the club for 9 years and seeing a number of players develop into first-team football before founding YEFA.

James' mantra at YEFA is that they teach the game of life through the game of football - this includes introducing the players to the many challenges and obstacles they will face as they progress through life, whatever path they end up on.

Mental health is at the very top of the agenda at YEFA and James and his team of UEFA A & B licensed coaches are keen to place mental health in the foundations of learning at YEFA.

Diagnosed with ADHD at 53, Graham has devoted himself to understanding the condition and its impact on adults. Through this journey, he has recognised the challenges he faced in school, relationships and the workplace, connecting these struggles with ADHD and, in some cases, PTSD from losing his father at 16.

Driven to uncover how ADHD has also contributed to his successes, Graham has explored alternative treatments like breathwork, cold water therapy, exercise, and herbal remedies to become the best version of himself without medication. With a 25-year career in the Construction/Electrical sector, he found his true calling as an Executive Coach. Completing his studies at Oxford Brookes University, Graham has coached clients from middle management to board level, conducted C-Suite recruitment programs, and led team development work internationally.

Passionate about both Executive and ADHD coaching, he aims to help neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals work together effectively. Graham is also a trained practitioner in MBTI and 16pf psychometric profiling. As an avid sportsman, he has played Rugby for Great Britain at the amateur level and currently enjoys golf, always striving for perfection.

Alex Walmsley is not just another name in grassroots football; he is a symbol of resilience, community, and the transformative power of football.

As the founder of Sands United West Yorkshire, a football team established for men who have experienced the devastating loss of a baby, Alex has created a unique and much-needed sanctuary. Shortlisted for this year’s Sky Bet Real Football Number Ones award, Alex represents the epitome of how grassroots football can be a vessel for much-needed mental health support and community building.

Sands Charity aims to establish regional teams to serve as sanctuaries where bereaved men can unite through their shared love for football. The organisation acknowledges the difficulty many face in discussing their grief and leverages the sense of camaraderie and trust built through football to help break the silence around this sensitive subject.

Alex has not only lost his brother Josh, but he and his wife also endured the heart-wrenching experience of losing three babies in separate pregnancies. Facing this unfathomable grief, Alex identified a gap in support structures for men going through similar traumas. This led him to form Sands United West Yorkshire in 2020. Today, the club has around 35 players, each of whom has lost a baby either before, during, or after birth. Here, they find an outlet for grief through the universal language of football.

The ethos of Sands United West Yorkshire is to provide a safe space where men can both grieve and grow. With regular football matches, the team creates a support network where discussing loss and mental health becomes normalised, ultimately acting as a shield against emotional repression. His ultimate vision goes beyond male football; he dreams of expanding the club to include female and children's teams, thus widening the support network.

Acknowledged by football pundits like Graeme Souness and Clinton Morrison, Alex has earned his place on the shortlist for the Sky Bet Real Football Number Ones award. The award recognises those in grassroots football who transcend the game by contributing to their communities in meaningful ways.

Alex Walmsley is an exemplar of how football can serve as more than a sport; it can be a life-changing platform for mental health support and community bonding.

At The Football Mental Health Alliance, we recognise the critical role that people like Alex play in enhancing mental wellness within the grassroots football ecosystem. Sands United stands as a beacon for how football can be utilised to build, sustain and mend the emotional well-being of its participants, a cause that is very much in line with our own mission and vision.