Football metaphor and mental well-being: An evaluation of the It's a Goal! programme

Background: The It's a Goal! programme utilises football metaphor and football venues as a means to frame and deliver a non-clinical, group-based therapeutic intervention, targeting men with mental health needs. A pilot in the North West of England was hosted by seven professional football clubs in partnership with local Primary Care Trusts. Aims: To evaluate the impact of the intervention and to identify the benefits and key components of the approach from the perspective of participants. Method: Analysis of impact utilised before and after well-being scores measured on a modified version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Focus groups provided additional qualitative data that were analysed thematically. Results: Findings suggest that It's a Goal! had a significant impact upon participant's well-being. In addition, participants reported a range of positive benefits especially in relation to confidence, self-esteem and developing better coping mechanisms. Participants related these benefits to a number of key components, not least the therapeutic value of football metaphor, the focus on goal-setting and the mutual support developed within the groups. Conclusions: Using football metaphor to deliver a group therapeutic programme aimed at men appears to be an effective means of facilitating mental health benefits.