Drogheda get their Head in the Game

Drogheda United will play their 2021 season at “Head in the Game Park” as they have announced the renaming of United Park for the coming year as selected by one of their members.

As part of the Club Patron venture launched last season, each patron was included in a draw with the opportunity to rename the stadium for one lucky supporter.

Local Councillor Joanna Byrne was the individual chosen to rename the ground and as an advocate of mental health initiatives she has selected to promote a movement of supporters within the league to get the publicity.

Head in the Game was formed in 2020 as a mental health advocacy group aimed at promoting the importance of mental health awareness among players, fans, coaches, journalists and everyone involved in the League of Ireland and wider Irish society.

They have been actively promoting a positive mental health message through the use of the social media hashtag #DontTurnYourFloodlightsOff with many players, supporters and personalities from Irish football reading their original poem “The Floodlights”.

Speaking to Drogheda United’s club website Joanna commented:

“I’m acutely aware that we face a significant mental health challenge in Ireland in the coming years.  I have seen young Drogheda fans with banners saying “It’s OK not to be OK” and I think it’s wonderful that younger people are confronting the stigma of mental health.  I really hope the renaming of United Park takes this a step further”.

Dean Arrowsmith, Chairperson of Head in the Game also spoke to Drogheda’s website saying:

“The pandemic has made life tough for a lot of people. We want to work on breaking down stigma and getting people to speak to one another when they’re having a difficult day or week. We hope our campaign can do a lot of good over the season ahead. I want to thank the team in Drogheda United for getting us involved and for their ongoing support; it’s a privilege for us as a group and we hope our campaign can be embraced right throughout the League”.