A statistic football can’t ignore: the very necessary role that Oxford United is playing towards suicide prevention.
Take a pitch-side view of the work that Oxford United is doing for suicide prevention and men's mental health discussions.
Since 2001, men, on average, have accounted for three-quarters of all suicide deaths in England.
It’s a deeply troubling figure that has been immutable for 25 years, but Championship side Oxford United are starting the ball rolling on change. The club has been consistently working to bring the topic of men’s mental health into parallel with the sport, encouraging these integral open conversations, to quell the 75% statistic.
It’s a platform with an undeniably large following. According to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 30% of adults reported watching sports live within the last 12 months, with men’s football triumphing over all other sports, being watched by 61% of these individuals. Furthermore, a huge 75% of adults admitted to engaging with live sports on TV in the last 12 months, and men’s football was yet again the most popular sport to watch for 56% of these people.
Even those who aren’t avid football followers are unlikely to avoid it completely. The England men’s Euro final in 2024 was watched on the BBC by a peak of 19.3 million people, and the women’s Euro 2025 victory pulled a peak live audience of 12.2 million viewers.
In general, men are the sport devotees, with a YouGov poll revealing that over a third of men consider themselves to be very interested in sport, in vast contrast to just 9% of women claiming the same. Additionally, 30% of male audiences revealed that they watch sport everyday or several times a week, making football one of the most influential platforms to begin the discussion on men’s mental health.
Clinical Director Ben Wilson of the Baton of Hope project agrees, confirming that football and sport is “one of the biggest glues that holds society together.”
He believes it’s a “real opportunity to use the sport as a platform to talk about suicide.”
The Baton of Hope project was launched in 2023 after Mike McCarthy and Steve Phillip connected through social media over the shared loss of their sons to suicide. The campaign has toured the country, and promotes their Workplace Pledge, to increase suicide awareness and prevention.
Baton of Hope Workplace Pledge
To remove and eradicate the stigma around mental health in the workplace
Increase awareness of suicide
Improve and do our best to save lives
Make suicide awareness, support and prevention a workplace priority
In October 2025, Oxford United unified with the Baton of Hope project to host their ‘Can We Talk?’ campaign at a Men’s First Team match-day against Derby County at the Kassam Stadium. Speaking to Ryan Maher, head of OUFC’s media, demonstrated the immense impact of the collaboration for the club, as well as the fans:
“We have been very fortunate to run a number of events through the Can We Talk? Campaign. Our ‘Can We Talk?’ match-day alongside the Baton of Hope project saw 11,500 people engage with the campaign, as we distributed clear signposting and messaging, and offered workshops pre-game to the supporters. This was a fantastic way to engage on mass with a huge number of people and bring attention to the cause and the work that we are doing.”
Oxford United men’s team player Will Vaulks has been a vital ambassador for the project, and an illuminating voice within the discussion around men’s mental health, after losing both of his grandfathers to suicide.
“For me it’s about looking after people’s mental health right at the start, suicide is the end result of poor mental health in my opinion.”
“If I can hopefully show people that talking is alright, you can open up, then it will hopefully make a bit of a difference.”
His ardent work towards the public-health issue culminated with recognition from FIFPRO, and Vaulks was honored with the Player Voice Award in November 2025. For him, the award was a gateway into spreading his message further across the sport:
‘‘It gives me that encouragement and belief that what I’m doing is making a difference, and to keep going at it really. It means that I’ll continue doing it, and push and push and push until everyone hears about suicide prevention.”
It’s a crisis that desperately needs to be heard by everyone. The suicide rate is at its greatest for both men and women in England since the Office for National Statistics began collecting data in 2001. For women, the figure sits at a rate of 5.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2024, and for men the figure is 17.0 in 2024, with the previous year maintaining the highest recorded rate for men’s suicide at 17.1 per 100,000 people.
The total number of suicide deaths in England continue to remain the highest they’ve been since 2001, with figure of 5,717 in 2024, a 1.1% increase from the previous year. Male deaths in 2024 stood at 4,231, which was also a 1% increase from 2023.
Research shows that middle-aged men are more susceptible to suicide, demonstrated as the five age group categories from 35-55 made up over half of all male 2024 suicide deaths in England. 50-54 year old’s contributed to 11.6% of all male deaths, larger than any other age demographic. Whilst it is important to note here that these numbers do not take into account the population density of each age category, the figures remain disturbingly large.
To stunt these rising statistics, Oxford United are addressing all avenues to normalise discussions around men’s mental health. Their retail collaboration with Boys Get Sad Too earlier this November was a huge success, with ‘90% of all online stock sold out within 24 hours of release’.
Speaking in depth with Ryan Maher confirmed the club’s confidence that their work was making a difference:
“I genuinely believe we are creating a safer and understanding environment and culture at Oxford United, from inside the Club, to the supporters. The only data which I have to show that this is making an impact is through the conversations I have had. Since starting the campaign, I have had many more vulnerable conversations with players, staff, supporters and others, which would never have happened previously.
On occasion, I have had supporters speak to Will and I, saying that the message we are conveying has made an impact in their own mental health, or another’s. That gives us so much confidence that what we are doing is making an impact, and I feel we are creating a comfortable environment for all.”
Provisional data by the ONS for 2025 suggests that suicide rates and deaths are expected to rise even further, with their second quarterly data for the year overwhelming previous years. Suicide prevention is a process, and goes beyond figures and statistics, and Oxford United and player Will Vaulks are working from the grassroots to push awareness, push conversation and push change. Vaulks believes in the importance of the individual in the ability to advocate for social transformation:
“It’s on each and every one of us to check in, and ask that all important question: Can we talk?”
Discover for yourself Oxford United’s campaigns and events:
All videos taken by Gemma Rousell.