Mental health service users reap benefits of Kickstart 2 Recovery
THE Kickstart 2 Recovery programme is a targeted Association Football initiative for individuals within the mental health services in the Republic of Ireland across different community settings.
When it originally started in Meath in 2013 the programme was led by occupational therapists who linked in with the FAI locally to run it. The FAI provided and paid for a coach to be involved with the group each day, usually running the programme for six weeks before taking a break and then running it again.
Two years ago the initiative was rolled out in Mayo, and it has been a huge success, with the number of sessions doubling in the second year.
Mayo FAI development officer Paul Byrne sat down with Micheal Collins, peer support worker with the HSE, and principal social worker Catherine Walsh to roll Kickstart out locally in Castlebar. Micheal took on the role of coaching, with the FAI funding the facility used.
Micheal Collins has been an FAI coach for a number of years doing various work for the association in schools, communities and head coaching on a number of FAI Summer Soccer School camps every summer. He is also very well known across the county at grassroots football level through his huge involvement, should that be as head coach of the girls’ section in Kiltimagh/Knock United, head coach of the hugely successful Barnacarroll Fun Football Academy, and coach with the Mayo Girls’ Emerging Talent Programme.
Working in tandem with Kevin Sheeran at Mayo level, Micheal has coached Mayo Under 14s to a Gaynor Cup third place finish, Mayo Under 16s to a fourth place finish and, most impressively of all, guided the Mayo Under 12s to Gaynor Cup glory at the University of Limerick in 2019.
Micheal explained how the initiative has evolved: "We started in May 2018 and had 16 sessions that year. For the year 2019 we had a fantastic total of 29 sessions while this year (2020) we had amassed eight sessions before the Covid-19 restrictions put a halt on us.
"With the fantastic support that we have had from the OT sector on the different mental health teams, it has been very successful in that most of the players come back week after week and feedback from the participants is very positive.
"We have use of an indoor hall or an astro pitch and usually play five-a-side matches, with a penalty kick competition usually taking place also. Numbers range from eight to 16 and the selection of the teams usually gives good even games."
Research has been carried out on Kickstart 2 Recovery programmes that have taken place country-wide over the past number of years and some of the findings include:
It's a weekly activity that affirms personal identity and enable participants to maintain social and leisure skills in a community-based environment.
It’s an innovative programme that promotes health at community level, it targets people availing of the mental health services who may not have access to mainstream clubs.
It is a programme aimed at increasing physical activity through the medium of football to offset inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle.
It is a sustainable programme that reinforces the many benefits of using football as an instrument to support therapeutic change.
Not for nothing is the game known as 'the beautiful game'.
The Mayo Kickstart 2 Recovery programme won a Community Healthcare West Staff Recognition Award for innovation last November.
The FAI have received lots of (justifiable) negative press over the past 18 months but this initiative is just one example of the great work that goes on at local community level, often unnoticed.
As Micheal notes: "In Mayo we are very fortunate to have an FAI development officer in Paul Byrne who goes way over and beyond in his unstinting work at promoting the most widely played sport in the world."
If you have queries about the Mayo Kickstart 2 Recovery programme, contact Micheal Collins at Michael.Collins1@hse.ie or (086) 4176556, or any OT on any of the county's mental health teams.
* Pictured above is coach Micheal Collins, at his home club, Kiltimagh Knock United. Photo: Alison Laredo